“The real path to greatness, it turns out, requires simplicity and diligence. It requires clarity, not instant illumination. It demands each of us to focus on what is vital—and to eliminate all of the extraneous distractions.” -Jim Collins
Citing the importance of focus and clarity in organizations, the above quote by Jim Collins can be equally applicable when viewed in the context of classrooms. Research after research indicate that ineffective classrooms are those that are prone to be distracted by attractive and often engaging activities that do not lead to intentional learning, and effective classrooms are characterized by a consistent focus on explicit learning targets and disciplined instruction planned to achieve them. Determined not to lose focus and resources to the many trendy new initiatives in education, great schools like 102 thrive by committing to do only a few things and doing them well. Likewise, students learn best in highly-focused classrooms that align everything they do to clearly communicated learning objectives each day. When students—and especially for those who struggle–understand in explicit terms what and how they are to learn each day, learning is demystified and becomes more accessible.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Madelene Taub-Chan visited PS/IS 102 along with Principal Learning Facilitator Charles Simic and they were impressed with the consistency in how rigorous instruction permeate through every one of our classroom. It’s clear we achieve at PS/IS 102, and our focus this year remains the same after day 23: keep doing what we do well and commit to learning more about what we don’t.
Weekly Highlights:
Our students are very fortunate to have Ms. Gagliadotto as their teacher. Illustrating the power of focus, her instruction is simple, powerful, and makes impossible for any student to not achieve the lesson’s objective. The learning goal—deconstructing steps in solving expressions with multiple operations—is clear in intent to address a common gap in student math understanding (forgetting order of operations), and the learning task is planned with a laser focus to address that identified aim. It requires little more than paper and pencil: Student pairs, assigned to solve a list of multi-step problems, are instructed to do so one person and one step at a time, having to pass a worksheet back and forth as they took turns performing each operation in a problem. For example, to solve for X in the expression 2X + 5 = 3/4 (5/2), one student begins by multiplying the fractions, passes the paper, the other subtracts 5 from both sides, pass the paper back, and so forth). It was incredible to see students excitedly talk and argue about math, and we had little doubt that student mastery was most likely the only possible outcome for this lesson.
Things You Need to Know:
Morning Entry: Please reinforce the expectation to students that morning line up to class is silent. An orderly walk is crucial in ensuring the safety of all our students, and we share the responsibility in holding all students accountable. You should take down the names of students who exhibit a pattern of disruptive behavior to provide to an assistant principal.
Request Forms: In our effort to better organize and fulfill teacher requests, a few new forms are now available for you to complete should the need arise. All forms are in the office and please see Teresa if you have questions.
Morning Announcement:You received a hardcopy yesterday, and you are not required to complete it. Complete it if you would like to have an announcement made on your behalf over the PA or through the K12 alert system.
Off-Site PD: You should complete this form to request approval for an off-site PD. Submit it to your direct supervisor at least one week in advance.
Field Trip Request: Field trip requests should be submitted 21-days in advance.
Thursday Evacuation: On Thursday we engaged in a building exit protocol due to a faulty A/C unit in the gymnasium. Smoke was detected and in order to ensure the safety of everyone we evacuated the building. Thank you to everyone for your cooperation in conducting a swift and uneventful evacuation.
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