The Evolution of a Program
Have you ever wondered how those popular school programs — the ones that all the students want to join — get started and achieve such great things? Several of this year's Prime Minister's Awards winners are the driving force behind exceptional programs that, although they may have started small, have turned into highly successful learning experiences for students.
Where do these programs come from? Do they spring fully formed into the educational world or do they evolve with trial and error over time?
While a program might be born in a flash of inspiration as a teacher searches for a way to connect the curriculum to student experience, "programs, their activities and their scope definitely evolve over time," says Ian Naisbitt, a Grade 5 and 6 teacher at Concord Public School in Windsor, Ontario.
His program — which began as a one-time clean-up of a particularly polluted section of a local river — is a case in point. Naisbitt originally intended to use the project to teach language arts, science and civics to his students. But over time, and with runaway student and community enthusiasm, his simple project grew into a program of Clean-Up Crusades, tree planting campaigns, letter writing, public speaking and fund-raising about the whole Little River watershed (see Environmental Action in the Curriculum).
Similarly, Jean-Daniel Roy's international, multimedia, multiyear cultural exchange program developed slowly out of conversations with other teachers and as part of a deliberate plan on Roy's part to make the most of the latest communications technology. Roy's students at École Sainte-Anne in Sherbrooke, Quebec, hosted a group of French students and then later toured France (see A Virtual Project Becomes Real).
Nancy Barkhouse's program — a year-long radio program for her students — on the other hand, met a specific classroom challenge, but it, too, grew in unexpected ways. Her Grade 4 class of 19 boys and 14 girls at Atlantic View Elementary School in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia, had, because of the ratio of boys to girls, a "reputation." Hearing about the benefits of auditory learning, especially for boys, Barkhouse started on the thought process that led to the radio program. However, what began as eight 15-minute segments ended up being 20 hour-long shows!
What's Involved?
Every program is different, but teachers who've created great programs agree that with passion, commitment and energy anyone can build a successful one. The Prime Minister's Award recipients recommend some key steps to follow.
Have a Vision
First, start with a clear vision and hold on to it, in spite of the inevitable setbacks and complications, says Carl Goulding, who is a music teacher at Mount Pearl Intermediate School and Mount Pearl Senior High School in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador.
When Goulding began teaching at Mount Pearl in September 1982, only 11 students attended his first choir rehearsal. Undeterred, Goulding spread the word that the choir was open to everyone. "I took every opportunity to perform that I could get," he calmly explains — "anything to raise the profile of the choir in the school." He also let it be known that he would tutor anyone (no matter how little skill they had) who wanted to learn to sing.
By the following June, 200 students were singing their hearts out in the Mount Pearl Chorale. Since then, two show choirs, a concert choir, an annual spring production and countless smaller choirs, trios and madrigal groups have sprung from that first group.
To hold onto that clear vision for your program, "don't get distracted; stick to what you've decided to do," recommends Doug Grunert of Rutland Senior Secondary School in Kelowna, British Columbia.
He and colleague Brad Talbot team-teach Environmental Science, a course of classroom experiments and presentations, field trips, career preparation and guest speakers that culminates in a foreign excursion (see Journal of Learning). The course consists of fascinating activities such as SCUBA diving, hiking, stream stewardship and raising rare or endangered animals in the classroom. "While we feel a constant need to enhance and revise our program — to keep it relevant in an ever-changing society — we strive to maintain our basic objectives at the same time," explains Talbot.
Connect with the Curriculum
When designing your program, keep it curriculum-based in some way, suggests Nancy Barkhouse of Atlantic View Elementary School. Find a program that excites you and the students, and then make it work with as much of your curriculum as possible. Since a classroom program is not going to occupy all your time (and should not), there is still plenty of time to meet the other curriculum objectives, she says.
Barkhouse's project, "Surf's Up" (Students Using Radio Facilities for Sharing our Unique Perspectives), addressed many components (but not all) of the language arts, arts and social studies curricula. The program, though longer than she originally expected, did not take up the whole year, nor did it fill every school day.
Eight teams of four students each researched a topic, interviewed guests, developed and wrote a script, then nervously rode with their teacher to the radio station to deliver a series of live radio shows. (Transcripts are available at the SURF'S UP! website). The other shows were recorded on CD at the school for later broadcast.
Plan and Delegate
As a program gains momentum, it is critical to bring in helpers, says Naisbitt. Obviously, you will have to handle everything yourself for a while, but as the program gets going be prepared to delegate jobs in an organized way. "You have to learn to ask for help," he explains. "It's simply not possible to do it all yourself and, besides, other viewpoints and perspectives benefit the project."
Naisbitt's river clean-up program has grown to such an extent that the only way for him to ensure it continues successfully is to plan and then delegate research, fund-raising, soliciting donations of equipment, and scheduling and organizing field trips to parents, community members, businesses, fellow teachers and other environmental groups — "with plenty of pizza as rewards!" Naisbitt chuckles.
