A culture for growing early adolescents Juan Piedrahita November 6, 2009 Class:8b

The Critical Paradox Today debate on how to lift the nation’s school from mediocrity to a level of education excellence the national consensus is that a rigorous focus on standards, curriculum and testing--- and not children’s development. Whatever becomes the main focus of a school drives everything through the system. School culture, discipline policy, curriculum, teaching methods, assessment, supervision, use of resources, quality of relationships, professional development, staff morale… all are determines by the focus. Emotional and ethical/spiritual development of students as human beings is seldom recognized by educators, politicians and anxious communities as the pathway to academic learning. It is the business community that recognizes that more adults lose jobs, not out of a lack of workplace skills, but to their inability to work well with others.

The developmental process of tribes TLC an overview The developmental process of the tribes Responsive Education(Student-Centered Active Learning) The Community of Learners A Caring Culture Human Development and Learning The whole school community a culture of caring and challenge to support the goal of human development and learning. The whole School community is structured into collaborative learning groups that sustain the culture. Teachers trained in the process of Tribes TLC facilitate active learning strategies, experiences and project that are students-centered, and responsive to the developmental task middle level adolescents are striving to accomplish.

The importance of a safe and growing culture Getting ready to develop the personal best in 10-15 year olds works the same way. For all to bloom and do well, nutrients for growth must be continually available and released all day long. Growing plants in good soil and students in a nurturing culture means they do not need one-by-one “fixing.” The whole batch will bloom--- perhaps at different times, but each in their own uniqueness and radiance. Culture is the climate, the environmental and spirit in a school that permeates everything that goes on within the classroom, the staff and other groups. The elements of the culture are seldom recognized or discussed though they affect everything that happens in the school. A great exercise is to have your faculty list some of the unspoken beliefs they may have about teaching, students learning, discipline, and the students of the school. Would you hear any of the following? We don’t need professional development. Smart students do as they are told Awards are not motivational