GREENFIELD - Figuring out a student's learning style can make a big difference in a child's learning progress, yet it is a characteristic normally barely recognized and even more rarely applied.
An instructional technology teacher at Greenfield Middle School, Gabrielle A. Harrington, aims to make her school community aware of the concept, and is helping students recognize their own styles. As a result, students and teachers are expected to make good use of the knowledge.
She is employing questionnaires to make style determinations, and some of her sixth-grade students are about to put the results into graphs for use of the school community.
Eventually, she wants teachers to fill in questionnaires too, in recognition that there are teaching styles as well as learning styles. The whole idea is to match learning and teaching, style to style, on as many levels as are appropriate.
Paige Swinington, in grade seven, found out from her questionnaire that she is visual more than verbal.
"My learning style is that I'm very visual. That means it's easier for me to see what I'm trying to learn than only listening to a teacher talk about it," she said.
Knowing that could be very valuable to her teachers, Harrington said.
Students are also learning whether their style is active or reflexive, sensing or intuitive, and sequential or global.
Active learners absorb and retain best by doing something with new information, applying it, discussing it or at least explaining it to others. The reflexive student will think about it a while first.
Sensing learners like taking in facts and using established methods to solve problems. The intuitive like innovation and discovery.
The sequential learner gains understanding in linear steps, while global learners look for large jumps to reach the sudden "I got it."
Harrington said delving into how students learn has already altered how she teaches.
"I'm global and my kids are sequential, so I have to think differently," she said.
Otherwise, for sequential students, "they have no way to get started."
Asked if the findings should lead to grouping students according to their learning styles, Harrington said she does not think that would be wise.
"Heterogeneous is better. Everybody learns from others," she said.
Along with helping students learn how they learn, Harrington is using the whole process as a learning mechanism, letting students convert questionnaires into spreadsheets, learn associated mathematics, and increase their prowess with computers.
She said she is finding that students, armed with knowledge about their own learning styles, are taking responsibility for their learning.
Harrington said credit for the program really lies with a former music teacher at the school, Jayne Siciack.
Before Siciack retired at the end of last year, she had discussed with Harrington the importance of learning styles, and said she applied it in her classes.
"I thought I would continue that," Harrington said.
Middle-schoolers write their own constitution
By DIANE BRONCACCIO, Recorder Staff
Greenfield Recorder
Saturday, October 7, 2006, p. 1
GREENFIELD -- Greenfield Middle School students have developed their own code of conduct for the school year, and celebrated with a signing of their school’s new constitution on Friday afternoon.
The schoolwide dialogue on behavior guidelines was in marked contrast to the controversy that was sparked last spring by a list of unacceptable behaviors written by a few students and sent home to families.“This is proactive, instead of reactive,” Principal Chris Collins said. “Part of our job is to educate (students) socially as well as academically. If we’re not doing that, we’re missing the boat, because, at this age, (socializing) is what it’s all about.”“This is an attempt to be very clear with the students about what behavior is OK in the school and what is not OK,” said adjustment and guidance counselor Nora Israeloff. “We are not to assume (students) come in knowing what’s acceptable behavior and what’s not.”The five rules, distilled from the ideas of the school’s roughly 400 students were these:
* Do your best academically.* Be safe, responsible and make good choices.* Do your best to be honest, respectful, supportive and friendly.* Work together by following GMS CARES: Cooperation, Assertion, Respect, Empathy, Self-Control.
* Do what you’re supposed to be doing, when and where you’re supposed to be doing it.
Most students saw their new constitution for the first time Friday, as they signed their names in bright markers on the margins of the white cloth document.Once signed, the 5-yard-long constitutional banner will be hung up across the Sanderson Street entrance, to remind students daily of their own rules.Since school began, students have been meeting in 34 advisory groups, each consisting of a staff member and 10 students, for a daily, 20-minute meeting, referred to as a “circle of power and respect.”
During those 20-minute meetings, they’ve talked about their hopes and dreams for the school year -- both academically and socially, said Nora Israeloff and Kerry Heathwaite of the adjustment/guidance office.
Student representatives from each homeroom met for a “constitutional convention” on Thursday to distill the strongest core beliefs into three to five rules to serve as guidelines on what to expect throughout the year.
“We all made a bunch of rules,” remarked sixth-grader Maryssa Croteau after the signing. “I think it’s good. I think it will be easy to follow, because it’s just what you’re supposed to do.”“I think it’s pretty good,” agreed Mystie Dekarski, also in sixth grade. “They’re little (rules), but I think they will make this school better,” she said.
