Augusta+Prep+Response

Hi Kathy,

I took a little time to reflect before answering your question. And, of course, the more I thought, the more complex the answer seemed! Below is a "laundry list" of contributing factors, in no particular order. Some may be unique to Prep, so ignore if they do not apply:

1. Unofficial slogan: We teach children how to think, not what to think.

2. We eschew educational practices simply because they are the latest (or loudest!) trend. In that regard, we have an eclectic mix of classical pedagogy and newer approaches. A library example: we do not embrace Accelerated Reader (or other popular reading programs) for a multitude of reasons, primarily that teachers and parents have a very difficult time separating the roles of intrinsic and external rewards.

3. While we strongly encourage and facilitate collaboration and peer-to-peer learning/teaching, in the classroom each student is individually responsible for his/her work and learning. Assessments reflect this approach.

4. Our best teachers provide many opportunities for graded assessment, utilizing a variety of formats to touch on disparate learning styles. Often it is the non-traditional assessments that provide the best opportunity for students to access, analyze, recreate, and present information (the basic information literacy skills involving research). The structure provided is essential at this age of development (k-12).

5. We strive to reach a balance in what we ask of our students, recognizing that it is good for them to initially struggle/grapple with new skills. Research has a "re" on it for a reason! Allowing them to take ownership during the struggle yields incredible results.

6. They are not given free reign on which resources to use, even if the information is correct. They must meet provisos established within each project regarding monographs or e-books, e-subscription sources, and open sources. Such a requirement provides the basis for future research.

7. Our school and Parent League are working in tandem to make sure each teacher has access to the technology needed in the classroom to enable his/her curriculum to be taught/presented in a manner that translates to real world applications of the subject matter. We are not a technology driven school, but rather use technology to undergird our mission.

Kathy, a senior student (one of our best) just this moment came up to the desk. I asked him his thoughts on this topic. Interestingly enough, without knowing what I was typing, he basically stated #'s 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. When I read him what I had written, he laughed, stating that this was his answer to an argumentative essay for the SAT on whether schools should be technology driven. His experience at Prep caused him to argue that a technology focused school (rather than a technology undergirded school) denies students too many extraordinary learning opportunities, such as he has had here.

You may be looking for more specifics/tangibles than I have provided. I am happy to provide a list of resources available to my students/teachers. My experience is that when good teachers have a level of confidence in the support they receive - be it from the librarian or from administration - they will begin to tell us what they need. It took a couple of years for the faculty to realize I was specifically targeting each of their curriculum when I purchased resources. As I would tell them about new items, and describe how it would undergird a topic or unit they taught, their trust went up. Before long, we were collaborating on the more expensive items, utilizing part library budget and part departmental budget. Many of those resources gave us both text and on-line. It has opened a new world for our students. Some of our parents caught the bug, and gave a substantial gift designated for research resources that may be used at all levels of the school. Our research page hit a high utilization mark last month on our website :-) It is #8 out of 451 pages on the site, and had about 472 hits in November.

I hope this info helps. Let me know if you need more specific stuff!

Kirsten

Kirsten Pylant US/MS Librarian Augusta Preparatory Day School 706.863.6858 ext.220 kirstenp@augustaprep.org CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE