And from the New York Times....

What a fabulous story in the New York Times today about using field trips and hands-on learning to build background knowledge.  The walking field trip that is highlighted is right down the street to a local parking garage because many of the students in this particular 2nd grade classroom have never been inside a car.

In light of my last post about the principal removing crayons and scissors for the K-1 classroom, consider this principal's response for her impoverished children:

"While many schools have removed stations for play from kindergarten, Ms. Levy has added them in first and second grades. One corner of Ms. Krings’s room is for building blocks, another for construction paper projects. There are days when the second grade smells like Elmer’s glue."


Imagine that?  Adding play to help negotiate the world and build language!  In the long run, I believe these are the interventions that will make a difference in the lives of students.  


I love this quote from the head of the school network in that part of the city:  


"Daniel Feigelson heads the network of 30 schools that P.S. 142 belongs to. He said that he wished more principals would adopt the program but that they were fearful. “There is so much pressure systematically to do well on the tests, and this may not boost scores right away,” he said. “To do this you’d have to be willing to take the long view.”

"The long view" is critical!  We cannot expect to make quick fixes in these students' lives.  We have to see every piece of the puzzle and start putting the missing pieces in place.  

I was sharing more about the banning of arts classes for struggling learners at lunch today and my colleagues were outraged.  As we talked,  I was reminded of a time many years ago when I sat in a workshop with a teacher of  SIXTH grade struggling readers.  This particular teacher worked with a college professor and doctoral student to find out where the developmental gaps were for these students.  They found the students had never experienced dramatic play.  Guess what they did?  They brought the kitchen and dramatic play into the sixth grade and they noticed a marked difference for students from behavior to academics.  

Yes, Ms. Levy and Mr. Feigelson, I do hope that more schools (and education departments and government officials) will start looking at the long view.  Maybe then we can make a real difference in the lives of some very special students.  

Let's Talk Arts Integration

Recently a Harvard professor spoke to administrators in our district.  He was a guest of the local college of art and design and was talking about the arts in education.  Someone asked him to speak about those who are struggling in reading and math and what they should receive in arts education/integration.  Basically, the principals that attended reported that this gentleman said, "no arts until they can read and do math".  In other words, struggling students need to do MORE reading and math to get better at it.  And arts should not be crowding out the opportunity for more.  


I have to tell you I wish I was at the presentation so I really had a fuller picture.  BUT from this little snippet, it makes my skin crawl!  I have spent the last 13 years in a school FILLED with struggling readers and mathematicians.  And I agree they need more reading and math opportunities to improve.  In fact, that was the very essence of my job the past four or five years of my time there.  But I believe we can utilize the arts to make the difference for those who struggle.  


It's my unofficial observation and "research" that leads me to think that many kids who struggle with academics ARE very artistic.  They can often draw what they heard in a story far better than they can write it.  They can act out a story to internalize it.  They can even learn basic skills better through music (oh the number of times I've "rapped grammar rules" or information to help it stick in their minds!).  


I know the job at Title I schools is huge.  It's downright overwhelming and frustrating at times.  Kids and teachers are drained as they try to find one more magic bullet that might make a difference for a struggling student.  I know that Principals are trying the best they can to improve their scores so that they can achieve whatever status the state or federal government will bestow upon those who are high performing.  


But these are still kids!  They are young.  They have stuff filling their lives that many in the middle class will never understand.  



Some schools in our district are responding by putting kids into more computer assisted instruction programs.  For some students they are on the computer listening to an automated teacher for more than 90 minutes in the school day.  One teacher asked me recently if there is research that shows it will make a difference.  I am pretty sure that anything done for 90 minutes daily might make a difference.  What I do know is that it may not be a sustainable difference.  And how very impersonal it is in my mind to put headphones on them and take away the human element that I believe can make such a big difference for the struggling learner.  

Why not give kids something to latch onto?  Why not fill their lives with music, dance, drama and images that might help bridge their learning gap?  Why not allow them to utilize the right side of the brain to help enhance the left?  


I would argue that we are robbing them if we expect them to only read more and solve more math problems.  And I think we are robbing them by expecting a digital miracle via the computer.  Perhaps they could read a song or a poem and suddenly get it.  Perhaps they can look at art and see the shapes, patterns and spatial placement to finally understand a word problem.  Perhaps they could learn to dance words and letters and emotions.  


And the bottom line is there is no magic bullet; not the computer and not even the arts.  No one has one. But I think this quote by Peter Senge is important to remember: "'Many children struggle in schools... because the way they are being taught is the way is incompatible with the way they learn."   If they learn best by computer, fine.  But if its another way, by all means let's find it and give it to them.  


It's the professional thing to do!  And, in my mind, they all deserve to be under the care of true professionals.