|
The Core Academy Program has
been a
year of unforgettable memories, heartfelt moments, district academic
awards and a renewed love for teaching and learning!
The Core Academy began as an
extension
of two years of successful summer camp and after-school response to
intervention programs provided by Core Possibilities, LLC in Sumter
School District Two that incorporated intense small group academic
instruction, brain based learning strategies and lots of physical
activity.
The Core Academy was a pilot
program
that served as a response to intervention, tier-two, full day program
serving 21 students with the lowest M.A.P. reading scores in
the
rising third grade student population at Shaw Heights Elementary School
in rural Sumter, SC. The goal was to assess progress and
provide
a variety of interventions to keep as many of the students out of
special education as possible.
The program was a one of a kind
- 21st
century classroom that incorporated research-based principles of the
brain along with extensive daily physical activity. Our
students
experienced a combination of sensory integration strategies, a daily
emphasis on fitness, brain friendly teaching strategies and an inquiry
approach to teaching. The program was designed to put all of
the
Jensen Learning brain-based teaching principles into “action”
and
create an environment where learning was fun and success was achieved
from the inside out.
We began by digesting Eric
Jensen’s Environments
for Learning
book. The first step was having a local paint store create a
beautiful classroom paint color that was “sky-blue tinged with
red”. We spent a very warm summer day transforming our drab
beige
room into a “Blue-Raspberry” delight. From there, we added
improved lighting, flexible seating options (beanbag chairs and desks
with tennis ball bottoms), plants, affirmation posters, yummy vanilla
smells, and uncluttered walls and work areas.
Day one began with a red carpet
entrance for each student. They were interviewed and
photographed
by reporter Petersen from “ WCORE” and we started the school year with
a positive state change! We immediately established valuable
rituals, roles and energizers. All of which made our jobs as
teachers easy and fun. Music in the classroom was our single
most
valuable tool - especially when it came to transitions. We
quickly learned if we started getting too “busy” then there was too
much of us and not enough student involvement.
Our school day began with 30
minutes
of “voluntary gross motor exercise”. We called it
our
morning walk. We logged every step and through out the year
saw
calmer, fitter, more focused students! One highlight of the
school year took place on Saturday, March 1, 2008, when our class
participated in a 5K fun run at a local zoo to raise money for Meals on
Wheels. Not one student had ever participated in any type of
organized running event. To our excitement and surprise our
class
won the group fitness “leap-frog” award, and we even had students place
third overall in the children’s division for both female and male
categories!! Throughout the year we awarded marathon medals
to
any student who logged 26.2 miles for their morning walks. We
finished the school year with 823 miles walked and we awarded 23 full
marathon medals!!
The rest of the school day
focused on
alternating between core curriculum instruction and sensory motor
energizers. Theses energizers were important because we did
not
have specials daily such as P.E., music or art. Our favorites
were “academic relay”, “VV”, “dance off”, “core fitness”, “what’s
missing” and the “art show”. “Academic relay” was great for
immediate error correction. (Eric Jensen we would love to
write
an “Energizer” book with you!) Rituals were so valuable in
managing classroom behavior! Classroom jobs, random cup,
surf,
and “hold your breath” were the most widely used. Oddly
enough we
had the “toughest” kids in the school and the least amount of classroom
discipline referrals. We never even implemented the
school-wide
behavior color chart!
When it comes to curriculum –
delivery
is key! We can’t say enough about repetition and
engagement!! Many days we would have amazing lessons (or so
we
thought) only to find out through random play at recess that many
students still didn’t “get it”. Recess became a powerful
integration/application period for learning. We actually
acted
out the civil war for several weeks (Mr. “P” was General Robert E. Lee
“P”) and everyone loved our “Government May I” game! That’s
when
the curriculum content would finally stick. The playground
also
offers great use of episodic memory! Memory pegs were really
valuable before important tests!
Student’s writing skills
blossomed
early on with the opportunity to be part of a pen-pal exchange project
with another school. We can’t say enough about the peer
tutoring
that occurs with frequent letter exchanges. The students
developed deep and personal relationships with their pen pals and
shared personal stories that they would not share with other
classmates. We were fortunate enough to have a field study at
the
end of the year to meet them in person!
The year was amazing.
We fell in
love with our twenty-one beautiful students! They are by far
some
of the greatest “teachers” we have ever had, and we were so blessed and
thankful for the amazing opportunity to share the past 180 school days
with them! Above all - research, strategies,
curriculums,
exercises, and intervention “tools”- having a personal caring
relationship with each student is the key to success in the
classroom. (#1 is the sun – uniqueness – all students’ minds
are
unique and so are they) That personal connection is the glue
that
holds all the other parts together, and we believe it’s the key to
getting great “results” from the students. As Eric Jensen has
said before children are not factory workers, they are amazing
individuals who have so much to learn and to teach! Even if
they
are teaching us patience - it’s a valuable skill to learn.
Many questioned and even
criticized
our “friendly” blue classroom and thought we had way too much “down”
time. We were also criticized for our lack of homework and
“over-the-top” weekly student assessments. For extra
scrutiny,
the school put in place a “control” class of twenty-one low performing
students with a “traditional” classroom just to compare test results,
because in the end it all comes down to test results for most schools
and programs.
Well, we are happy to report
that if
you apply what you learn at Jensen Learning Workshops and do so with a
heart full of love and enthusiasm for the kids your teaching then your
results will blow away the competition!! We finished the year
by
winning the school wide “Golden Apple” award for the most improved test
scores in the school! We doubled the district average in
Math,
Reading, and Language Arts scores on the National M.A.P. (Measures of
Academic Performance) Assessment. Almost 80% of our class met
or
exceeded the anticipated growth for the year. Many students
doubled the expected growth and our top students tripled the expected
growth. We had students who increased their Reading and ELA
scores by 40 points!! The expected growth is around 12 points
and
the district’s average gain was around 9 points. We also had
the
most improved multiplication student in the district. He
increased his calculations by close to 70 problems in a ten-minute time
period. (We’re confident that music entrainment played a big
role
in that success) The control class experienced
average to
below average gains and many students did not meet their expected
growth.
The great test results were
important
to the principal and District Administration. The
un-measurable
gains in self-confidence, perseverance, cooperation, responsibility,
teamwork, self-esteem, self-pride, respectfulness, and ability to
connect and care for others were much more important to us and to the
student’s families. It was wonderful to watch students
connect
more fully with their parents and develop a positive relationship with
the “academic world”. That is the “Grand Prize” Brent and I
never
expected to receive this year!
Anyone can do what we
did. You don’t need a lot of money, resources or fancy
curriculums. Just passion!
For additional information,
please contact Brent Petersen or April Haskell.
|
