Assistance in Slaying the Hydra
As indicated in the last article, the Sheltered Classroom plan was two fold. As discussed to this point the program focused on creating an environment where core students were selected for specific personal traits and to this was added the students that were to be integrated into mainstream programming. This process, however, required a very specific type of support. Many students experience difficulty focusing and working in a fashion that is always conducive to classroom productivity; experienced educators know that it is often doubly hard for those students that are developmentally or cognitively delayed. There are also a percentage of students that are working well above their cohorts anticipated zone of proximal development - here too boredom can lead to frustration and disruptive behavior.
To combat this the staff at RJHS retained the services of an extremely talented teacher/counselor by the name of Moshe Granick. Moshe was brought on staff specifically to develop a program that would alleviate some of the demands on the regular (Sheltered and normal) classroom teachers. The way that the program worked was that a student that was having difficulty focusing or who was becoming agitated in the classroom setting would be given a pass to the Counseling Center. Here Moshe would debrief the student on the reason for the referral and then permit the student to engage in a variety of activities. This included, but was not limited to, being able to read, play chess, checkers, or the like. This was not an all day play room by any stretch - students were carefully monitored by Moshe and at the appropriate time would be sent back to their regular programming.
As a child, I remember going into Moshe's room on numerous occasions to visit - I was in elementary school at the time. The Counseling room was in a portable trailer at the end of a long covered duck board walkway; there were many such trailers at RJHS at the time due to severe over crowding. While not remembering the details of the layout of his office; I, to this day, recall one unique piece of equipment. It was a machine that was designed to help students learn to speed read. It could be set to various numbers of words per minute and would then flash each line of text past the eyes of the viewer; allowing the student to challenge themselves at a pace that was commensurate with their ability.I had, as a child always felt that the chess and the speed reading tool were those items that had been placed in the center for the use of the more gifted and talented students. Of course I now realize that these devices were used by Moshe to engage all students.
The most important aspect or feature of this center was that while giving the student a safe place to go and take time out from a frustrating or overwhelming situation in a regular classroom, it continued to challenge and present educational opportunities of a different; but I would posit, equally valuable sort.
While many schools might argue budget concerns and the like in the face of this sort of counseling centre - it should not be readily dismissed. If a student is sent to the office to be dealt with by administration it means that a consequence, often negative in nature, will be assigned to the student. This in no way encourages an at risk student to be a vested member in their own education.
In speaking with the man at the center of the crisis intervention portion of the program at the school I have gained the following information on the role that the "Career Center" played in the running of the sheltered program. After the usual pleasantries that signify the beginning of any phone conversation; Moshe Granik, another of the skilled educators that my father managed to attract and hold on staff at Rothesay Junior High, got straight down to business. He indicated that the entire program required several key components: a magic number of students - in the case of the program 20-21 was seen as optimal, the classes required a specific number of students from a specific set of backgrounds, on-going testing, a particular physical space, a tiered or diversified set of offerings, and lastly a supportive administration.
The Magic Number 7-10-3:
As in most educational institutions there is a number where the system operates at its best. The number that the sheltered classrooms used was 20-21 students. The way that the number was broken down changed a bit over time. Moshe indicated in our conversation that in the years after my father moved on to other teaching assignments the classroom numbers were restructured as follows.
Seven, the maximum number of students that were to be placed in the program as learners with difficulties. These could cover the whole gamut, from learning deficiencies to emotional or physically disabled learners. To this were added, through consultation with feeder schools and all stakeholders, ten students in possession of the solid work ethic and ability to work without succumbing to distractions in their previous classrooms. Lastly, and this Moshe indicated was an adaptation that was created in order to remove sterotypical views of a sheltered classroom as just a SPED classroom by another name, was the inclusion of 3-4 gifted or high profile students. For instance those who were leading athletes or recognized as very talented students academically or in the arts. This last group was to add legitimacy to the classroom and also to allow them the same benefits as others in these classes.
More on this as we explore other elements in the development of the Sheltered Classroom system.
