We want to preserve childhood. We want to create schools that nurture happy, confident, playful, creative children. We also want to make sure that children have strong foundations of skill, concept, knowledge and self-concept to build upon as they grow. How do we create vibrant learning communities that preserve childhood and also foster positive social, academic, emotional and physical growth?
I wrote a long post about restructuring schools a while back and since that time there's been some movement toward this model in the school system where I work. RTI and PLCs find us targeting our collaboration and efforts related to student learning with greater detail and care. Also, our principal's service learning initiative has served to reduce student behavioral concerns considerably. Some students who were once visiting the principal's office for disciplinary concerns are more often there to foster a new service learning endeavor instead. Further, the integration of technology has broadened and deepened our ability to differentiate, foster project/problem base learning and allow students to be content creators as well as consumers.
In the back of my mind as I ponder the creation of vital learning communities is the developmental curve. We have to be mindful of children's stages in life--what's best for small children. That's an area of interest I continue to look for in posts, books and conversations as I think about the changing nature of schools.
As I think about ideal learning communities, I am reminded of the following attributes--attributes which will strengthen and deepen a child's experience of school. Many of the areas are similar to those in my last post and a few new categories have been added.
Playgrounds: Big, varied playgrounds with climbing structures, gardens, hard top, sports facilities and more. Places where children can imagine, play and strengthen their bodies and minds.
Friendly, Welcoming, Comfortable Learning Environments: Bright, spacious, inviting structures with varied areas for quiet reading and study, exploration, invention, art, dance, writing. movie making, recording, read alouds and more. Comfortable, varied furniture, inviting cafeterias and welcoming performance spaces. Also, learning that often extends beyond the school environment into the community via zoos, museums, nature preserves and more in invigorating, interactive ways (not in the typical, old fashion field trip ways).
Advisory Groups: Every professional educator is responsible for a small group of students creating a number of "families" within the school. The advisory groups serve to build social skills, share stories, solve problems and ensure that every child is ready to start the day with clothing that matches the weather, snacks and a positive "I can do it" outlook. When every educator is matched to a small group of students on a daily basis investment grows, and that investment results in happy children who know they belong, and staff that cares for all.
Skill Building: It's important to develop and strengthen students' skills in elementary school. Utilizing state-of-the-art monitoring systems, teaching tools, processes and strategies, educators build student skill with targeted, engaging attention and activities. These groups are marked by flexible groups of students with similar skill goals.
Project/Problem Base Learning: In this area, students engage with classmates in a number of learning endeavors led by educators from many disciplines. The project/problems respond to students' passion and interests, community need and identified processes, skills, concepts and knowledge standards. Throughout a child's tenure in a school he/she engages in a large number of varied project/problem base endeavors. Projects/Problems include art, STEM, multimedia composition, service learning and more.
Learning Tools: The schools continually identify, revise and adapt the best tools for student learning including technology, hands-on materials, and literature.
Celebration, Culture and Tradition: A yearly calendar is created that includes both new and old traditions which celebrate the school community's combined culture and learning endeavor.
Engaged, Invested, Prepared Staff: The many individuals who staff the school bring their passion, dedication and skill. Committed to life long learning, the school environment supports staff with reasonable schedules, access to learning tools and venues, and adequate time to prepare, respond to and work with students.
Streamlined/Reasonable: The learning community stays cognizant of the vision and goals at hand with all other matters streamlined as much as possible leaving time for thoughtful, responsive work with children.
Healthy: The school environment promotes healthy activity with regard to the food served, physical fitness activities, and the emotional climate of the school.
Arts, Music and Physical Fitness: Children have the chance to regularly engage in physical fitness, arts and music activities to develop their physical strength, creative spirit and individual passions and interests.
How does this school model respond to the new standardized movement in the United States? Does this model create the kind of learning community that children can thrive and grow in? What else would you add? What would you change or revise?
As schools grow and change, it is essential that we have a common vision that preserves childhood and develops the kind of people we want to lead and be in our world. While I continue to be a fan of streamlined tests and data collection, I worry that many who promote those tools are trying to hold on to outdated notions of schools and robotic understandings of children. Educators, parents and all community members need to come together to build wonderful learning environments for today's youth--environments that will foster the kind of people and world we want to create.
