Connect 2.0

We would like to take a moment to explain the rationale behind the pass system being piloted in the ES Learning Hub.

Firstly, it is our sincere wish that all students, teachers and parents feel welcome in the Hub. Our main goal is to provide a dynamic space in which a number of classes can hold various learning activities related to literacy, technology and the classroom curriculum.

An ideal library is one that is filled with warmth and one that fosters a passion for reading. Watching students give recommendations to each other, guiding students in discovering books that inspire them, and helping teachers enhance their curriculum with great literature are all highlights of any student’s library experience. This is how we envision our Learning Hub to be used by all community members on a regular basis - as a home for reading and active learning.

On average, there were about 60 students per recess time, and, due to the elementary schedule, the staggered recess times span from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., which is a large portion of the school day. At the same time as recess is happening, there are scheduled classes, and the disruptions were frequent and numerous.

In order to create a more manageable learning environment in the Hub without closing the space several days per week, we developed a pass system in collaboration with our administrative team, as well as gathering input from teachers. The pass system is intended to be a compromise, allowing us to keep the Hub open everyday and yet also allowing us to hold classes effectively. The purpose is to ensure that the Learning Hub is an optimal learning environment throughout the day - including our recess periods which run from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm.

In addition to the new pass system, students continue to have multiple opportunities each day to access the Hub for reading and relaxing, or just to check out books:

• Grades Pre-K to 2 have a weekly lesson and checkout with the librarian.
• Grades 3-5 now have a fixed checkout time once a rotation where they come to the Hub for checkout and a reading time.
• The Hub is open to all with no need for passes from 6:30-7:30 a.m. and again from 2:00-3:30 p.m. We have also let classroom teachers know that we will always make an exception for students with special circumstances.
• The pass system is being tested for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, our plan is to solicit formal feedback from teachers, students and parents and make changes accordingly. In the meantime, we have been asking students and teachers informally how they feel about the new changes to the Hub.

Here is what we have seen and heard so far since implementing the pass program:

• Immediately, the Hub changed into a learning space with scheduled classes being held without disruption.
• There are far fewer students than we anticipated using the passes. When we questioned a number of teachers about why this is happening, many teachers responded that students aren’t fighting for the passes as we predicted they would. Generally speaking, the same students want the library passes everyday, although some specific classes have told us they need more passes. This tells us that these are the students who truly want to use the space for reading during recess times.
• Students have told us that they want to come to the Hub with a group of friends, not in pairs. This tells us that we may need to increase the number of passes per class at the end of our trial period.
• A number of teachers have commented that they did not bring their classes to the Hub last year because the numbers and noise were so great that they could not have a class lesson. Those same teachers have commented that they are happy with the change because they have been bringing their classes into the Hub for learning activities without recess disruption.

Again, we would like to stress that our goal is to create an optimal learning space for all elementary students, not to make them feel unwelcome. All change is difficult, and we realize this is a big change to past practice. But just as we are constantly reevaluating our teaching practices and goals, we are reevaluating the use of the Hub and moving forward with changes to make it the best environment for all students’ learning at all times of the day.

Please feel free to contact us, Tara Ethridge or Kim Cofino if you would like to further talk about the rationale for these changes.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 10:04 am and is filed under The Parent Connection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.