From the Desk of Mr. Schrad
Launch the media gallery 1 playerAlready we have made it to the month of October. This is a wonderful time of year exemplified by the change in seasons, cooler weather, and weekends filled with football. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the fall season.
My primary role as principal is to serve as the instructional leader, or the"leader for learning." With that, I use the "management by wandering around" strategy in school quite frequently. That allows me to see teachers and students engaged in a variety of lessons.
Research indicates teachers using proper instructional techniques will see an overall improvement in student achievement and behavior. With that, I have had the opportunity to attend some training sessions that exhibit this for improved instruction in our classrooms. Last week, I attended a workshop lead by Dr. Jean Anastasio of APL Associates. Using the techniques of APL is one of the district goals for Seward Public Schools. All teachers in our district will be fully trained in the APL philosophy. The workshop I attended focused on essential learning skills that improve teacher instruction. Most Seward teachers were trained with these teaching techniques in their college training. APL emphasizes these same techniques and expands upon the essential learning strategies. Seward teachers will continue with their APL training in December.
At this point your students are witnessing consistent teaching strategies by all our middle school teachers. Students know strategies such as "bell ringers," "agendas" and "objectives." When students come to a classroom they are immediately engaged in the lesson and no time is wasted. Bell ringers are activities that students complete after they enter the room. The bell ringer is tied into a previous lesson or assignment to help retain the material. Agendas are posted in every classroom. Students know what they will accomplish before the end of the period. Objectives are the outcome or the purpose of the lesson. Teachers share with their student's "what" they will learn, and "how" they will learn that objective. This is known as the "Heart" of the lesson.
As we move on throughout the school year, I will expand more on the instructional strategies our teachers are using. I know you will notice a difference in overall student achievement.
Finally, I want to thank all the parents that came to Seward Middle School for parent/teacher conferences. We moved conferences to mid-quarter to allow open communication for parents and recovery time for students before the end of the quarter. From my observations, and communication with staff, it was a success.
Launch the media gallery 2 playerMr. Schrad