“These might actually help us with our schoolwork and our advisory groups,” said sixth-grader Cameron Tirrell.Igor Federyuk, of the sixth grade, said the rules were fun to develop, but he thought they might not be easy for every student, “because they might forget the rules.” He and the other students all thought the final rules reflected what they had talked about in their advisory groups.
“It’ll be a good thing for the school,” said eighth-grader Ariana Barber-Blanchard. “I think that kids are going to respect all things more, and that’s going to make the school better for everyone.”
Barber-Blanchard said the rules pretty much reflect the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated.
Israeloff said the idea for a student constitution came from teachers, who were trained in Responsive Design this summer. Responsive Design is a middle school teaching approach, aimed at teaching both social and academic skills to students throughout the school day. By month’s end, all staff and faculty within the school will be trained in Responsive Design, Collins said.
Also, the school has a “Safe Schools, Smart Schools” program in place, has also been working on developing a project to improve the school’s learning environment.
Now that the constitution has been signed, the advisory groups will spend part of the remaining school year “helping kids to know and to learn how to live by their contract,” Heathwaite said.
The school’s Parent-Teacher Organization supports the effort and covered costs for materials and snacks served during the constitution signing.When asked if every student was required to sign the constitution, Collins said signing it wasn’t required, “but no one has declined. This could be something we do every year,” he added. “This is this group’s social contract, but it may not suit next year’s (students).”
Mayor Christine Forgey attended to greet students as they penned their names on the cloth. “Everyone collaborated in making this statement about the way they wish to behave and what everybody wanted to accomplish,” she said. “It’s just a wonderful day here and spirits are high. Kids are excited about having their voices recorded, and having our community understand what’s important to them.”
Superintendent Joseph Ruscio III called the constitution “a culminating activity of something we’ve been attempting to do at the middle school -- and it’s finally come to fruition.” He said a social responsibility teaching program began seven years ago at Four Corners Elementary School and spread to the other elementary schools.
Last year’s allegations of inappropriate behavior sparked a lot of community conversation about the issue of bullying and about how the middle school would address such concerns under the guidance of its new principal. Since summer, Collins, who started in the job in July, has been attending meetings to discuss the issue with the town’s Human Rights Commission and with a new Safer Schools Task Force Committee.
You can reach Diane Broncaccio at: dbronc@recorder.com or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 277.
"This link and survey give you ways to help yourself in school," says Gaby Richard-Harrington, Technology teacher at the Greenfield Middle School. "I'd like to collect the data from the middle school and graph it with my students."
Mrs. Harrington requests that students who complete the questionnaire print their results with their grade level on the top of the page and return the completed form to Mrs. Harrington's mailbox at the Middle School.
Preschool Welcomes First Class By DIANE BRONCACCIO, Recorder Staff
The Recorder, Thursday September 7, 2006
(http://www.recorder.com/index.htm)
GREENFIELD — As soon as he reached his new classroom at the Academy of Early Learning at North Parish, L. W. peered around the room, then made a bee-line for a playhouse structure, with his toddler brother crawling after him.
It was L.'s second visit to the building that was soon to become his first full-time school.
“He was in a half-day preschool before this,” Francia W. said of her 4-year-old son, “but this will be his first full-day experience.”
“This is also my first experience with the public schools,” she added. “We have many questions and expectations. We like to be hands-on …”
“… And we welcome that,” staff member Diane Allis replied. “If you have any questions, you can call us anytime.”
In another classroom, 4-year-old Z. L. was eager to be a “hands-on” student: he rushed past a very crowded sandbox and a Play Doh station to a table where students were supposed to brush paint on their hands, then press them on squares of cloth. The squares were to be sewn together, to make a school quilt.
That, he thought, looked like fun.
“He started (preschool) at 3 years old, at Federal Street School last time,” the boy’s father, C. L., explained.
“When he got here, the first thing he said was: ‘Cool! Cool!’ He likes the beauty — he likes the school.”
Tuesday was the first day of school for L., Z. and another 90 or so preschoolers who came to the new early learning academy last week, to meet their new teachers and new classmates before their first full days of school. Later, they’ll be there from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
“There’s nothing like this in Franklin County,” said early learning teacher Betsy Potter, a former North Parish School teacher who has become a preschool teacher at the new academy.
“It’s really exciting to have something like this in Greenfield, with all the preschools in one place,” said Suzy Hale, a reading specialist for the school district, who does parent outreach for the new early learning center. Besides having all the preschoolers in one place, she believes the center will also function as a place where preschool parents can meet with and support one another.
