TAKE OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT OTHER SCHOOLS
Whether it's through friends, grad school or conferences, visiting other schools gives us a chance to think differently about how schools are organized. My experience as the Teacher Leader has put me in touch with many area high schools and exposed me to many exciting ideas.
Ideas I am geeked about:
- keeping high school libraries open into the evening so students have a place to go after practice or for group work
- designing the school and its furnishings to make kids feel welcome and comfortable: providing "hang-out" space with seating and tables, carpeting more areas so students can comfortably sit on the floor, etc.
- rotating the school Twitter handle every week to a kid or adult in the school community; this person tweets their experiences and thoughts all week and helps everyone connect with #multipleperspectives
- creating more collaborative work spaces that kids/adults share; increasing transparency, modeling; holding administrative meetings in areas where the adults can see kids; immersing administrative work within the context of the students they serve
- creating a “Chrome Depot” in the Library where students and teachers can get training or assistance
- using instructional time creatively; block schedules or modified block schedules in which classes have a block once a week.
- using PD time creatively; rotating the purpose of weekly late arrival/PD time so that at least once a month, teachers have choice in what they are learning
- creating a “Freshmen Center” that separates frosh from the general population to provide interdisciplinary instruction in houses with teams of teachers; allows the school to provide a good foundation of skills and deliver special SEL programming
- an all-school blog run by the Principal in which anyone from the school community can share writing about their experiences
- providing multiple for-credit internship programs at high school -- to do tech support for 1:1 programs, create daily announcements, etc.
- provide 20% time or "genius hour" for all students -- this is a concept that allows workers/students 20% of their time to pursue projects of their own choosing
Ideas courtesy of:
- Stevenson High School
- John Hersey High School
- Barrington High School
- McClure Junior High, Western Springs
- Roosevelt Middle School, River Forest
- West Leyden High School
- East Leyden High School
- Maine South High School
- Glenbrook North High School
- Downers Grove North High School
- Argo High School
- Wheaton CUSD 200
- Deerfield High School