Before your program gets rolling, it is important to anticipate and address administrative details (such as waiver forms, school board approval or special funding), so they do not bog you down later, recommends Barkhouse. Most importantly, she stresses, arrange internal coverage or a substitute teacher well before you need to be out of your class.
Gather this support from your administration and fellow teachers by getting them excited about the educational value of what you are doing, add Grunert and Talbot. In their case, they keep everyone in the school well informed about what they are doing and what the students are learning. To bring parents on side, Grunert and Talbot use advertising, evening presentations, newsletters and whatever else is necessary to make students and parents aware of their program and what it offers.
Sometimes you need to make a gutsy move to get people on board. Carl Goulding tells the story of how he gained the necessary support from his school administration for the financing of the Show Choir equipment. "I knew that I needed capital to purchase up-to-date synthesizers, sound-mixing boards, microphones and band gear to get the kids interested in the choir. The school had a piano — period. Funds were scarce. I went to the music store, bought what we needed and told the principal the choir would fund raise the cost, or I'd pay for it myself." The equipment was paid for in a few months, the program got started and it has never looked back. And the school administration and school board are enthusiastic supporters.
Expect the Unexpected
Sometimes all the planning in the world will not prevent the unexpected from happening, so you need to stay flexible and keep a sense of humour, says Barkhouse. Calm, comfortable and apparently unfazed by sudden complications, Barkhouse had originally planned to have her students create only eight 15-minute radio segments as part of the Surf's Up program. "Then the radio station told me that they could only schedule a one-hour format," she remembers with a laugh. "It was a huge time commitment that I really hadn't planned on." Almost before she knew it, though, the program grew to 20 hour-long shows. Once she got over her shock, Barkhouse realized that the increased programming time allowed more curriculum involvement as the students researched more topics.
Succession Planning
Finally, since you may wish to retire, change jobs or leave your program for some other reason, plan to spend at least two years training a replacement, say all the teachers. Since the success of a program involves vision, planning, organization, delegation and lots of support and participation, it is not something another teacher can step into overnight.
A teacher can hand a successful program over to the community or parents to continue, recommends Ross Thompson, a music teacher at New Minas Elementary School in New Minas, Nova Scotia (see Build a Strong Foundation). He did just that with the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir, an awarding winning youth choir, noting that preparing the parents and ensuring that the organization's infrastructure is solid were critical steps. Naisbitt's Little River clean-up, too, has grown up and left home. The Little River Enhancement Group will manage the Little River watershed in perpetuity.
While the original teacher may move on to other things, some programs are so educationally successful that other teachers adopt and adapt them. In addition to making environmental education presentations at professional development conferences, Naisbitt has used his experience with the Little River Enhancement Group to develop curriculum for his school board and the Federation of Ontario Naturalists.
Is It All Worth It?
Programs expand and enhance the curriculum, take the students out of the classroom (both figuratively and literally) and show them the real world beyond their school and neighbourhood. The rewards can be impressive.
Grunert and Talbot and their students have received a number of special commendations for their Environmental Science projects. These include a conservation award from the British Columbia Wildlife Federation, an environmental award from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and an award from British Columbia's minister of the environment. As a teaching team, Grunert and Talbot have been guest presenters and panel members at the Simon Fraser Institute for Environmental Educators and have developed a variety of teaching materials for environmental studies.
Barkhouse, partly due to her success with the radio project, has been seconded to the school board to lead on-line professional development.
The recognitions and rewards collected by Mount Pearl choirs make an impressive list, one that includes performances at Expo '86 and Walt Disney World and for three Royal Family visits. Their awards include first place at the Show Choirs of North America Festival in 1996 and second place at the North American Show Choir Competition in 1990.
Naisbitt and the students of Concord Public School have received numerous awards for their work to protect and restore the environment, including the Champion Defender of the Planet award from the United Nations Environment Programme. Concord is one of 30 schools in North America so recognized.
Besides these tangible awards, a successful program can garner some invaluable but intangible rewards, too.
For some students, a successful, exciting, challenging program can change their lives. "My students, and their parents, tell me that belonging to the choir changed their lives," says Goulding. Shy students gain confidence, musically talented students gain invaluable experience and all students gain life lessons and lifelong memories.
Over the year her program ran, Barkhouse's entire class showed clear gains in academic skills. "With research, interviewing and script writing, my students' reading levels improved tremendously," comments Barkhouse. In addition, their confidence, work habits, classroom behaviour, and organizational and cooperative skills improved, too.
"In terms of enrolment and academic success, the Environmental Science course has grown beyond our wildest dreams," Grunert and Talbot say. "We've had students who struggled through high school complete their education and go on to excel in post-secondary studies and professional careers."
"I'm supposed to retire in five years," adds Talbot. "Aw, you'll never retire," scoffs Grunert. "You're having too much fun!"