Next issue: testing and program accountability and the physical space requirements for crisis intervention.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Thoughts on Education a Historical Perspective Pt. 3
The Sheltered Program
In reviewing the document simply entitled, Rothesay Junior High School , I was immediately taken with the statement, "In dealing with these items separately, it gradually became apparent that the best solution was to deal with them together." The statement resonated with me as I reflect on how often, as educators, we begin to attempt to deal with a problem or issue within our classrooms or schools only to quickly discover that we are dealing with a Hydra. Faced with such a monster of mythical proportions often leaves teachers disheartened, disillusioned and frustrated; and in some cases thinking that perhaps we should be looking for some other line of work where the hero is not required to slay anything quite so large. Where education is a complex series of interlocking disciplines, mandates, agendas, goals, and personalities - to have expectation of a single issue/single solution is at best naive.
The Hydra threatening to devour Rothesay Junior High was an ugly four-headed beast. The heads consisted of over crowding, special education that loomed at 20% of the student body, communication with home - especially reporting, and curriculum. Now, as in most cases, because the Hydra was of a specific composition to the realities of the Rothesay area it is easy for nay-sayers to dismiss the program as being a specific solution to the problems that they faced, "We do not have a split shift here - so that won't work for us." mentality. I am not for an instant suggesting that the entire package that constitutes Rothesay Junior High's response to its Hydra is a "fit all" scenario. I do, however, believe that several key things that were done in facing the special education and counseling head of their hydra could be readily modified and implemented in modern schools faced with the ongoing struggle with how to assist students at risk.
The Sheltered Classroom consisted of classes where size was held to 26 students. It was, though, not the size as much as the composition of these classes that truly speaks to ingenuity on the part of the staff at the school. Each of these classes was made up of a core group of learners, numbering about 20. These pupils were selected, in advance, from the feeder schools for RJHS. These learners were drawn from grade 6 class rooms where they demonstrated solid work ethic and steadiness in the classroom. They were not necessarily the most gifted or advanced students, though many did obtain solid academic results. It was for their personal traits that they were selected. The remaining 5-6 students were those that were being integrated from SPED classrooms.
As a side note on the selection of students; it is important to keep in mind that these students were approached in May and June of their Grade 6 year. The students were selected through consultation with their respective elementary school teachers, guidance counselors and parents. In this way, on the first day of Grade 7 all students, parents, and teachers involved were on the same page with respect to what was going to take place.
The classrooms were set up in such a fashion that the majority of the time the students would work cooperatively, in today's terms triads etc., group work and as a class as a whole. This allowed the teacher, as required, opportunities to pull students that were struggling aside in order to give them more one-on-one attention.
To get a mental picture of these rooms ticking over in perfect harmony constantly would be erroneous. No matter how much pre-planning, selection, preparation of curriculum staff do, there will be times when the student(s) and staff have trouble meeting the goals that they have set for themselves. It is to this sheltered or stable classroom that the staff recognized the need for, and implemented, a program of Crisis Counseling in conjunction with efforts being made in the classrooms; we will next be examining the impact of Crisis Counseling and its role in tackling the hydra - stay tuned!
In reviewing the document simply entitled, Rothesay Junior High School , I was immediately taken with the statement, "In dealing with these items separately, it gradually became apparent that the best solution was to deal with them together." The statement resonated with me as I reflect on how often, as educators, we begin to attempt to deal with a problem or issue within our classrooms or schools only to quickly discover that we are dealing with a Hydra. Faced with such a monster of mythical proportions often leaves teachers disheartened, disillusioned and frustrated; and in some cases thinking that perhaps we should be looking for some other line of work where the hero is not required to slay anything quite so large. Where education is a complex series of interlocking disciplines, mandates, agendas, goals, and personalities - to have expectation of a single issue/single solution is at best naive.
The Hydra threatening to devour Rothesay Junior High was an ugly four-headed beast. The heads consisted of over crowding, special education that loomed at 20% of the student body, communication with home - especially reporting, and curriculum. Now, as in most cases, because the Hydra was of a specific composition to the realities of the Rothesay area it is easy for nay-sayers to dismiss the program as being a specific solution to the problems that they faced, "We do not have a split shift here - so that won't work for us." mentality. I am not for an instant suggesting that the entire package that constitutes Rothesay Junior High's response to its Hydra is a "fit all" scenario. I do, however, believe that several key things that were done in facing the special education and counseling head of their hydra could be readily modified and implemented in modern schools faced with the ongoing struggle with how to assist students at risk.
