To encourage dialogue and reflection about the ways that we have each made progress, our question(s) for the week is (are): What are you proud of from the first month of school? Making Progress (Week of 10/2/22) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.
The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
As with many of the calendar changes, in some ways I am surprised that October is here and in other ways it feels like we have been back in school for much longer than a month! This past weekend was really nice, visiting Maggie at college for family weekend - so good to have time to visit and be all together!
4 Steps to Build Schoolwide Capacity in the Science of Learning in Grades 6–12
by M-J Mercanti-Anthony in Edutopia
As schools grapple with the dawning realization that what we know about how students learn has changed—and thus how we teach probably needs to evolve as a result—how should we approach the science of learning?
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in how findings from science can inform classroom practice, with the growing application of increasingly popular strategies like retrieval and spaced practice. But ultimately—though the majority of these scientific findings are not brand-new—widespread adoption is still slow-moving, and many of these ideas are only just now making their way into teacher training programs. Simply put, most educators did not learn this stuff in school.
It’s no surprise that some teachers can be justifiably daunted by the science of learning, which has evolved into a catch-all umbrella term, encompassing findings made in the fields of cognitive science, neurology, psychology, and other related disciplines; there’s a lot to cover.
Several Bronx high schools have spent the last several years exploring a different way: helping teachers improve their instruction by focusing on small moves that tap into these research-backed concepts.
1. STUDY THE SCIENCE
When team members understand why a strategy works, they are much more likely to incorporate it into their instructional practice.
2. BREAK DOWN ONE STRATEGY INTO COMPONENT PARTS
When the team feels ready, teachers identify one strategy to practice implementing across all of their classes. In doing so, they work to break down the strategy into its component parts and attempt to implement each part with fidelity.
3. TEST-DRIVE THE STRATEGY
With the strategy identified and broken down into its component parts and characteristics, members next attempted to implement the strategy into their own classrooms with fidelity. Team members often found this to be an important step, as a new strategy never goes quite as originally intended.
4. SCALE THE PRACTICE
Once members felt comfortable understanding the components of the strategy and how to implement it in their own classrooms, the ILT brought it to the wider faculty.
Because many of these concepts are new to so many of us, adapting our teaching takes time. The four steps used by the Bronx ILTs don’t offer a quick fix, but they do represent an authentic means of supporting an entire school’s faculty to grow in the science of learning.
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: How can we help foster creativity in schools? What helps you to be creative?
- Creativity can be fostered by creating more opportunities for students to solve problems / create without too many parameters put in place. We should encourage students to find ways to make their work their own on a regular basis.
- Using music to inspire writing or to have music on. Sitting down to do the lesson from a kids perspective and adding in a tangible/tactile element. Adding in some type of drawing to demonstrate understanding. Incorporating poetry figurative language.
- Collaboration is what really spurs on my creativity. I like working with someone to solve a problem or create something.
- Art Class
- Working in groups with hands on activities
- Drawing and art/field trips and school parties
- Doing projects
- Make more fun educational activities
- The thing that helps me be creative is just a good imagination and inspiration.
- Doing hands-on projects.
- I don't really know
- We can help foster creativity by letting people share their ideas and thoughts, through their own way. Something that helps me be creative is having something to go off of/ideas.
- I like to make posters and that brings out my creativity
- Working with music
- I think we should have art more often. I don’t know what we would trade it out for, but art once a week is not enough.
- Encouraging each other to think outside the box and not copy what you are doing. Looking at my surroundings and saying the first thing that comes to mind can help me create a chain of thoughts until I am satisfied with my idea.
- Have more community creative activities
- Music
- Fun and challenging things to do.
- New and interesting activities.
- What helps me be creative in school is doing group work because it gives me different ideas. Also doing hands-on activities helps me be creative.
- When I see others' ideas and see how I can make mine like theirs but different in my own way .
- Do a bunch of different projects with fun and exciting things to learn about.
- Maybe we could do more art projects or presentations?
- I think you guys are doing a good job!
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Take care.
Nat