Standards benefit children, educators agree

Children will be the big winners as New York State's new learning standards are gradually implemented, according to Catholic educators.

The new standards, adopted last summer by the Board of Regents, set high expectations for all students, and require innovative teaching and alternative assessments.

According to educators interviewed by The Evangelist, including some who are already using the new standards, they will not only help students achieve more but also provide teachers with a clearer framework to work from.

Textbook tyranny

"There's been a lot of ambiguity about what needs to be learned at each grade level," said Sister Ann McCarthy, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Albany Diocese. "With this [ambiguity], there is a reliance on the textbook, and then the textbook dictates the curriculum. Once teachers are caught in the `textbook syndrome,' they are teaching pages, not what the children should know."

Reliance on textbooks is particularly troublesome in Catholic schools, she said, because the books do not include some key ideas students need to learn. For example, social studies texts don't include the social justice and morality components that are critical in a Catholic school setting.

While the learning standards do not apply to non-public schools, Catholic schools will be following them. According to Sister Ann, the state's Catholic schools voluntarily adopted the standards, as they have in the past with other state initiatives.

Local input

The standards will be implemented with locally created, teacher-developed curricula. Locally developed curricula are important, according to the superintendent, because the demographics of each school vary.

One thing that is clear in the new standards is that classrooms will be "learner centered." That means the focus is on the student, with techniques that motivate students to learn. Those techniques utilize thematic and integrated units, as well as small group activities. That approach is different from the traditional classroom method of presenting information to be memorized.

The way students are assessed will also change. While tests will still be used, students will also be informally assessed through questioning, writing assignments, group projects and portfolios that will follow the students through school.

Already in place

While this style of teaching will be new at many schools, some schools in the Albany Diocese have been utilizing the techniques already.

Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush, for example, is "learner-centered" in its approach to teaching. Thematic, integrated units, as well as creative assessment, are utilized. For example, the sixth grade teacher and art instructor work together on integrating social studies and art. As the students studied Egypt in the classroom, they made Egyptian jewelry in the art room.

Sixth grade teacher Ann Neiles has found the students to be motivated through that approach. Students do research on their own time, searching out additional periodicals that relate to the subjects just for their own pleasure.

"There are enough things we do daily that can be boring," Mrs. Neiles said. "But when they're having fun, they internalize what they're learning, remember and understand it."

Unifying learning

Thematic units are regular occurrences at the school. For example, second grade teacher Carleen Hayden does a unit on pirates. Math, reading, writing, mapping and even religion are tied to the theme.

Students do math by counting gold bullion, map the travels of a pirate, read books about pirates, and discuss treasures and how they relate to religion. Small group activities allow the teacher to spend more time giving one-on-one attention to students.

Fourth grade teacher Eileen Collins has been teaching that way since she began her career in 1965. Over the summer, she presented a workshop for teachers in the Diocese on implementing integrated learning in the classroom.

This type of teaching, according to Mrs. Collins, utilizes real-life situations, promotes active learning, utilizes a thinking curriculum and sets high academic standards. Such an approach is important because it creates life long learners and helps students develop real problem-solving skills, she said.

"We're teaching kids to cope with what's outside of school. For example, you need these skills when you do your income tax. You need to be able to read, do math and problem solve," Mrs. Collins said.

Take it slow

While teachers at Holy Spirit agree this approach to teaching is more enjoyable for both students and teachers, it can be time-consuming. To teachers who will start implementing these techniques as a result of the new standards, the Holy Spirit staff advises starting out slow.

First grade teacher Deb Carroll also suggests starting small. She recommends starting with one day of integrated learning; after mastering that, she said, teachers can try three days and slowly work up to a month.

"It can be an adjustment," she acknowledged. "The teachers will need support and in-service."

Challenges

Kindergarten teacher Maryann McConnell agreed that there are challenges in the beginning. "Initially starting out, it's difficult," she said. "But then, motivating children becomes effortless."

Although there will be challenges and adjustments for teachers as the new standards are implemented, they mesh well with the mission of Catholic schools and will work with children from all demographic backgrounds, say the teachers.

Sister Maureen Moffitt, principal at Holy Spirit School, believes that Catholic schools will have little trouble implementing these standards. "The philosophy of Catholic schools are high expectations and clear, high standards," she said. "With the dedication of the teachers, we can fulfill all of this."

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