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Praxis: Another Way to Learn
at Bellevue Christian School, WA
What is Praxis Academy at Bellevue Christian School?
Learning can be a little like baking a cake from scratch without a
recipe. In general we know the basic ingredients but the quantity of
ingredients and the order in which they are mixed may make a great
tasting cake or a miserable failure. Moreover, educating young people is
even more dynamic in that each student is like a different kind of cake,
uniquely created and gifted by God. Praxis Academy is one more way that
Bellevue Christian acknowledges the giftedness of all students and is
determined to meet their unique needs.
Praxis teachers work with gifted students seeking to learn what
matters in a nontraditional environment. All students are
uniquely gifted. A classroom of students has a huge variety of
aptitudes. Traditional schools place too much emphasis on a finite
amount of content and a select number of skills. Even Einstein struggled
in a traditional school. Students need to be given a voice so we know
how each can best learn. Learning is a great thing, and when challenged
appropriately, students will learn as much as they can. Students need
more from their classes not less and need to do work that matters.
Schools need to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in their
students because we live in a world created and sustained by God.
Praxis students will be challenged to develop their individual skills
through an integrated curriculum for English, science, social studies,
and mathematics. The structure of the school day will allow students to
spend a lengthy block of time, three to four periods, to more deeply
study and reflect on concepts and ideas that matter to them. Students
will be accountable to others in the learning community, and they will
work with other students, teachers, parents and adults in the community
to broaden their understanding of what matters. With the teacher’s help,
they will evaluate their own work. They will set individual and
classroom academic goals and measure their progress towards reaching
those goals. Students will lead self-evaluation conferences with
teachers and their parents several times a year. Their work will be kept
in a portfolio to provide data for evaluations and to serve as a
reminder of the student’s progress.
Praxis parents are welcomed participants in the classroom. Along with
the teacher and student, they will play a key role in the development of
their student’s academic goals and the student’s progress in meeting
those goals. Praxis will openly explore the role of parents in the
student work environment. Parents will be challenged to develop a deeper
understanding of their child’s unique giftedness and to appreciate how
that giftedness impacts student learning.
From the Praxis Newsletter:
Important Conversations With Students is one of the ideas that
has been incorporated into the ‘practice’ of Praxis. Important
conversations with students about how they view their strengths and
weaknesses help them understand how they learn. Asking students about
their preferences and strengths provides a starting place for work in
the classroom. Sometimes it is difficult for students to start
conversations about strengths and weaknesses. In Praxis we used a
several survey sheets to help them start to think about some of these
issues. You can view or use these sheets by clicking on the link below.
The important thing is to make the time for individual conversations
with students.
What drives Praxis? T-I-M-E
There is time in Praxis to dive more deeply into subjects of
interest. It is exciting to see students in an animated discussion or
quietly working on a mini-project that extends an idea that came up in
class. Last week Katelyn was researching a female mathematician and
found a reference to Fibonacci numbers in the article. Interest grew
around this new word and soon several days of math instruction centered
on number patterns and the Fibonacci sequence. Students were interested
to find out that Fibonacci patterns are reflected in many aspects of
God’s creation.
What drives Praxis? ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
A second factor that drives Praxis (reflection to action) is the
process of asking essential questions. Open ended questions deepen
learning and thinking for students. Bellevue Christian’s Essential
Questions are indispensable to our thinking as Christians. As Praxis
students work to complete their individual projects on World War II,
Habits of the Mind questions are used to direct their thinking. “How
do I think clearly and critically?” is a great question for teachers and
students alike as we continue in the life long learning process. For
students, this over arching question helps them think about the elements
of reliability, perspective, point of view, connection, prediction, and
importance. When the essential questions become the starting point for
our study, then the specific content takes second place. Starting with
subject content and adding the questions later is not always as
effective.
From Philosophy to Practice
I must practice what I preach. I have a responsibility to transform
my world which for many hours of the day is the classroom. As an
educator/transformer, I’ve had my ups and downs, but there are some
general principles that I increasingly see as central to my task of
bringing redemptive change to education. Some of these principles are
simple, but with profound implications. Here are a few of them.
Every student is valuable. No two students are the same. Every student
has different strengths and weaknesses. There is no such thing as an
average student. Students are wired differently; they process
information differently. Students want to be and deserve to be
respected. It would be a big step towards respecting them if we took
into account individual differences in what students need, how they
learn best, and what would be the most suitable curricula and pace for
them.
Developing learners is more about molding attitudes than delivering
content. Christians are warned against stumbling children, which I would
take as meaning that our mission should be to make schooling a positive
experience for every student. This does not mean “dumbing down” the
curriculum or having a “feel good about yourself” curriculum. Only
academic rigor produces a learner with competence and confidence.
Continuing on a bit more . . . curiosity is the foundation of learning.
If students lose their curiosity, they will also lose most of their
ability to retain and use the information we work so hard to give them.
Content must always be attached to meaning, or it is not retained.
