{"id":4437,"date":"2017-04-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-20T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/servant-to-two-masters-balancing-skills-and-content-at-lindblom\/"},"modified":"2020-02-05T13:01:35","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T18:01:35","slug":"servant-to-two-masters-balancing-skills-and-content-at-lindblom","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/servant-to-two-masters-balancing-skills-and-content-at-lindblom\/","title":{"rendered":"Servant to Two Masters: Balancing Skills and Content at Lindblom"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This is the sixth post in a series covering my recent trip to Chicago. Begin with CBE in Chicago<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I met with several teachers at <\/span>Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy<\/span><\/a> (Lindblom) to discuss their experience in PBL. Three years into implementation, they estimate that about 90 percent of the teachers believe in the principles of PBL and about 50 percent have implemented strategies to match those principles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Changing Practice<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Casey Fuess, high school choir and teacher representative on the local school council, said, \u201cWithout clear learning objectives, teachers<\/span>\u2014purposefully or not\u2014focus on engaging students for the sake of order and discipline. Instead, PBL leads teachers to plan the instructional environment to meet specific learning goals. PBL pushes teachers to think about how to intrinsically engage students with relevant material and the opportunity to see themselves getting better over time. Our students know that success is possible. PBL shifts teachers practices \u2013 we are always asking, \u2018What do you want students to know, where is each student in their learning, and how can we create engaging projects that will help them get to the next step?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nell Kemp, biology and biotech, explained, \u201cTeachers need to have confidence in their practice and in themselves as learners. PBL can be difficult if teachers haven\u2019t embraced the philosophy or don\u2019t have a love of their content.\u201d In hindsight, Kemp wished she had been able to take a full year to think about what proficiency-based learning looks like in the classroom. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Supporting New Teachers<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone agreed that new teachers need support on classroom management \u2013 no matter what kind of classroom management. Schools need to build in support for teachers to use the classroom management practices designed around student agency and personalization. Molly Myers, AP geography, explained that professional development from Doug Finn of Marzano Research Labs was instrumental in learning how to organize classroom structures and procedures to support greater agency and personalization. The teachers are also exploring how to have more metacognitive reflection so students can better manage their learning processes. Myers emphasized, \u201cJust let the experienced teachers who love their content go. They will create wonderful learning opportunities for students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTeachers need to be reflective,\u201d added Myers. \u201cWe have to own our failure as educators. We have to use them as an opportunity for learning to improve our skills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

PBL and the Arts<\/h3>\n

Fuess shared his insights about the arts within the proficiency-based structure, \u201cPBL has helped us clarify both the particular skills we expect students to develop and also the broader dispositions that students learn and demonstrate in the arts. In my choir classes, technology has been an important tool for assessing skill progression in areas like ear training and sight reading. At the same time, PBL pushes us to consider how we balance skill instruction with higher order applications like composition and analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

PBL and Science<\/h3>\n

Kemp said, \u201cAt first it seemed difficult, as I couldn\u2019t see how the three-dimensional Next General Science Standards were going to fit into a proficiency-based structure. What I discovered, however, is that proficiency-based learning improved my practice. I focus now on what kids need to take away from a science course. This means there is more emphasis on skills, not just content.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt times I feel like a servant with two masters: skills and content,\u201d Kemp added. \u201cI\u2019m still trying to find a way to balance them. This tension has led to amazing conversations about teaching. We are seeing a big increase in intrinsic motivation, and students are building rigor around revisions. They are striving to solve problems because it is important to them. It\u2019s phenomenal.\u201d She is finding the shift to more problem-based and inquiry-based instructional approaches both challenging and valuable.<\/span><\/p>\n

She has also found that it is very difficult to have students operating on personalized pace when the course has complicated labs. She points out that it is difficult and even dangerous to have students all doing different labs at different times. Science has to be constructed with some activities organized for the full class, with flexible pacing on other steps in the learning process so students can fully understand and use the content. (Lindblom has been drawing on resources from\u00a0<\/span>FUSE<\/span><\/a> designed to re-engage students in STEM.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Teacher Apprentices<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

The L-TAPS program (Lindblom Teacher Apprentice Program) provides opportunities for juniors and seniors to become teacher apprentices. This is often used by students who started in seventh and eighth grade at the Academic Center and have advanced through their high school credits and have room in their schedules. They provide academic support, help with labs, and coach the middle school students in executive functioning skills. In some classes, the apprentice may be doing mini-lessons while the teacher works 1:1 with students needing help. Apprentices earn credit and, for some, they get to work in content areas they love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wish List and Lessons Learned<\/h3>\n

Here are some more lessons learned and insights from teachers:<\/span><\/p>\n