How ironic that the welcome spring robins after such a difficult winter should also herald the first MCAS testing here in Massachusetts! Tuesday, March 22, marks our first assessment, the Grade 4 "long comp" assessment of writing. While some children may worry, teachers are attempting to reassure them all. All the work so far means that the time has come for the children to impress the evaluators with their skill and thoughtfulness. Rest, a hearty breakfast and a positive attitude is all they will need. Tuesday 3/22 is Grade 4 Writing, followed by Grade 3 on Wednesday, 3/23 and Thursday, 3/24. The following week begins with Grade 5 on Monday 3/28 and Tuesday 3/29, and more Grade 4 on Wednesday 3/30 and Thursday 3/31. Each of these assessments focus on English Language Arts. Later in the year, we will also be assessing the children in Mathematics, and for Grade 5 only, in Science.
This year, the Cunniff has focused particular attention on the clarity and precision of children's written expression. And while preparing for the MCAS does not drive our program, we have taken our MCAS practicing seriously in the past several weeks. We are now in the last stages of training- one last run up Heartbreak Hill before the Marathon that is MCAS. Happily, teachers working on their last MCAS practice today are very enthusiastic about the descriptive language and rich details they are noticing in the children's work. Whether or not the scores show dramatic progress, our teachers recognize the gains the children are making. Now is no longer the time to train, but to assess for ourselves, teachers, parents and students alike, where we are and what our next step might be in developing strong, clear written communicators. Perhaps, as with marathon, now is also the time to do a little mental "carbo loading" before the big race.
Educators and non-professionals alike readily debate the "self-esteem" issue. Do we do our children a disservice by ensuring that every child wins something in every contest? Or is it better to let children learn how to handle defeat and therefore push themselves to achieve more? In the midst of this thinking is what we know about children's beliefs about themselves and their willingness to persevere in the face of a difficult task. Many researchers, such as Carol Dweck, who studies the relationship between motivation and learning, or Donald Meichenbaum and Andrew Biemiller, educators who write about the beliefs of high performers versus those of under-achievers, all agree that children who believe that it is within their power to reach their goals are much more apt to do just that. As we prepare our students in these last few moments before they sit for the MCAS, we would do well to remember the lessons from research: tell the children we believe in them all; point out to them the many ways they already show us that they are succeeding; and remind them that all their practice means that they have tremendous potential for scoring well on any assessment. We all need to stoke their mental fires with that last little bit of well deserved praise for the hard work behind them so that they will have the mental energy for the tasks to come.
While the debate about high stakes testing and the need to hold a high bar that may continue, now is the time for one last burst of confidence. And, of course, a good night's sleep.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
"Specials" Develop the Whole Child
Late last month, the Cunniff School hosted its second annual "Specialists Night," all to the rave reviews of the Cunniff families. Centered around the art work of Mexican Muralist, Diego Rivera, the event had both an international and an interdisciplinary flavor. In addition to being a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together for an evening of snacks, dancing and appreciation of the children's art work, the event offered parents a chance to meet our specialist teachers in person and to hear a bit about the learning goals, instructional practices, and fantastic results of the gifted teachers in our art, music, technology and Physical Education departments. The good news is that the children eagerly led their parents to the different stations, where student work was exhibited. Additionally, family members, from pre-schoolers to grandparents, were active participants in Latin dancing demos in the gym; not to mention the Mexican food provided by a number of our families that offered a venue for enjoying one another's company after such a long, snowy winter. The difficulty with the format that night, however, was that parents may not have been fully aware of the more serious learning goals that underpinned the children's work. There is always much more behind the scenes of good education than can be seen, initially. And, it is only when we explore those learning objectives in greater depth that we realize the true power of experiences such as "Specialist Night." With that in mind, it is with great pride that we expand here on the teachers' presentations.
The initial catalyst to our evening planning was the availability of mural-sized posters of Rivera's work and the generous funding from our PTO that made renting these valuable resources possible. In art class, using the works as sources of inspiration, the children in grades PreK-5 made their own versions of Mexican bark paintings, cut-tin designs and "papel picado," the cut paper decorations that frequently appear at Mexican celebrations. In the process of creating these pieces, discussions of color choice, design, and composition, as well as the general feeling produced by a work of art were prevalent in all our classes. As a final capstone to the project, the children spent time grouped around the mural display in the hall, copying selected sections of Rivera's works much as art students do in a real museum. Results of this work was on display around the school for our evening presentation, where children proudly shared them with their families.
