On Tuesday February 27, we visited J.L. Mann's New Tech school within a school. I really enjoyed the visit and would like to share some of my thoughts on the program.
First, the school is beautiful. I love the open concept, that is really me. I love windows! I thought it could possibly be a problem with students attention in class, possibly always looking out to see who is in the building (I didn't think to ask if this was an issue). Also, the lack of wall space to display student work I did not like. Safety could be an issue and also the teachers mentioned it was hard to get use to having their materials on a cart going from room to room. Maybe that will change for them over the years since this is their first year in the new building.
The next comment is on the team teaching or double classes. I don't mind team teaching but I personally don't like the large number of students (52, I do believe she told me) in one double class. I may like it; who knows, but it did not seem very personal.
I did notice student behavior issues ant the teacher explained to me how the program worked. The students in a group and/or the teacher can issue a behavior warning. The student gets three warnings then removal from the group and they must redo ALL work in the class from the beginning. They start with a 0. So this led me to realize that the student contract must be detailed and evidence must be provided for a student warning. I also liked how administration was also on board with the consequences.
I like how all the teachers used the same student contract forms. I think consistency in some areas is great because it saves time for content. Teachers also use the same grading rubric, but can choose what areas they focus on in the grading.
I loved the ASK 3 Before Me, meaning before you ask the teacher for help you need to have exhausted three other resources first.
I do like the idea of workshops if a students is having difficult with a concept. I'm not sure how fast these occur but it seems they would need to be that day or the next in order for the student to be able to progress at a quick pace.
Lastly, I loved the faculty meeting in which all teachers discussed new PBL's and offered advice to their fellow teachers.
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you were able to visit J.L. Mann with Scott's cohort from Greenwood. I have heard wonderful things about their new facility. I am glad that you found some ideas that you liked such as the clear guidelines in the students' group contracts, the consistency in the student contracts, and the procedures for students requesting support. The support for the pbl implementation from the administration and by the colleagues in weekly meetings is crucial to their success.
Thanks,
Dawn
I also really enjoyed the ask 3 before me and I will definitely implement that within my room! The meeting at the end was a fantastic way to wrap up and discuss the process that Emerald has done through. It was a great way to spend the day and I was able to take strategies and ideas back to my school!
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