There is a temptation to think that students should know everything
adults know. There is also a temptation to think that all students
should know a lot of information that the average adult has long since
forgotten. In an information age, where information can often be found
quite quickly, it is important for students to learn core information
really well and to give a context to all the other information that is
getting too great to be retained.
Learner goals are as important, if not more important than content
goals. Students should do work that matters to them, and matters to
others. Doing is more important than knowing. Doing validates knowing.
Genuine doing requires giving the student the responsibility to frame
what he will do with the information he is gathering.
(Taken from Bill Weston’s Open House Handout. Mr. Weston taught in
Praxis one period per day during the first year.)
Powerful Interactions Between Students
Over and over again some of the most powerful interactions in Praxis
occur between students. Student interactions are a part of all
classrooms at BCS, but Praxis is setup to enable time and space for
student to student conversations to be a natural part of each day. Just
recently one student was observed by other students to be passive and
non-participatory. Two concerned students, along with Mrs. Seymour went
on a walk-n-talk with their classmate. The troubled students asked
thoughtful, open ended questions. They really wanted to know why the
other could not share ideas and participate more fully in class. They
also affirmed the more passive student by saying, “We want to know what
you are thinking” and “You have to participate, you’re part of the
team.” We don’t fully comprehend the power these statements can carry,
nor do we know what the end result might be. Time will tell, and if
students continue to care for and challenge each another, I firmly
believe positive change for all is possible.
Another example occurred at a round table meeting with the whole
class, one student remarked that there really was a problem with
focus of attention (editor’s words) at the end of the day yesterday.
He said, “I was part of the problem, and I am sorry.” When students are
given time to talk about what matters to them and to each other,
positive outcomes emerge.
Holding a space for learning . . .
The Praxis teaching team was asked to come up with those elements
that define the unique learning of students in this program. The
following is an attempt at listing the Big Ideas Behind Praxis:
* Curriculum springs from student questions
* Learner goals take priority over content goals: students
collaborate with
teachers to set and evaluate their own goals.
* Regular reflection on learning by students and teachers
* Flexible scheduling creates large blocks of uninterrupted time
* Learning is doing what matters: learning as service, real life
learning
* Team approach: students, teachers, principal, and parents work
together
* Learning to listen to each other and to know each other
* Role of the teacher and student is different; there are no
spectator students; teaching is listening and learning is talking
* Students speak for themselves about their learning; students
take responsibility and develop competence
This list continues to be a work in progress. It is raw; the phrases
are not uniform. Some have verbs; others sort of come out of nowhere.
This is an example of the type of work done in Praxis. Teachers
constantly struggle to allow students to find their own way. Just this
morning at the weekly teacher’s meeting the conversation centered on
holding the right space for students to develop what is in their minds.
While in a dialogue with a teacher last week one student remarked, “I
could do what is in your head (your idea) or I could do what is in my
head.” I wonder how often our agenda gets in the way of a student taking
responsibility for their own learning. Can I reserve judgment long
enough so a student can express their own ideas? When I read through the
BCS Essential Questions I notice a lot of “I” statements. How do I
receive and express ideas; How do I practice what I have learned; How do
I develop and use my gifts; How do I learn, live and serve? These are
just a few examples. These seem like questions that must be answered by
the students. How can teachers hold a learning space for students in
which they develop for themselves the answers to the essential
questions?
A list of core values follows. These values will serve as guiding
principles for Praxis Academy program development.
Praxis Academy Core Statements
1. Environment. Every student is known, appreciated, and
included in a diverse, collaborative community.
2. Voice and Leadership. Both students and teachers
exercise choice and make decisions in all elements of life.
3. Teaching and learning. Teachers collaborate with
students to explore and employ a growing repertoire of
instructional/learning strategies. Teachers and students listen
carefully to one another. Learning is participatory where
students help shape the curriculum and assessment.
4. Curriculum. The focus is on the learner and learning.
With their teachers, young people engage in challenging inquiry
into topics that matter, building essential skills in the
process. Curriculum is influenced by student’s interests and
gifts, and real life experiences shape the course of study.
5. Community experiences. Young people are engaged in the
life of the community and the world of work.
6. Scheduling. The school day and calendar provide
flexible and variable blocks of learning time.
7. Technology and materials. Contemporary technology and
rich materials support students as thinkers, researchers, and
authors.
8. Assessment. Assessment primarily serves to inform and
improve student learning instead of only measuring student
performance. Teachers help students to monitor, evaluate, and
guide their own thinking.
9. Professional development. Teachers are students of
their own practice and instruction, with many opportunities to
learn and grow.
10. Relationships. The school works closely with parents,
community organizations, and educational institutions. The
classroom is open to the broader school community. Visits are
encouraged.
11. Belief. We believe so that we can understand.
Understanding comes out of our belief about Jesus as the Truth.
12. Ethics and Stewardship. We practice what we have
learned in a way that cares for others and the rest of creation.
13. Academic Growth. When learning comes from the student
and not an external force, it is internalized. Internalized
learning is robust and sustainable. We believe that students in
the Praxis program will make significantly more academic
progress than if they were in a more traditional learning
environment.
Tim Krell
Director of Praxis Academy
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