Youthquake!
12/16/2017
“Youthquake” is defined as a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people, and has been selected by Oxford Dictionaries as the 2017 word of the year.
Working with the PNA middle schoolers every day, we can easily see the meaning behind the word. Their passionate and engaged mindsets lead them everyday to learn what they can about how the world works and where their place is in it. Experiences such as helping others at the Anchorage Neighborhood GIFT program play an important role in developing their mindsets. If you came to the Sullivan Arena with us on Thursday you would have been very proud of these students. They assisted people with “shopping”, carried load after heavy load out to cars in the parking lot, directed people to where they needed to be, ran up and down the concrete area stairs countless times gathering pens and clipboards, and filled a number of other positions whenever the need arose. PNA middle schoolers did all this without a break for four hours smiling and hustling the whole time! Without the PNA middle school volunteers, the Neighborhood Gift program would not have run as smoothly as it did. Students recognized this. They could clearly see how much this project needed their help. They were also introduced to the people benefitting from this program on a personal level - many receiving hugs of gratitude as they loaded turkey and toys into cars. These personal interactions spurred many comments the following morning as we debriefed the event in a group Advisory meeting: “I couldn’t believe how thankful they were.” “Everyone was so nice; you could tell how much [our help] meant to them.” This tangible experience allowed students to really understand that not everyone is as fortunate as they are. Students will draw meaning from experiences like this for years to come. As they come of age to make decisions for themselves and through the power of voting, they will use their broader perspective of society to shape the future. Knowing that the future lies in the hands of the youth puts me at ease when I think of these inspirational students. We look forward to a good Youthquake! Empowering Digital Citizens
12/8/2017
“I did it! Yay!! This is fun!” —2nd grader “Why didn’t that work? It should have worked… This isn’t very clear!” — 7th grader and her mom Exceptional learners and independent thinkers exhibit many qualities: self-confidence; creativity; a problem-solving mindset; perseverance and persistence. Our goal each week is to provide opportunities for our students to practice these skills and dispositions in preparation for the times when they leave the shelter of home and school. This week we participated in the Hour of Code, a world-wide learning event that takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code," to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide. Over the past few years over 100 million students in every country in the world have participated, and this year, our students did too! Why teach students computer programming (coding?) When we think about what it means to be literate, we are really saying that we are able to read and write the media of the day. In the 21st century, that media includes technology and computers. When computers first became available to the mainstream, they were complicated enough that anyone who wanted to use them had to learn programming to do so - one had to be able to "read AND write computers." As computer technology became increasingly user-friendly and pervasive, this was no longer necessary. And so we find ourselves using computer technology daily in every field and every walk of life without really understanding what we are using. We can “read” computers and apps, but not “write" them. Learning computer programming has many benefits. Seymour Papert, professor of Media Technology at MIT, co-founder of MIT's Artificial Intelligence and Media Labs, and one of the world's foremost experts on the impact of computers on learning, argued that the computer’s true power as an educational medium lies in its “...ability to facilitate and extend children's awesome natural ability and drive to construct, hypothesize, explore, experiment, evaluate, draw conclusions -- in short to learn all by themselves.” When students learn to code, they strengthen their computational thinking skills. Computational thinking is the ability to communicate thoughts and solve problems in a structured and logical way: a combination of advanced mathematics, algorithm development, and logic. Computer programming requires you to check your work for details and to persist at a task. All of these skills are valuable in any future career or endeavor. Another benefit of learning computer science is its economic power: computing occupations are the fastest-growing, best-paying, and now the largest sector of all new wages in the US. Fun for All Ages The best thing about computer coding is that it is fun! We had a great time during our parent lunch as middle schoolers partnered with their parents to give coding a try. Parents and students alike were engrossed in building Star Wars, Moana, soccer, Flappy Bird, and Dragon Quest games; some made it through to the end and actually downloaded the games they created to their own iPads to play! On Friday several of our students took their new learning down to the Ms. Hitchcock's classroom and helped her second graders participate in their own Hour of Code. Thanks to everyone for their spirit of experimentation as we ventured into new territory! To learn more about Hour of Code, visit the home page. And if you or your students want to expand your coding skills, visit the Hour of Code Activities page; there are tons of great activities to try - for beginners as well as more advanced coders. Progress Reports Have Changed
12/1/2017
This semester you will see a significant change to the progress reports your child receives from PNA. While the report will appear quite different, the largest change is the conceptual approach PNA is taking to evaluate students. After surveying parents early on in the school year, a team of teachers researched and developed a progress report that would convey a student’s performance more accurately, meaningfully, consistently, and in support of learning. A standards based report seemed to fit our collective ideas about how best to inform you of your student’s progress. The following excerpts are adapted from Excelsior High School’s frequently asked questions about standards based assessments: What is standards-based assessment? Standards-based assessment measures your student’s mastery of the essential standards for a class, or how well your student understands the material in class. During a unit of study, the student is assessed to see if they truly know the material using a variety of assessments, such as traditional pencil-and-paper tests, projects, discussions, or reports. The final assessment will be based on all of the evidence the teacher collects demonstrating mastery of the essential standards. The goal of this approach is to provide the teacher, student, and parent as accurate a picture as possible of the student’s learning and to encourage a dialogue about how the student can master the material for the class. In particular, because learning is a process that takes place over time, the student will be allowed to retake assessments. If the new assessments shows a higher level of mastery, that new score replaces the old one. How is standards-based assessment different from traditional grades? In the traditional 100-point grading system, a student’s grades are typically based on all of the work assigned in class, including classwork, homework, projects, quizzes, and tests. These scores are often arranged in the grade book based on the type of assignment rather than on the essential standards for the class. The grade may also include points for non-academic factors, such as participation, effort, or attitude. Standards-based assessment does not separate out tests, homework, or projects. All of the work a student does is used to assess the student’s mastery of the essential standards. Students’ scores from their work are tracked by the essential standards, which gives the teacher, student, and parent a very detailed picture of which standards a student has mastered. Non-academic factors like behavior, attitude, and attendance are not included in this grade and are reported in a different manner. What do the scores on the 4.0 scale mean? The scores on the 4.0 scale each have a very specific meaning. 4.0: The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the material by completing advanced applications of the material. 3.0: The student has mastered the complex, targeted knowledge and skills for the class. 2.0: The student understands the foundational material that supports the targeted learning, but is still working to master the complex material for the class. 1.0: The student is able to demonstrate an understanding of the foundational material for the class with help from the teacher, but still struggles when working independently. 0.0: Even with assistance from the teacher, the student shows no understanding of the material. A zero will not be given for missing work until the end of the trimester. How will my student be assessed? Your student’s learning will be assessed using a variety of formative and summative assessments. These tools will include formal assessments such as traditional paper-and-pencil tests, projects, written papers, lab reports, or verbal assessments, but they may also include informal assessments such as classroom discussions or teacher observations. Essentially, everything that a student does in a standards-based class provides the teacher with evidence of the student’s learning. Are non-academic factors, such as effort, attitude, participation, and behavior part of the class grade? These factors have always been and will continue to be an important part of your student’s success. However, in standards-based assessment, these factors will be communicated separately from your student’s academic grade. As PNA moves forward with this new assessment record, there will likely be many questions as well as a few kinks to work out. We welcome your suggestions, feedback, and concerns as we move forward as learners ourselves in this project. Slideshow of our week... |
Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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