Tell me, Ill forget' Show me, I may remember' Involve me, Ill understand'

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Tell me, Ill forget.Show me, I may remember.
Involve me, Ill understand.
- Ancient Chinese Proverb
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Welcome to...
Synergy!
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What is SYNERGY?

• An alternative learning environment based on
  experiential and project-based integrative
  learning at Oak Hill Middle School.

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So what does all that really mean?

• Learning social studies, science, and English
  together as one core subject whenever possible.
  Math will be aligned as applicable.
• Spending more time on projects, off-site visits,
  and doing real world work with people from both
  in and out of school.
• More opportunities to use our natural environment
  as an extension of our classroom.

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To help us be successful we will

• Create a self-governing single learning team of
  40 students and 2 teachers.
• Work together to solve academic questions and
  classroom challenges.
• Discuss everyones ideas, listen to them, and use
  them to guide what we do each and every day.

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Guiding ideas from programs similar to ours and
their supporters
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The Watershed Program Radnor, PA. Mark
Springer Ed Silcox, FoundersIn operation for
16 years in 7th grade, and led to an 8th grade
spin-off program. Approx. 80 of Radnor students
now apply each year.
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• Primary learning skills are processes, not sets
  of facts. These processes, which are used to
  handle information, are more important than any
  particular set of facts.

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• Integrated learning methods more closely match
  natural learning styles because they focus the
  learners attention directly onto, higher level
  thinking skills and processes of application.

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• Successful learning is directly tied to the
  students senses of self-investment and
  self-discipline, their commitment, and their
  willingness to accept responsibility.

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• Education is best achieved when it is a
  cooperative venture shared by teachers, students,
  and parents.
• To that end, we must maximize parental
  involvement in the learning process.

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The National Middle School Association
www.nmsa.org
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The NMSA recommends

• The time has come to push the middle school
  concept substantially beyond structural concerns
  and school climate issues and establish a balance
  among academic, physical, and social needs of
  middle level students. To achieve this, NMSA
  emphasizes the crucial need to change the way we
  currently think about curriculum and to redefine
  the middle level curriculum in forms that

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• Are academically challenging and exploratory
• Are relevant to the students concerns
• Hold high expectations for all students to
  succeed
• Meet the developmental needs of young
  adolescents.

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• This philosophy backed by significant
  research into neurological function, learning
  theory, social development, and curriculum design
  underscores the importance of four types of
  relationships that affect how young adolescents
  learn

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• Relationships between the learner and the content
• Relationships between the learner and the teacher
• Relationships among the learners
• Relationships within the content itself

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An answer to these challenges

• The NMSA recommends curriculum integration

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ActionvilleLarchmont, NY - Mr. Roys ?
hometown - Don Tedesco, Founderprogram
operated successfully for 30 years in grades 5
6Earned Teacher of the Year from the Walt
Disney Company
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Tedescos Key Idea

• Learning by doing the belief that if children
  are active participants in their education they
  will retain and enjoy what they learn.

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• We can stand here and talk and talk for 180
  days, or we can give our students the building
  blocks for learning. We can give them the
  confidence to find answers on their own.

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Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
How we Learn Here learning is active
teachers guide as well as instruct. And children
understand that the process of figuring something
out is as important as the right answer.
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Mission Hill SchoolBoston, MADeborah Meier,
Founder (Noted author and nationally renowned
educator)
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• When theres enough respect, perhaps were able
  to give up tight control of our youngsters, and
  give them more space to make their own decisions,
  including their own mistakes.

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The Mission Hill Schools Guiding Philosophy

• Our Habits of Mind are an approach to both the
  traditional academic disciplines (math, science,
  literature and history) and the interdisciplinary
  stuff of life.
• They are what lead us to ask good questions and
  seek solid answers.

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In their most basic form, the Habits involve
repeatedly asking oneself these questions about
what (s)he studies
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• How do we know what we know?
• Whos speaking?
• What causes what?
• How might things have been different?
• Who cares and why?

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What do students say about programs similar to
ours?
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Re Their work
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• I definitely know from this year when Im doing
  my best work and when I can do better.

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• I definitely think that slowly but surely Im
  getting better at time management. This program
  does a lot for that.

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• Ive definitely noticed a huge difference in my
  time management like with homework

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Re Not having grades
In favor of a Portfolio Assessment
System! Students and teachers select a variety
of student work for a portfolio, which shows
student growth. Periodic narrative evaluations
are made by the student, peers, teachers, and
outside experts on the topics studied. -
Adapted from the Cambridgeport School, Cambridge,
MA
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One student remarked that she wished the program
had grades. When the teachers asked why, she
said that this year she had done the best work
of her life, and that meant shed get an A.
She quickly realized just why the class didnt
get graded and changed the topic of
conversation. - Adapted from Watershed
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• Assessments are good because they tell me what I
  actually need to work on, rather than not knowing
  with grades.

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• Im willing to try new things and have more
  variety without grades.

• I think kids go into this program with a false
  sense of security because there arent letter
  grades, but then they soon realize that they only
  get out of this what they put in.

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• Its not a free-ride just because there arent
  grades. You cant slack. Slacking is not unique
  to this program.

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Re The program overall
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• Tell the kids to be open minded, be optimistic.
  Be ready for a good experience!

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The program in a word

• I know its not a word, but Educationalfun!
• - A student in Radnor, PA.

Team Building at Watershed