SACS Standard 4-Instruction
Standard 3 is called Instruction
In order to prepare for the Quality Assurance Review we must engage in a reflective process known as a self study. As a stakeholder of Edgewater High School we would like to solicit your opinion about Edgewater’s performance. Click here to see the page that describes the Instruction standard and the indicators that define it.
What do we need you to do?
Ø Look through each of the indicators and rank the ones you feel knowledgeable about using the scale provided (Evident, Somewhat Evident, or Not Evident).
Ø Provide any specific comments that you can make about the indicators.
Example: “ 8.3-Solicits the knowledge and skills of parents to enhance the work of the school”.
A sample parent/student response might be:
8.3 Evident-parents are invited in as guest speakers such as during the annual Teach In
event held each November.
You do not have to sign your name to your response, though we would encourage you to do so.
Thank you!
posted by Tanya Judd Pucella @ 2:07 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
4.6 Promotes the active (?) involvement of students in the learning process, and ensures that they have opportunities to acquire higher order (?) thinking skills and to apply the skills and their learning in diverse (?) ways;
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Based upon the majority of classes enrolled during my tenure at Edgewater and observations shared by peers, Edgewater is not a school, which students are primarily “active” in the learning process, rather “passive”—merely subjects which has the task to regurgitate facts on command. ‘Progressive education’ is a forbidden phrase to utter in the halls of Edgewater. Many of the academic instructional classes are lecture-styled, with the instructor talking at students not ‘with them’. Real thinking and analysis are absent from the textbook, worksheet, ditto driven curricula. I find no real purpose for drill n’ skills since the majority of information is lost within a few weeks, if not a year. Thus, learning is never really achieved. Homework received will usually consists of memorizing or practicing ‘regurgitation information skills’ for the next day’s “quiz”. And who would want a good progressive, ‘thinking’ school --- it’s just too much work and ‘thinking’ for teachers and students to handle. Creating an atmosphere where students are (really) active in the learning process does not require more money or more homework just time, commitment, and a desire to teach/learn.
Teachers at Edgewater are hindered many times from constructing a good, adequate educational environment because class sizes are too large, especially in an honors or Advance Placement® course. They are unable to ensure that he/she is providing the necessary help and attention to each student deserves.
Nevertheless, this is not to generalize all classes of Edgewater. Some classes and instructors are exceptional and knowledgeable, which constructs an educational environment provoking thought, academic exploration and students to ask “whys?” and “what ifs?” rather than “who?”, “what?”, “when?”, “where?”, and “are we done, yet?”.
The Engineering, Science, and Technology Magnet Program allows(ed) students within the program to ‘apply skills and their learning in diverse ways’ such as through 9th grade projects like DECADES (removed recently from the curricula) and INVENNT, which interrelates language art, social science, and technology to produce a comprehensive product.
Passion, interest, and thought from the teacher are needed in order to make learning meaningful and possible.
- Student
.
4.2 Little or no evidence
When many students in class fail or do poorly on a quiz or exam the teacher seems to "blame" the students for not working up to potential. Where in truth the students have hired tutors because the instruction is so poor, they are not understanding the subject in class. This seems to be the trend particularly in math and science.
4.7 Somewhat evident The school provides some Saturday instruction for remedial work. It is also providing Saturday workshops for all students to teach strategies for test taking, particularly the FCAT. Some teachers offer extra help before school. Some subjects (for AP classes(?)) are offered on specific days of the week.Teachers can refer students for help. These are all great, but a Variety of instructional strategies, etc. to accommodate diverse learning styles is only somewhat evident.
4.7 - Somewhat Evident
Teachers attempt to provide a varied use of approaches to accommodate various learning styles. However, most accommodate students outside of classroom instructional time, which students must make the initiative and time to see the teacher. Teachers should try to appeal to students through various approaches initially rather than tailoring to a specific method.
Edgewater’s Academic Dean provides a great tutoring and academic assistance after school program through the ARC (Academic Resource Center).
-Student
.
Edgewater High School is continuously working to provide students with activities that require higher order thinking skills. Special attention is paid to teaching strategies and higher level questioning techniques. Writing skills are very important and now enters a new tool the classroom blogs.
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