Joy

As we wind down our semester, the children's working days are full. Everyone has been stretching academic muscles as essays are organized and composed on Hudson River topics.

Confidence is tested as the children move from their research articles into organizing and synthesizing those ideas in their own words--as best as each child can. Patience and focus have been tested as this work stretched over many days. As essays are finished, each child is struck with relief, then pride and, finally, joy.

My tradition is to do a little dance with each child as he or she writes that last word in the conclusion. Some kids love the jig. Some kids take off and run away giggling. Jennifer and I always make sure that their hard work is marked with a good mix of joy, humor and celebration.

The children can't wait to show you the writing moves they have made. We are all looking forward to celebrating with you this Friday!!

Equally important is to ensure that each day we get outside to blow off steam and just feel the joy in nature and good friends.

Getting the taste of our first real snow on our tongues!

Aaaah, to be with a group of smart, talented, funny and rambunctious kids each day: 

that's one of my life's greatest joys.  

Being Learner-Centered

A hallmark of a Parker education is that students have greater autonomy than in a typical classroom.

While searching for links to “student centered classrooms,” I saw lots of articles arguing passionately for a shift in focus RIGHT NOW away from top-down/teacher-centered learning environments. Our quickly changing world is pushing education at all levels to rethink traditions.

We are lucky at Parker. It has always been our view that putting the children at the center of the learning environment promotes their full engagement and passions.

Teachers do have the expertise to plan curriculum and design learning opportunities that develop the skills our students need. We have a voice in the classroom but we are not the sole voice--our students help to shape their educational journey. So, a Parker teacher acts as a facilitator of learning.

With greater autonomy, a Parker student has greater responsibility. The children are constantly working to hone their independent thinking and problem solving skills. Learning how to most effectively and respectfully communicate—both student-to-student and student-to-teacher—is a huge part of each day’s work. And assessing how to set the bar higher for the work they produce is their daily challenge.

Teaching really is different in a learner-centered environment. There are five characteristics of learner-centered teaching, according to a blog aimed at college professors (http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/five-characteristics-of-learner-centered-teaching/):

1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning. 

2. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction.

3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it.

4. Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over learning processes. 

5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration. 

As the 2-3s move into their independent research topics on the Hudson River, I can’t wait to see the multiple ways they’ll dig in and get down to writing and creating. They’ll have to organize their essays and find their voice, use their hands to build models and food webs, work through frustration and find their focus, mentor and help each other out, and assess and improve their own work. Finally, together they will create a multi-faceted presentation of their learning for you and the larger Parker community at our Show of Work.

It'll be hard work--the best kind of work. It'll be messy--that's because the deepest learning rarely follows a safe and steady course. These are my favorite times in the room so I, for one, can't wait. :)

The pictures below are from the last few weeks.

Drop Everything and Read

The 2-3s are typically reading for about 30 minutes straight. This learner-centered activity provides students with a chance to stretch those reading muscles in books that are a good fit for their reading skills.

Stamina and focus are building!!!

 Collaborating with Cornell Cooperative Extension gardeners and our buddies

to plant trees on our beautiful property.

Muddy Boots

in the woods together

Connecting

with our buddies

Getting to Know the Hudson River

In the last few weeks we have shifted our focus to this semester's big study: the mighty Hudson River. The river is mighty historic, mighty educational and full of beauty.

In science class, small groups gathered around maps of the Hudson River watershed. The children looked for Albany, New York City, the Mohawk River and Mt. Marcy, where its source can be found. This was an open-ended exploration meant to ground the students in the river's geographic features.

Next, we revisited our summer read, River of Dreams. The children talked over what the book taught us about human development along the river. Each child was asked to carefully draw a riverscape of the Hudson. They visualized a spot on the river--it could be a pristine natural habitat or a place touched and changed by human activity. The children were then asked to write a carefully crafted description of their spot.

As we moved closer to our trip to the river, these scientists prepared for the careful data collection they would be completing. When the Day in the Life of the Hudson River arrived, the 2-3s were ready.

The children moved in small groups through three stations.
They completed observational drawings of our river scene at the Troy Dam.

Another station involved identification of fish and macroinvertebrates. We were lucky enough to have two fish experts from the state Department of Environmental Conservation skeining for fish with large nets. They also brought a device that uses a jolt of electricity to temporarily still the fish. This makes it easier to gather them for observation. The students used a fish key to name the fish that were in tanks. The fish and other creatures were then catalogued and counted. Lots to touch and observe at this station!

The third station involved three water quality tests: pH, turbidity and chlorophyll.

The children learned pH levels are either basic, acidic or neutral. Neutral is ideal for life, but many aquatic beings can survive if their environment is slightly acidic or basic.

The turbidity test measured the clarity of a water sample. The more suspended solids there are in the sample, the murkier the water is.

 The children used a long sight tube for this test.

 

It took teamwork and a good eye to complete the task. 

The pigment chlorophyll is what allows plants and algae to photosynthesize. To collect a chlorophyll sample, the children sucked samples of river water into a syringe and then pushed the water through a filter to capture solids. The filter was then compared to a color chart.
A staff person for the state came to collect our official chlorophyll sample. The filter was taken in a test tube and put on ice.

All of Parker's data has been sent off to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The samples and test results from all the schools participating in the Day in the Life--groups were gathered on the river's shore from the Troy Dam to the Battery in NYC--will be analyzed by scientists at the lab.

Our working student-scientists have contributed to a greater understanding of the health of our mighty neighbor, the Hudson River.

What a day we had!!

"Sciencing" at Parker

These last weeks, our science classes have been preparing the 2-3s for their visit to the Hudson River. We spent time at our creeks observing, returned to begin learning about water tests we will do at the River, and donned science goggles to conduct pH tests.

On Friday, we spent Muddy Boots Club time getting used to the equipment and procedures we'll use when we test the river water for turbidity and chlorophyll. Cool equipment, multiple steps for each test, and the need for a group of engaged teammates...there was lots of excitement! A side benefit of this work is the need for the children to share materials and organize themselves in a way that allows for everyone to fully participate. Cooperative teamwork skills were practiced and stretched.


I've attached an article about the value of active learning in science. It argues that children should be involved in "sciencing," a new verb for me. The suggestion is that children need to be actively involved in scientific investigations that give them first-hand experiences. This is the very essence of science learning at Parker. We are both lucky and in the vanguard to be doing science this way. We are also blessed to have Kate Perry as our science teacher. "Sciencing"with students is her priority every day. 

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleId=409

When I look at the pictures I take of the 2-3s during science class, I am always struck by the focused expressions on my students' faces. The gazes are intense and the pencils at the ready to create observational drawings and record data. 

 Our student-scientists will be continue sciencing like this all year.