Several teachers and administrators recently told the Oxford Board of Education about their educational rejuvenations.
Down in sunny Orlando, Fla., the teachers attended the June 22-25 International Center for Educational Leadership’s (ICEL) Annual Model Schools Conference. Among the items discussed was a teaching model called ‘Quadrant D.?
Seventeen educational professionals, including six administrators, five middle-school teachers and six high-school teachers from Oxford attended the conference.
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum James Schwarz described the conference as ‘extremely eye-opening? and hoped teachers could use the knowledge to transform their schools and classrooms by elevating student achievement and engagement.
Quadrant D boils down to taking knowledge and applying it everywhere from the classroom to the real world.
Brian Edwards, who teaches freshman language arts along with journalism and yearbook at OHS, sees Quadrant D as where education is going. The basics of knowledge and discipline, he said, are knowing who George Washington was and who the Greek god Zeus was.
Quadrant D takes the knowledge of Zeus, for example, to an entirely different applicable level.
This past summer, Edwards had his honors students read a book on mythology and discuss it in class when school began. With the assignment came the usual questions of ‘Why do I have to know this??
When they returned, they learned why.
Edwards had students take their knowledge of mythology from the book and apply it to a real-world career. He had them study marketing and find products and services that use Greek mythology in their marketing, such as Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Then, he had them come up with brand names and logos that incorporated mythology.
?(The students) had to understand who the client was, what goes into a product or logo and what makes the buyer feel warm and fuzzy and confident in a product,? Edwards recalled. ‘Each of the students worked on products and services. They then designed a logo that would encompass elements of mythology and presented it to the class.?
Mark Ott, who teaches eighth grade English and language arts at Oxford Middle School, described Quadrant D as the application of ‘the little things we learn.?
‘We want kids to be able to do things,? he said. ‘Not just know things, but be able to apply it ? especially if they want to be competitive in the global market that they’re going into. They’re definitely growing up in a different world than we are.?
For Karen Facca, who teaches chemistry and biology at OHS, Quadrant D means taking lessons and applying them to everyday life.
‘In chemistry, it’s very easy to be rigorous and relevant,? she said. ‘There are so many examples of things we learn that we can apply to everyday life, [like] balancing the pH levels in a hot tub.?
For some, the conference was an affirmation of teaching methods they already use while for others it was a chance to either explore new methods or reintroduce teaching methods not used in a while.
By and large, the teachers came away very excited about their experiences in the Sunshine State. Ott found the conference ‘energizing?.
‘I’m a pretty high energy guy anyway, but [the conference] kept me fired up,? he said. ‘It was about teachers meeting other teachers and exchanging ideas. Finding programs that really work, programs that are really reforming schools and making them better places’The conference validated things I’d been doing and learning from different conferences and from classes.?
For example, when students walk into Ott’s class, they know the first thing they’ll do is ‘journaling.? Students are given 30 seconds to think about a given idea (called a prompt), then spend three minutes writing about it.
‘I’d been doing that for years but forgot why I was doing it,? Ott said. ‘The conference reminded me.?
For Facca and Ott, the conference was a reminder to them of the importance of teaching through establishing relationships with students.
At the beginning of this year, Facca handed out a what she described as a personal inventory to get to know her students better and to gauge their likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. It helps her to get to know them better on a professional level and to make herself aware of situations she might not otherwise have known about.
‘I also share with them probably more of my personal background and interests than I typically do,? she said. ‘A lot of it is because the kids need to be able to make a connection with someone. When people hear ‘relationships? they think teachers will become buddies and pals, and that’s not what this is about. Certainly, we want to make a place where it’s safe consistently and to make kids feel they’re cared about.?
From looking at the personal inventory, Facca can also can find out things about the kids that will help them in her science classes.
If a student want to become a veterinarian, then she can use this information when teaching about zoology in biology. If a student struggles in science, she can make sure in lab work that she pairs them with a student that excels.
By building relationships with students, Facca can teach them that science pertains much more to everyday life than what they might realize.
By studying about chemical reactions, they can learn how to deodorize a dog that’s been sprayed by a skunk. By studying botany, they can see how a chemical obtained from a tree can be used to make Taxol, a cancer-fighting drug.
Whether a student struggles or shows signs of having a troubled adulthood, a little reaching out can go a long way, Ott has observed. When students see their teacher cares about them, it offers a chance to bridge a gap and help them go down the right path.
‘If kids know you care, you can make a difference in their lives and good things can happen,? Ott said. ‘Middle school is an interesting time. Kids 12 to 14 years old make mistakes. You have to learn from your mistakes and move on. If you present opportunities and create relationships with kids, you can talk to them about making good choices.?