“I think this is in the forefront for school systems,” Hale said.
The academy combines both public school services with that of the federally funded Head Start Program for 3- to 5-year-olds from eligible families, says Barbara Aiken, director of early learning for the new facility.
Not only do the classrooms integrate special education and traditional students, but Head Start programs have been extended to students who are not in that program, in blended full-day and half-day “Better Start” classrooms.
“Better Start is a collaboration between public schools and Head Start. It’s not the old model,” said Aiken. “But it’s a model for the state that is becoming nationally known.”
The academy has seven classrooms, each with a certified early education teacher and two teacher’s aides. Each has an open area for meetings and separate stations for children to do math and science, artwork or reading.
“We will never have more than 15 children per classroom,” Aiken said. The preschool already has enrollment close to capacity, she said.
The exception is one classroom for what Aiken terms “very, very young 3-and 4-year-olds,” who need more of the teacher’s attention. That classroom is set up for a maximum of 10 children.
“We try to align children’s needs to the program,” she explained. “We’re not trying to fit the child to the program. We’re not trying to fit children into little boxes. We look at the child. We do screenings to try to understand the child’s level of development, and then create the program.”
Aiken said the screening process included a home visit by the teachers to meet each student in their homes. Then, last week, parents brought children to the academy to meet with the teacher in the child’s prospective classroom. On Friday, there was an open house in which most of the preschool families brought their children to meet the others.
Besides classroom teachers, the new early learning center also houses the school district’s speech therapists, early childhood psychologist, occupational and physical therapists.
“One of our big jobs is to identify children who may be at risk for learning (disabilities),” Aiken said.
The cafeteria and other school rooms have all been refurbished, with furnishings for smaller, younger children.
The library is also a parent resource area, with books, training tapes and eventually with workshops on issues that families deal with routinely, such as sibling rivalry or children’s eating problems. The school also has a conference room and a parent-toddler room to be used by other groups, such as the Even Start program, Family Network and Head Start home-based play groups.
Each classroom also has its own bathroom, with sinks and toilets sized for small children.
Aiken said the center has applied for a federal Parent Information Resource Center grant that would enable them to expand parent outreach and training efforts. “We were one of seven sites in the state that was allowed to even apply for it,” she said proudly. “We had to be juried in.”
School Superintendent Joseph Ruscio III said emphasis on preschool education — on getting children ready for school — has become a “critical focus,” statewide and nationally, as well as locally.
“We’ve always had preschool, but parents have told me they thought it was a wonderful idea to have an early learning center with all the children in one place.”
“This gives us the opportunity to really embrace that,” said Ruscio. “It’s quite exciting. I can’t wait to see the results in the long run.”
If you have not received an application or enrollment packet, please contact Sabrina Blanchard 413.772.1390, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
photos: Christa Gardner
Academy of Early Learning at North Parish
Greenfield Public School preschool programs are dedicated to the developmental philosophy. Our curriculum includes experiences in physical, social and cognitive development, plus art and music. We align our curriculum with Massachusetts State standards and provide children with opportunities to participate in a variety of structured and open-ended activities so that they can respond in ways they are able. The District offers special support services including speech and physical therapy, educational consultation, social services, health and nutrition as needed. Instruction follows a project approach that is individualized to the learning style of each child.
Our preschool environment is designed to foster interaction among children and to promote "learning through doing" in an active, prepared and safe setting. Opportunities for learning occur in individual, small, and large groups. Often, activities are arranged around themes such as colors, seasons, animals, etc. The schedule balances active play, exploration, and guided discovery with rest periods to:
Support children in developing self-confidence, social competence and the enjoyment of learning
Highlight the essential skills for early reading, writing, and mathematical thinking
Recognize language is embedded in all developmental areas
Provide hands-on active learning based on the child's interest and sense of emerging skills, integrated with the Massachusetts Curriculum Standards (http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html)
Use critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to discover new ideas and abilities
We also offer a program that blends the services of public school and Head Start for 3, 4, and 5 year olds for eligible families. We value parent involvement with the school program and comfortable, positive transitions into public school. Our teachers are available to meet with parents through home visits or on site. Barbara Aiken, Director of Early Learning
For more information,
please contact
Barbara Aiken, Program Coordinator baraik1@gpsk12.org, 413.772.1390
or
Sabrina Blanchard, Administrative Assistant sabbla1@gpsk12.org, 413.772.1390
