The innovative thinking and enthusiasm of teachers at Hildreth Elementary School and the educational vision of its administrators were on full display at the School Committee’s April 8 meeting, where the board heard presentations on both technology integration and the English Language Arts curriculum.
iPads enhance learning and teaching
Sean McNamara and Brandon Antinori learn about the solar system on an iPad at Hildreth Elementary in June 2011. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The purchase of iPads for use in the primary grades was part of phase two of the three-year technology plan for the schools. Using their own iPads to present their findings, first-grade teacher Pam Chapman and second-grade teacher Dawn Marie Ayles shared with the School Committee some of the ways in which both students and teachers are benefitting from this technology.
Chapman, who has three iPads in her classroom, said the most important use of the technology is her ability through certain apps to differentiate learning for her students. Various apps support reading and writing skills at different levels, she explained, and student videos show not only the learning taking place but also the children’s high level of engagement with the technology. The chief benefit to her as a teacher is that she can work with small reading groups while other students work independently on the iPads.
Ayles described how apps can be used for assessments that inform teaching: Pairs of students video each other answering several questions on a unit of study. Ayles can then review those videos to determine each student’s mastery of the subject and plan new lessons accordingly. She can take pictures of students’ writing and make notes on the iPad to share with the students the next day.
In response to a question about whether the technology has changed their teaching, both Chapman and Ayles replied that technology enhances their ability to actually differentiate learning, respond immediately to student work, and use assessment to inform instruction.
Teacher buy-in to ELA curriculum
At a previous meeting, the School Committee had approved Principal Linda Dwight’s request to use remaining money in the budget to implement changes to the English Language Arts (ELA) program at the elementary school. At this week’s meeting, Dwight and Peggy Bragg, Director of Literacy k-8, described the ELA program and the inclusive process leading to its adoption. An added boon is that the cost was less than projected because of off-sets by a grant and other sources.
Dwight began by saying that when she became principal, the elementary school had a balanced literacy program that was strong and effective. But not all of the teachers were happy with it, for various reasons. Looking for total buy-in from the teachers, Dwight held a series of meetings asking teachers what they needed for a better ELA program and having them put their comments in writing. She then brought in various materials that might serve to replace the existing program. At the end of the process, teachers agreed that they did not want to replace what they had—a holistic approach using real literature in which the goal is to individualize learning—for a “boxed” program. What they did want was to “shore up” gaps in the curriculum; they felt they needed support in skill-based areas particularly.
Support, don’t replace the existing program
Research into approaches of schools comparable to Hildreth Elementary and further discussions resulted in a series of specific proposals. First was the need for more professional development, especially as related to implementing new elements in the program. Teachers wanted the curriculum mapped more specifically, and the school has already found money to purchase a software program called Atlas Rubicon, which will help with vertical articulation in curriculum. There is a need for more resources for writing because writing has become as crucial as reading in the common core. The school will purchase additional units for study in the Lucy Calkins program, which is already in place in some grades. This is part of the Columbia Writing Program, and to support these units, professional development will be given by the same people who developed the units. Money to support the units and the professional development will come from Title 1 funds for which Harvard qualifies.
The most significant change—and the greatest expenditure—is the purchase of guided reading materials. Classrooms will have a variety of sets of books to ensure that students read what is most appropriate for their skill level. These materials will ensure that teachers can provide differentiated learning and better meet the needs of all students. Many of the books will be nonfiction, a genre that the common core recommends as an increasing part of reading across the disciplines.
Bragg talked about the philosophy behind the balanced literacy approach, which had been in place and is now being supported by additional curricular materials. She said that at first reading is teacher-directed, then teacher-supported, and then independent. Bragg added that the hallmark of the balanced literacy approach is individualized learning.
