Abstract
Promising Futures is based on fifteen important core practices: 1) students are to be respected by teachers and other students, 2) teachers should tailor learning experiences to learner needs, 3) teachers must challenge students to integrate discipline skills, 4) everyone learns in a diverse collaborative group, 5) students must make choices in their education, 6) every student has a personal learning plan for themselves, 7) teacher ensures students and parents understand procedures, 8) Diploma implies students have demonstrated proficiency of MLRs, 9) teams are used to provide a supportive environment, 10) learning gets time, space and appropriate services, 11) teachers have sufficient resources to teach, 12) every staff member understands student learning and needs, 13) all staff have a professional development plan, 14) everyone is involved in democratic decisions of learning, and 15) Principals are a leader who fulfills the school mission. Things to be discarded from the school atmosphere include: tracking, dependence on GPA, study halls, the 6 hour day, a 5 day school week, school going from September to June and professional teacher development as days off from school.
Promising Futures is based on fifteen important core practices: 1) students are to be respected by teachers and other students, 2) teachers should tailor learning experiences to learner needs, 3) teachers must challenge students to integrate discipline skills, 4) everyone learns in a diverse collaborative group, 5) students must make choices in their education, 6) every student has a personal learning plan for themselves, 7) teacher ensures students and parents understand procedures, 8) Diploma implies students have demonstrated proficiency of MLRs, 9) teams are used to provide a supportive environment, 10) learning gets time, space and appropriate services, 11) teachers have sufficient resources to teach, 12) every staff member understands student learning and needs, 13) all staff have a professional development plan, 14) everyone is involved in democratic decisions of learning, and 15) Principals are a leader who fulfills the school mission. Things to be discarded from the school atmosphere include: tracking, dependence on GPA, study halls, the 6 hour day, a 5 day school week, school going from September to June and professional teacher development as days off from school.
Reflection
Promising Futures very closely connects with the MLRs and curriculum standards. I was wondering whether the whole idea of Promising Futures was an extension of the MLRs or in fact was rather a separate idea that had many similarities. What are the unique specifications of Promising Futures? That is one question that I would compose to the Maine Commission on Secondary Education and the Department of Education who helped mold the philosophy. Dr. Grace has often mentioned Promising Futures and so I hope to talk more with her and get more information. The philosophy of Promising Futures meshes with my own philosophy, especially in core practices 3, 5, 7 and 9. As a math teacher, I constantly look for ways to help my students find relevance in their learning and make connections with math in the Real World; one way that I can help my students to see this relevance is to give them the chance to find connections between math and other disciplines. I believe that learning must be a personal journey in which students have the opportunity to decide what they want to learn, rather than the classroom be a lecture from an expert. In previous posts about Teach With Your Heart I have mentioned parental involvement in the classroom; I must state that when parents are involved in student learning it is a learning experience for both students and the parents involved. Additionally, when I enter my classroom I need to be adequately prepared to teach my students, whether that involves having up-to-date textbooks and teaching materials, or having enough training in appropriate technology.
The most exciting aspect of Promising Futures is its dependence around experiential learning as an integral part of the curriculum not as an added consideration. Core practices 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 are important tenants of experiential thought and philosophy, an educational issue that I have been researching and studying for the last few weeks. Experiential learning lies within these core practices because 1) teachers can help students create personal learning experiences that meet their needs, 2) teachers can challenge students to connect several disciplines through Real World application, 3) students engage in collaborative groups where they make choices in their learning, 4) teachers and students are given as much time and assistance as is necessary to acquire deep understanding, and 5) staff members and students work together to create an environment that is both supportive and that accounts for student needs and decisions. My own philosophy involves experiential learning, because I understand there is so much more understanding students can get when they actually see what is happening rather than just hear about it from the teacher. Experiential learning does not always have to be hands-on or natural exploration, although these are probably the most powerful implications, but can be simple teamwork between students exploring current real world applications of concepts. Promising Futures understands the necessity for experiential learning, and serves as a great example for all teachers looking to help students learn better.
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