SLATE Conference

On December 3-5th, Prairie du Chien Administration had the opportunity to attend the SLATE conference in Wisconsin Dells.  The administrative team received an award for their technology work in the Prairie du Chien School district through the Amplified Administrator program.

While attending the conference, the team was viewing exhibits and listening to great speakers.  The speakers focus was an engaging classroom with technology as a focus.

One of the sessions entitled, Tearing Down Walls demonstrated a classroom in the Franklin School District that placed 90 students in a math class.  Within the large classroom, each student had a laptop and would correspond with one of the four teachers in the room via email on questions and concerns.  The teachers would break the students into groups to work on the specific topics that the students needed further assistance with.  The teachers all work within the same classroom space and share office space.  Teachers are given time to team plan and collaborate with one another on students needs and curriculum adaptations.

This session was particularly compelling as too often in education we are isolated from other educators.  We are placed in a classroom with a group of students to fend for ourselves with very little time to work with other educators do to the demands of scheduling, budgets, and course offerings.  There is a compelling need to feel as though we need to be all knowing in the classroom and we begin to fear collaboration for it may expose a weakness to the students we lead or another teacher working in the same content area.  There is a drive for competition, yet we do not know who or what we are competing against.  Is it student and community acceptance, popularity, grades, or higher test scores.

The Franklin Model demonstrates a creative way in which students and teachers can collaborate and work together to service students based on academic questions and needs.  As we look to the future of Prairie du Chien we look to find ways to create similar collaboration opportunities at our high school.  Opportunities for staff to share, discuss and work together to produce the best student outcomes possible.  We will be looking to achieve this with our common planning opportunities and stem/humanities extensions next school year.

Below is a list of links to the keynote speakers we will be discussing in future staff meetings:

Julie Mathiesen - Customized Learning

Rushton Hurley - Resources