[IAEP] Advice on what I should learn next

[Caroline Meeks]

Dear Colleagues,

As part of my class this semester on School Improvement I have to research
and give a mini-course on something, pretty much anything, relating to
School Improvement.

My current personal learning focus is on how do we teach and empower adults
to help children learn with Sugar.

I am especially interested in the tension I see between the structured
worksheet, lesson plan, standardized test and the free flowing follow your
bliss and learn about what you love exploration models of teaching and
learning.


   - How do we support teachers who were taught in the worksheet model and
   have always taught that way to expand their practice to include a
   constructivist approach?
   - How do we support students, especially ones that are currently seen by
   the system as "low performing" and "not motivated" to go deep and engage at
   a high level with open ended tasks.  Because the culture of fill in the
   blank worksheet is not just the teachers, the students will also push for
   concrete tasks with right and wrong answers.
   - How do we support teachers and schools in bringing in open ended and
   student driven work within their culture of state mandated curriculum and
   high stakes tests?


As some of you might be aware, I'm just a little busy right now, and this is
supposed to be a 10 minute mini-class. I need to narrow this way down!

Thus, I'm looking for advice on academic work you have read that you think
speaks in a very practical way to any piece of this dilemma.

Thanks!
Caroline

P.S. Not interested in just arguments against the status quo, no matter how
right they are.  My goal is in going into the existing systems in the very
near future.  Standing on a soap box saying we should get rid of
standardized tests isn't going to help me meet my goals.  I want practical
techniques that we can teach to teachers, day care instructors and parents.

-- 
Caroline Meeks
Solution Grove
Caroline at SolutionGrove.com

617-500-3488 - Office
505-213-3268 - Fax
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