The Sheltered Classroom consisted of classes where size was held to 26 students. It was, though, not the size as much as the composition of these classes that truly speaks to ingenuity on the part of the staff at the school. Each of these classes was made up of a core group of learners, numbering about 20. These pupils were selected, in advance, from the feeder schools for RJHS. These learners were drawn from grade 6 class rooms where they demonstrated solid work ethic and steadiness in the classroom. They were not necessarily the most gifted or advanced students, though many did obtain solid academic results. It was for their personal traits that they were selected. The remaining 5-6 students were those that were being integrated from SPED classrooms.
As a side note on the selection of students; it is important to keep in mind that these students were approached in May and June of their Grade 6 year. The students were selected through consultation with their respective elementary school teachers, guidance counselors and parents. In this way, on the first day of Grade 7 all students, parents, and teachers involved were on the same page with respect to what was going to take place.
The classrooms were set up in such a fashion that the majority of the time the students would work cooperatively, in today's terms triads etc., group work and as a class as a whole. This allowed the teacher, as required, opportunities to pull students that were struggling aside in order to give them more one-on-one attention.
To get a mental picture of these rooms ticking over in perfect harmony constantly would be erroneous. No matter how much pre-planning, selection, preparation of curriculum staff do, there will be times when the student(s) and staff have trouble meeting the goals that they have set for themselves. It is to this sheltered or stable classroom that the staff recognized the need for, and implemented, a program of Crisis Counseling in conjunction with efforts being made in the classrooms; we will next be examining the impact of Crisis Counseling and its role in tackling the hydra - stay tuned!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thoughts on Education a Historical Perspective Pt. 2
Introduction
The modern era of education is not the first to grapple with the question of how to make all students successful. Indeed, people have been concerned with improving the human condition through various forms of education since time out of mind; be it those of the Socratic tradition, the scholars of the Enlightenment or today's educators coping with the complications to education in our post industrial society. Certainly the question was one that occupied much of my father's professional life, as it now does mine.
The proposal and implementation of a Sheltered Classroom system of education at Rothesay Junior High School was an attempt by their staff to address this long standing question. What is interesting, for me, is the way that the system, at that time, allowed individuals to take significant initiatives with relatively little in the way of a safety net. To illustrate this, in several of our conversations on this matter my dad explained that the superintendent gave tacit approval for what was happening but the success or failure of the endeavor would be squarely placed on his shoulders.
Just to be clear, the philosophies associated with the Sheltered Classroom were in existence during the 1970's through writers like Robertson Davies and others. This essay is to specifically examine what a group of educators did with these ideas in a very specific environment. Like many of us that teach they may not have invented the wheel but they did examine and modify those wheels left to them by others. There were an interesting set of circumstances that all serendipitously occurred in such a way, as is so often the case, that this unique program came to pass.
Rothesay, New Brunswick in the 1970's was a rapidly growing bedroom community located about 20 minutes, pre-four lane highway, east of Saint John, New Brunswick. In the space of a few short years Rothesay Junior High, a school designed for approximately 375 pupils was dealing with approximately 585 students. While the superintendent and board scrambled to increase class space, something that would be several years in the making, with the building of Harry Miller Junior High on the land adjacent to the existing school; Rothesay Junior High adopted a split shift program, where half the students attended classes beginning at 7:45 am and the last students left the building at 4:45pm. This overlap of students and slight increase in staffing allowed for several unique things with respect to both the Sheltered Classroom as well as tutorial and literacy initiatives.
The information that will be used in the rest of this exploration is based on interviews as well as a document that was prepared by D. H. Gillmor for use by the Superintendent's Office for the purpose of approving the program initially.
**The documentation that I am referring to is a series of mimeographed sheets that I intend to scan and attach in the near future.**
The modern era of education is not the first to grapple with the question of how to make all students successful. Indeed, people have been concerned with improving the human condition through various forms of education since time out of mind; be it those of the Socratic tradition, the scholars of the Enlightenment or today's educators coping with the complications to education in our post industrial society. Certainly the question was one that occupied much of my father's professional life, as it now does mine.
