The Senior Capstone Group discussed what the elements of a reasonable transitional senior project might look like, even as early as this year and initiiated the discussion about when and how to move to the full program next year or thereafter. We have a lot of material we're looking at, but the trick will be deciding what to keep and what to forego when we put our own version of what we think works together.
The student council has been meeting since November. We have representatives from all classes except the freshman class. There are 9 student members. We have introduced ourselves to the students at class meetings in December. We handed out surveys to get feedback from students on important issues we could work on. A number of the items have been brought up to SPMT for action and discussion. Others are currently being acted upon by the student council members. Members have also been going to city-wide student council meetings with Megan, addressing issues that run across many New Haven high schools.
Minutes from Advisement Group mtg.2/1/10 Att:Chas.M.,Jack C.,Kurt F.,Caroline G.,Eric Y.,Ariela R.,Paul M. Set agendas for Feb advisement meetings (3 until Capt starts 3/1) Feb 2-Jr/Sr Review College planning calendar,urge jrs to register for SAT before end of school year.Srs-Fafsa deadline imminent (2/28) Fr/So- Review mid-term testing process,get feedback on what worked,didn't work etc. Feb 9-Jrs retaking Capt should be pulled from advisement ,Caroline and Eric will prep them for retakes.Jack is working on ideas for student-lead conferences Feb 23 Report cards and transcripts to be reviewed by all classes Also discussion about tweaking exam scedules-suggestion was made that sandwiching 3 days of testing around a weekend may benefit students There were other discussions etc-please see Eric as I may have missed including something(s) of importance.PM
Dee Dee, Anna Maria and Ricky (Helping ELL Committee)have been sifting through and discussing a wealth of hand-outs and notes acquired during our meeting with New Haven ESL Coaches: Maria Laudano and Joyce Romanow.
Several important points are coming up:
1. Helping ELL students can best be achieved by reaching teachers and securing their involvement/support.
2. There are no bilingual programs at the high school level, and the old model of taking ELL students out of the classroom for language support has not been effective in allowing students to succeed at the level of their native-speaking peers.
3. A more effective strategy calls for getting trained ESL coaches "into" the classroom, rather than taking students out.
4. A popular method of coaching, instructing or structuring lessons to meet ELL needs is called SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol). It involves strategies used to enhance ELLs academic content classes through comprehensible language. Basically it levels the playing field and allows for success in content area while learning English. Many useful techniques are employed such as:
a. Access to mainstream curriculum
b. Clear and Explicit learning objectives
c. Interactive-learning opportunities
d. Academic language learning in academic content classes
e. Collaboration between content teacher and ESL teacher.
f. Focus on vocabulary
g. Language adjustments
h. Graphic Organizers
i. Modeling/Scaffolding
j. Making lessons relevant to students' own experiences. ...Schemas.
... and the list goes on.
Where are we at right now as a committee?
Well, we have so much information (and learning aides)to digest which we think is worthwhile.
But how to sell it to other teachers?
We have valuable hand-outs, but do other teachers want copies?
Will they use them?
We would like input from other teachers concerning their own experiences with second-language learning and/or English Language Learners (ELLs).
Senior Capstone As Dave was entering our notes we also came up with a few more ideas... The possibility of providing credit to students for advisement time(obviously would have to be more structured) & senior advisement could be spent focusing on Capstone Projects.
9th, 10th, & 11th grade advisement's might focus on introducing students to pieces of the Capstone project as well as many other topics that are applicable to each grade level. This could even tie in the other working groups as well (health education, student success plans, etc.,).
Presentation of final Capstone projects could include Advisement classes of underclassmen as to raise awareness of what will be expected of them during their senior year.
Common theme of overload of information and how to focus it to what is useful for teachers within our real time constraints. Let me suggest that the committees make recomendations/proposals to SPMT/administration on next steps and we will work these approved proposals through Rebecca as to PD requirements and timelines.
Members in attendance: Kim Workinger George Baldwin Cheryl Slaiciunas Kristen DelGreggo
Begin efforts in Freshman Year
1) Interest Inventory with Parents Goal: To involve parents in student planning
Plan: Send home an “Interest Inventory” that is filled out by student independent of parent, also filled out by parent independent of student answering the question as they think their child would fill it out. We think that they might learn something about their child from this different angle. As a follow up, have student and parent attend a workshop where students and parents discuss goals, strengths, and weaknesses and formulate a plan that all key players have a role in developing.
2) Develop a PLAN for future based in some knowledge about all of the options!
Goal: Develop a plan that is revisited annually
Plan: Use the interest inventory, grades, performance rubrics, progress reports, etc to check in on progress of the student and continue to develop viable, realistic plans beyond school. Develop course choices for electives and extended day activities that support that plan.
“Vocation Fair”- each staff member contacts one person from a variety of possible vocations who would come in to discuss this career choice. Some of these vocations require college, others do not.
Hi, all. The Freshmen Coop group began discussions about next year's camping trip and I am happy to report that we are all as enthusiastic for next year as we were for this year! Our hope is to once again hold three 3-night, 2-day trips, but with more of an aquatic element this time around. We are also aiming to hold these trips a little bit earlier than last year; probably the third, fourth, and fifth full weeks of school. In turn, I still have approximately $170 left in grant money and it was suggested I buy the kind of team-building equipment that Kenny provided.
Look soon for more detailed notes in the All Access. That's all for now from the Freshmen Coop group!
