Culture Builders
The ability to learn from birth to death sets human beings apart from other forms of life. The greatest purpose of school is to unlock, release, and foster this wonderful capability. Schools exist to promote learning in all their inhabitants.
Lurking beneath the culture of most schools is a chilling message that is in direct opposition of this purpose, "Learn or we will hurt you." Educators and parents have developed an arsenal of sanctions and punishments that are inextricably linked with learning. School cultures in which students submit to learning, and to the threats of punishments for not learning, generate students who want to be finished with learning when they graduate.
An immense challenge is to find ways to uncouple learning and punishment. We must change the message from "Learn or we will hurt you" to "Learn or you will hurt yourself." Creating this learning culture is the most important, difficult and perilous job of school-based reformers. It means a drastic change in culture for most schools.
Kathy and Steven are these culture builders. We focus in two main areas:
- the shift from a focus on teaching, (or covering the material), to a focus on learning. It's more than semantics.
- strengthen relationships - the single factor common to successful change is that relationships improve. When relationship improve, schools get better.
The most important requirement for graduation - whether from 4th, 9th or 12th grade - is some evidence that this student is becoming or has become an independent, lifelong learner. The nature of the workplace, our society, and learning dictates that we need to learn as we go along, or we won't survive.
It is our intention to live peacefully, have integrity and be inspired by all that we see and experience.
Direct Teacher Coaching -
Together we have the possibility of creating the best kind of staff development experience...where you don't have to leave the building. We are working together with your students, your curriculum and your state and district requirements.
- strengthening the relationships between teacher/teacher, teacher/students and students/students - strategies here include classroom management, a variety of classroom meeting practices, integrating character development into curriculum content and instructional strategies that strengthen the learning community and create ownership in the classroom process.
- strengthening the learning - emphasizing 'learning', not traditional 'schooling' which is more about compliance or hoop jumping which is empty and minimal at best. Strategies here include integrating curriculum, designing lessons with standards visible to the students, clarifying the learning goal, establishing learning goals with students, teaching the difference between 'schooling' and 'learning', classroom demonstrations of learning and student ownership at school.
- strengthening student reflection and self evaluation - emphasizing personal responsibility for what students get out of school. Strategies here include the use of portfolios and rubrics based on standards, facilitate student ownership, a classroom process that will help develop stronger partnerships between teachers and students
