Welcome to
the start of a new school year. In a few
days, students will return to classrooms and buildings where they will be
greeted by several changes. We are
placing a focus on deeper learning throughout Isle of Wight County Schools, and
moving away from teaching that is driven by SOL testing. Our students will participate in more
project-based learning opportunities with a focus on the five C’s: collaboration, communication, creativity,
critical thinking and citizenship. These
are the skills our students will need in order to be college, career and life
ready.
We are
implementing a new reading program in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
Our goal is to have all third graders reading on grade level by 2020. We have implemented Coding as a resource
class in our elementary schools. The
middle and high schools have video and music studios for students to use for
developing and showcasing their projects.
The high schools have new or expanded programs in Career and Technical
Education such as Nursing and Manufacturing. Students will use laser cutters
and 3D printers to bring their ideas to life.
These changes all focus on the needs of our students and preparing them
to be successful in the real world.
Many
teachers voluntarily gave up 8 days of their summer vacation to participate in
professional development on project based learning. They are eager to try new ideas to provide
students with more opportunities for deeper learning. We need to keep in mind
that many of us will struggle to move outside of our comfort zone. Even though we may dislike the emphasis on determining
student success through a standardized multiple-choice test, it’s what we
know. It’s what we’ve known for two
decades. Instructional Coaches will be
assigned to each school to help support our teaching staff in this transition.
At this
year’s Convocation, our Central Office team put on a skit that took us a little
out of our comfort zone. It was based on
the TV show Hee Haw but with an Isle of Wight County twist. (You can see a video of the skit below.) One of the songs on our skit had a chorus
about gloom, despair and agony. I shared
with the staff that moving to project based learning doesn’t have to be this
way. I know that it will be a journey
that will take several years to implement.
It will also require significant training and support for our administration
and teachers, but it is the right thing to do for our students. A video of my remarks to the teachers and staff
at Convocation can be found below.
I hope you
will follow my blog throughout the year as I share updates on the exciting
activities going on in our classrooms and the beautiful work being produced by
our students.