This is a comment
ReplyDeleteThe Senior Capstone Group discussed what the elements of a reasonable transitional senior project might look like, even as early as this year and initiiated the discussion about when and how to move to the full program next year or thereafter. We have a lot of material we're looking at, but the trick will be deciding what to keep and what to forego when we put our own version of what we think works together.
ReplyDeleteThe student council has been meeting since November. We have representatives from all classes except the freshman class. There are 9 student members. We have introduced ourselves to the students at class meetings in December. We handed out surveys to get feedback from students on important issues we could work on. A number of the items have been brought up to SPMT for action and discussion. Others are currently being acted upon by the student council members. Members have also been going to city-wide student council meetings with Megan, addressing issues that run across many New Haven high schools.
ReplyDeleteMinutes from Advisement Group mtg.2/1/10
ReplyDeleteAtt:Chas.M.,Jack C.,Kurt F.,Caroline G.,Eric Y.,Ariela R.,Paul M.
Set agendas for Feb advisement meetings (3 until Capt starts 3/1)
Feb 2-Jr/Sr Review College planning calendar,urge jrs to register for SAT before end of school year.Srs-Fafsa deadline imminent (2/28)
Fr/So- Review mid-term testing process,get feedback on what worked,didn't work etc.
Feb 9-Jrs retaking Capt should be pulled from advisement ,Caroline and Eric will prep them for retakes.Jack is working on ideas for student-lead conferences
Feb 23 Report cards and transcripts to be reviewed by all classes
Also discussion about tweaking exam scedules-suggestion was made that sandwiching 3 days of testing around a weekend may benefit students
There were other discussions etc-please see Eric as I may have missed including something(s) of importance.PM
Dee Dee, Anna Maria and Ricky (Helping ELL Committee)have been sifting through and discussing a wealth of hand-outs and notes acquired during our meeting with New Haven ESL Coaches: Maria Laudano and Joyce Romanow.
ReplyDeleteSeveral important points are coming up:
1. Helping ELL students can best be achieved by reaching teachers and securing their involvement/support.
2. There are no bilingual programs at the high school level, and the old model of taking ELL students out of the classroom for language support has not been effective in allowing students to succeed at the level of their native-speaking peers.
3. A more effective strategy calls for getting trained ESL coaches "into" the classroom, rather than taking students out.
4. A popular method of coaching, instructing or structuring lessons to meet ELL needs is called SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol). It involves strategies used to enhance ELLs academic content classes through comprehensible language. Basically it levels the playing field and allows for success in content area while learning English. Many useful techniques are employed such as:
a. Access to mainstream curriculum
b. Clear and Explicit learning objectives
c. Interactive-learning opportunities
d. Academic language learning in academic content classes
e. Collaboration between content teacher and ESL teacher.
f. Focus on vocabulary
g. Language adjustments
h. Graphic Organizers
i. Modeling/Scaffolding
j. Making lessons relevant to students' own experiences. ...Schemas.
... and the list goes on.
Where are we at right now as a committee?
Well, we have so much information (and learning aides)to digest which we think is worthwhile.
But how to sell it to other teachers?
We have valuable hand-outs, but do other teachers want copies?
Will they use them?
We would like input from other teachers concerning their own experiences with second-language learning and/or English Language Learners (ELLs).
Senior Capstone
ReplyDeleteAs Dave was entering our notes we also came up with a few more ideas...
The possibility of providing credit to students for advisement time(obviously would have to be more structured) & senior advisement could be spent focusing on Capstone Projects.
9th, 10th, & 11th grade advisement's might focus on introducing students to pieces of the Capstone project as well as many other topics that are applicable to each grade level. This could even tie in the other working groups as well (health education, student success plans, etc.,).
Presentation of final Capstone projects could include Advisement classes of underclassmen as to raise awareness of what will be expected of them during their senior year.
Common theme of overload of information and how to focus it to what is useful for teachers within our real time constraints. Let me suggest that the committees make recomendations/proposals to SPMT/administration on next steps and we will work these approved proposals through Rebecca as to PD requirements and timelines.
ReplyDeleteCollege Preparedness Faculty Working Group Notes
ReplyDeleteFeb 1, 2010
Members in attendance: Kim Workinger
George Baldwin
Cheryl Slaiciunas
Kristen DelGreggo
Begin efforts in Freshman Year
1) Interest Inventory with Parents
Goal: To involve parents in student planning
Plan: Send home an “Interest Inventory” that is filled out by student independent of parent, also filled out by parent independent of student answering the question as they think their child would fill it out. We think that they might learn something about their child from this different angle. As a follow up, have student and parent attend a workshop where students and parents discuss goals, strengths, and weaknesses and formulate a plan that all key players have a role in developing.
2) Develop a PLAN for future based in some knowledge about all of the options!
Goal: Develop a plan that is revisited annually
Plan: Use the interest inventory, grades, performance rubrics, progress reports, etc to check in on progress of the student and continue to develop viable, realistic plans beyond school. Develop course choices for electives and extended day activities that support that plan.
“Vocation Fair”- each staff member contacts one person from a variety of possible vocations who would come in to discuss this career choice. Some of these vocations require college, others do not.
Hi, all. The Freshmen Coop group began discussions about next year's camping trip and I am happy to report that we are all as enthusiastic for next year as we were for this year! Our hope is to once again hold three 3-night, 2-day trips, but with more of an aquatic element this time around. We are also aiming to hold these trips a little bit earlier than last year; probably the third, fourth, and fifth full weeks of school. In turn, I still have approximately $170 left in grant money and it was suggested I buy the kind of team-building equipment that Kenny provided.
ReplyDeleteLook soon for more detailed notes in the All Access. That's all for now from the Freshmen Coop group!