In our music classes, the theme of Mexican folk songs was used to reinforce children's understanding of rhythm, beat, and harmony. In addition, at "Specialists Night,"our music teacher displayed representative digital samples of projects from Grades 4 and 5 that the children had generated using Garage Band. Teams of students planned original rap songs that reinforced the school's recently adopted motto: Respectful, Responsible, Ready and Safe. The students drafted rap poems and reviewed myriad instrumental clips available in Garage Band to determine blends they thought would sound appealing and would reflect the message of their poems. This activity also provided the music teacher with an opportunity to lead the children in a discussion of musical style, reading and music notation, and current trends in music.
Physical Education classes also capitalized on the Mexican theme of the evening. Prior to the presentation, P.E. classes spent time learning traditional dances popular in Latin America. In the process, students worked on the often ignored gross-motor skills of spinning with a partner, cross-body pivots and keeping time to music using both sides of the body. That night, the unstructured nature of the event resulted in the children and parents from one of our Mexican families leading impromptu sessions for the entire school community in the more subtle nuances of merengue dancing.
Our final specialist area to present that night was our technology classes, for which the students had planned and filmed biographies of Diego Rivera. As always during their work with technology, students were encouraged to think about the best use of the medium, to plan their work considering both their message and the audience, and to practice many interpersonal skills vital to venues from classroom discussion to formal oral presentations. The results of our entire evening were also captured digitally and loaded on the web for sharing with those who could not join us. Please visit the display at the following URL: http://esees.edu.glogster.com/false/.
In this era of difficult budgets and time crunches in our schools, the disciplines, such as art, music, Physical Education and technology, not included in standardized tests are often the first to go. However, it is vital to remember that these are the disciplines that also provide students with a chance to apply their skills in a more holistic way; these are the disciplines that ask for performance that reflects real life application; and these are the disciplines that encourage exploration, creativity, synthesis of knowledge for many areas and the love of learning that supports life-long study. Our next step as educators is to add the evaluation of student performance that will validate the importance of the learning in these instructional areas, and to remind adults and children alike of the ways in which the Fine and Performing Arts enrich all our lives.
The initial catalyst to our evening planning was the availability of mural-sized posters of Rivera's work and the generous funding from our PTO that made renting these valuable resources possible. In art class, using the works as sources of inspiration, the children in grades PreK-5 made their own versions of Mexican bark paintings, cut-tin designs and "papel picado," the cut paper decorations that frequently appear at Mexican celebrations. In the process of creating these pieces, discussions of color choice, design, and composition, as well as the general feeling produced by a work of art were prevalent in all our classes. As a final capstone to the project, the children spent time grouped around the mural display in the hall, copying selected sections of Rivera's works much as art students do in a real museum. Results of this work was on display around the school for our evening presentation, where children proudly shared them with their families.
In our music classes, the theme of Mexican folk songs was used to reinforce children's understanding of rhythm, beat, and harmony. In addition, at "Specialists Night,"our music teacher displayed representative digital samples of projects from Grades 4 and 5 that the children had generated using Garage Band. Teams of students planned original rap songs that reinforced the school's recently adopted motto: Respectful, Responsible, Ready and Safe. The students drafted rap poems and reviewed myriad instrumental clips available in Garage Band to determine blends they thought would sound appealing and would reflect the message of their poems. This activity also provided the music teacher with an opportunity to lead the children in a discussion of musical style, reading and music notation, and current trends in music.
Physical Education classes also capitalized on the Mexican theme of the evening. Prior to the presentation, P.E. classes spent time learning traditional dances popular in Latin America. In the process, students worked on the often ignored gross-motor skills of spinning with a partner, cross-body pivots and keeping time to music using both sides of the body. That night, the unstructured nature of the event resulted in the children and parents from one of our Mexican families leading impromptu sessions for the entire school community in the more subtle nuances of merengue dancing.
Our final specialist area to present that night was our technology classes, for which the students had planned and filmed biographies of Diego Rivera. As always during their work with technology, students were encouraged to think about the best use of the medium, to plan their work considering both their message and the audience, and to practice many interpersonal skills vital to venues from classroom discussion to formal oral presentations. The results of our entire evening were also captured digitally and loaded on the web for sharing with those who could not join us. Please visit the display at the following URL: http://esees.edu.glogster.com/false/.
In this era of difficult budgets and time crunches in our schools, the disciplines, such as art, music, Physical Education and technology, not included in standardized tests are often the first to go. However, it is vital to remember that these are the disciplines that also provide students with a chance to apply their skills in a more holistic way; these are the disciplines that ask for performance that reflects real life application; and these are the disciplines that encourage exploration, creativity, synthesis of knowledge for many areas and the love of learning that supports life-long study. Our next step as educators is to add the evaluation of student performance that will validate the importance of the learning in these instructional areas, and to remind adults and children alike of the ways in which the Fine and Performing Arts enrich all our lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)