The proposal and implementation of a Sheltered Classroom system of education at Rothesay Junior High School was an attempt by their staff to address this long standing question. What is interesting, for me, is the way that the system, at that time, allowed individuals to take significant initiatives with relatively little in the way of a safety net. To illustrate this, in several of our conversations on this matter my dad explained that the superintendent gave tacit approval for what was happening but the success or failure of the endeavor would be squarely placed on his shoulders.
Just to be clear, the philosophies associated with the Sheltered Classroom were in existence during the 1970's through writers like Robertson Davies and others. This essay is to specifically examine what a group of educators did with these ideas in a very specific environment. Like many of us that teach they may not have invented the wheel but they did examine and modify those wheels left to them by others. There were an interesting set of circumstances that all serendipitously occurred in such a way, as is so often the case, that this unique program came to pass.
Rothesay, New Brunswick in the 1970's was a rapidly growing bedroom community located about 20 minutes, pre-four lane highway, east of Saint John, New Brunswick. In the space of a few short years Rothesay Junior High, a school designed for approximately 375 pupils was dealing with approximately 585 students. While the superintendent and board scrambled to increase class space, something that would be several years in the making, with the building of Harry Miller Junior High on the land adjacent to the existing school; Rothesay Junior High adopted a split shift program, where half the students attended classes beginning at 7:45 am and the last students left the building at 4:45pm. This overlap of students and slight increase in staffing allowed for several unique things with respect to both the Sheltered Classroom as well as tutorial and literacy initiatives.
The information that will be used in the rest of this exploration is based on interviews as well as a document that was prepared by D. H. Gillmor for use by the Superintendent's Office for the purpose of approving the program initially.
**The documentation that I am referring to is a series of mimeographed sheets that I intend to scan and attach in the near future.**
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thoughts on Education a Historical Perspective
The following will be an essay in a series of posts on the topic of Sheltered Classrooms that was originally designed by my father and his staff while he was principal of Rothesay Junior High School in the 1960's and 1970's. It is the result of numerous conversations that he and I have had on the subject of special education. I hope that it will inspire some response from other educators that may take the time to read it.
The Background:
One storm day in New Brunswick my dad and another educator named Clark Phillips sat in my dad's office meditatively smoking pipes and discussing ways to best serve struggling students. The conversation, which in modern terms would be considered a brainstorming session, resulted in the broad brush strokes being laid for what was to become known as The Sheltered Classroom.
To this day I have a mental image of these two sage individuals, whom I have always been inspired by, smoking meditatively and delving deeply into their collective knowledge of student development and best practices in education.
The conversation ended with Clark looking across the desk at my father and stating in his very matter of fact way, "This is all great Dan, but you know that they will never let us do it."
I think that my dad must have taken this as a challenge - because instead of letting the matter die on his desk he pursued it to the point of integrating it into his school; this model was later studied by several university education departments.
In a time, in Alberta, when all of the buzz words on the future direction of education revolve around the idea of inclusion of all students it may be beneficial to examine the wheel that has been left to us by other educators.
Let the journey begin!
The Background:
One storm day in New Brunswick my dad and another educator named Clark Phillips sat in my dad's office meditatively smoking pipes and discussing ways to best serve struggling students. The conversation, which in modern terms would be considered a brainstorming session, resulted in the broad brush strokes being laid for what was to become known as The Sheltered Classroom.
To this day I have a mental image of these two sage individuals, whom I have always been inspired by, smoking meditatively and delving deeply into their collective knowledge of student development and best practices in education.
The conversation ended with Clark looking across the desk at my father and stating in his very matter of fact way, "This is all great Dan, but you know that they will never let us do it."
I think that my dad must have taken this as a challenge - because instead of letting the matter die on his desk he pursued it to the point of integrating it into his school; this model was later studied by several university education departments.
In a time, in Alberta, when all of the buzz words on the future direction of education revolve around the idea of inclusion of all students it may be beneficial to examine the wheel that has been left to us by other educators.
Let the journey begin!
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