On another post Foreveryoung wrote:
"As everyone knows attendance at parent meetings dwindles as we close in on the end of the school year. Activity on education related blogs dwindles too apparently if the action on this one is any indication.
There have been discussions recently on talk shows and reports in the paper about how successful some charter schools have been. I recently heard a Dad of two charter school students give full credit to teachers his kids had. He must have said a dozen times "it's the teachers, it's the teachers." When he explained further he spoke about no more than 20 kids in a class and all classes having a teacher and an aide in this Propel school. Wouldn't that alone make one say "it's the administration, it's the administration?" A teacher does not decide on class size or what subjects or behavior warrant two adults to a class. The last PPS newspaper spotlighted a co-teaching classroom. That seems a very empowering situation. Some parents seem to recognize the value to such a strategy to improve student performance. At the EFA meeting where parents presented on RISE the primary presenter mentioned in his comments that he and another parent on the general committee were educated outside Pittsburgh. He said they each were taught in classrooms by two teachers/adults working as a team. This would seem to be one action to ensure the success of differentiated instruction."
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6 comments:
It does seem like people's thoughts turn to summer plans around this time of year. At the same time, important PPS decisions are often made right at the end of the school year.
Propel seems to be doing something right, so the 2 adults per classroom method is worth a closer look. Maybe some of the many student interns that PPS is planning to place over the next couple of years can assist in lower grade classrooms that would otherwise have just one teacher. It would probably be fun and helpful for everyone.
Having two teachers opens up a lot of possibilities, whether they are both in the room at the same time, or are running smaller groups or even if they end up splitting the class and using a different space from time to time.
It's certainly easier to differentiate when you've got an extra pair of hands.
Two adults in a classroom would really help the kids on so many different levels.
My fear would be that the administration would increase the class size to justify the cost of 2 adults. Penny wise pound foolish.
A word of caution: It takes more than just “two teachers” or “two adults” HIGHLY QUALIFIED, CARING, and COMMITTED individuals who BELIEVE that they can teach ALL STUDENTS will take ALL students beyond “proficiency.”
The concept of two educators in one classroom may sound great but has its limitations. First of all, it's a budget issue. Too costly for most school districts; secondly, what happens when the two educators don't get along well or their styles differ. Major problems can occur and unfortunatley it would be the students who suffer. This isn't a new idea. Years ago many classrooms had teacher "aides" who worked with individual or small groups of students. When budget time came around this concept was the first to cut. PPS has not come up with inovative ideas for a long, long time due to the narrow minded ways of accepting new ideas.
It seems that lately there have been lots of "innovative" ideas, but they have been embarked upon hastily and have not been well-thought out or executed. Or subject to meaningful public input. ALA's... CEP... single gender classrooms...K-5 to K-8 to 6-12 and back to K-5...
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