Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Ideas? Improving the elementary education setting

Hi all,

As mentioned in the private/public thread, I live in a region that puts intense pressure on its kids (and adults), and that has suffered the suicide of several students this year.

I am on the site council for my son's elementary school. Our council has set aside other projects in favor of working on this: what can we do, in elementary school, to foster the development of whole and healthy children who love learning for the joy of learning itself.

Now - this is not strictly a gifted issue. But it pings hard in many of the conversations we've been having lately. Our principal is a strong lady who would go out on a limb for the right idea. So please - any ideas? Especially specific ideas I could present as something we can DO.

E.g., flipped school, optional-only homework, "homework" that can be completed in the last period of school, or first thing in the morning (e.g., 10 minutes in 2nd grade up to 30-40 minutes in fifth grade).

I don't know - I'm making this stuff up. But I'd love to offer some creative ideas, and you folks seem like a good source.

TIA,
Sue

A minimum of 30 mins recess for every 2 hours school. Free play mixed grades etc plus teachers to organise open to all informal soccer etc - they don't have to play the whole time themselves just get the game going and encourage.

Optional only homework except little things like spelling words, timetables at 5 to 10 minutes andreading.

Ability grouped classes for maths, reading and writing. Try and be within a few years though as it is not going to help a nine year old to be put with five year olds. In the other direction go as far as the gifted kid is comfortable at least initially.

Gotta go.

Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted (S.E.N.G.) might be a great place to start.

My elementary school best practice: Homework that exists because it adds demonstrable value and could only be done at home, primarily due to needing parental involvement (i.e. one-on-one mentoring). In younger grades that would mostly be reading out loud. As they get older, it could encompass more research time for projects, and parental engagement that allows for more discussion of ideas/ depth/ complexity to projects (but not the complicated construction/ crafting busy work often mentioned on this forum).

Otherwise, if there's no reason the work couldn't be done at school, then there's no reason the work couldn't be done at school.

I do know some parents who value homework because it allows them to quickly identify if a child is struggling with a new concept. Optional homework could address this need. But even better is just good communications from the teachers. One of my favourite examples was "Ask about". Every week, the teacher would send home an e-mail, saying "ask your child about.... the following things we did/ discussed this week." If you added on a sample sheet of new concepts, bingo: parents know what's happening in the classroom, have great conversation starter with their kids, plus the ability to double check comprehension should they feel the need ("oh cool - you learned two digit multiplication this week? Show me how that works!".

Subject specialist teachers teaching subjects that use cross-grade grouping (ala puffin).

Recess has been lost in so many schools. It isn't just the moving around from classroom to art room etc (which our elementary principal tried to tell me with a straight and earnest face was sufficient for getting the kids moving, on top of daily PE). So much social learning goes on during recess, how to resolve problems, to support one another, to work together across ages and genders and achievement levels. Some options for directed play are useful for some kids (one of mine could have used it, the other was better with free play).

Responsibility in the school teaches them they have a place in the social structure. Students can have jobs like cleaning whiteboards, raising the flag, maintaining their spaces, helping clean the hallways, creating displays, checking the playground for left items, theirs or others'.

Reduce all pseudo-academic busywork. Replace with recess, a real lunch hour, and creative electives of the student's choice (like for all Friday afternoons). Recruit regular teaching staff and parents to teach these classes.

Start with core homeroom in the morning. Then sync subject times across classes in the afternoons and ignore all ages and grade levels in favor of letting kids go to the class they need. The goal being that every child is working at his or her best level and learning every year (annual goal -- no one goes 'down' a grade by the end of the year). Homework only for independent projects or needed catch up.

School must implement a good anti-bullying program for students AND STAFF. The school should foster a culture of respect in both directions. The school should embrace intellectualism rather than achievement (the second should follow from the first, but without the first, it's hollow).

I believe all corporate culture is driven from the top down and supported from the bottom up. Without conscious direction, you get whatever culture survives the chaos. The admin should create a new motto, new guidelines, and a new handbook that reflects its core values. Students should be encouraged to participate in the crafting of these items as well as the culture at large through contests, surveys, homeroom projects, art, classroom decor, etc.

Focus on achievement, test scores, standardized tests, and winning should be reduced or eliminated as much as possible. Focus instead should be on learning for the sake of learning.

More at this old thread, Ideal educational setting.

Last year my son was at a school that was entirely Project Based Learning. Everything he did in first grade revolved around whatever topic he was learning about at the time. He did projects on Great Danes, Tsunamis, Jacques Cousteau, Mudslides, and one other thing that isn't coming to mind...sharks? Maybe?
Anyway, every 10 weeks they did a new project and at the end of the 10 weeks there was a presentation for the entire school. They learned public speaking skills, organization skills, how to follow their passions, how to research topics alone, and on and on and on.
http://bie.org/about/what_pbl
My son was tuned in, happy, and learning like crazy!

Recess outside, for 30 minutes.
Time for lunch AND another recess after.
Hot lunches, freshly prepared, no convenience products, no sugar or white flour (yeah, yeah I know, but the OP said "be creative", not "be realistic".)
Home rooms grouped by age level, academically and socioeconomic ally integrated, but with readiness clusters (see below)
Montessori style individual work periods in home room, with assignments from readiness grouping.
Group projects in non academic subjects in home room.
All academic subjects strictly to be taught in cross grade readiness grouping. Need not be synchronized - not all students have to be in home room at the same time all the time, just for "project times".
Limits on age span in cross grade groups, eg three years - as in "have to open another group, not limit access"
All kids to be placed in home room in clusters with at least three other kids from at least one academic readiness group.
Arts and music for enjoyment, no grades.
No written homework assignments - all tangible work to be produced in school, homework may only encompass stuff such as reading aloud, times tables, memorizing poetry etc.
memorize poetry and sing songs. Lots of it.