Patton Garden Project

Family and Consumer Science teachers, Betsy Ballard and Kimberly Hisler, at the start of the 2010-2011 school year, conceived the Patton Project and today boasts donations of over 3000 pounds of fresh vegetables to the local food cupboard. From the onset, rather than

approaching the school district for funding, Ballard and Hisler acquired all of the monies through grants such as the Lowe's Toolbox for Education, a Whole Foods School Garden Grant, and by winning a Tri-State environmental community service award.  Additional STEM grants, donations, and support from the Chester County Food Bank have provided the supplies and funding build the original 16 raised beds and a greenhouse directly outside the Charles F. Patton Middle School in Kennett Square, PA. 

Two years later, another 6 raised beds were added at the same location. At the same time a pergola was considered with a goal of serving as an outdoor classroom for use by all. A Unionville High School student, now an architectural major at Cal Poly, designed the structure that was constructed by the high school Tech Ed students. A local grape grower provided advice as to

the type of grape to grow up and over the pergola that would not only

be able to provide a healthy snack, but also shade when students were using the outdoor classroom. The grand opening was held in the spring of 2013.  In the fall of 2013, two 30-foot high tunnels were constructed a short walk from the original location with the idea of providing year round growing capabilities. At the same time, three hydroponic tanks were added to the greenhouse to grow greens over the cold winter months.  Partnering with the Chester County Food Bank, a local hydroponic gardening store, and nearby Longwood Gardens the Patton Gardens have a rich set of resources that have fully supported the garden initiative.

The gardens flourish throughout the year thanks to the creation of an Adopt-A-Bed program.

Families and organizations adopt a bed for a week each summer, which ensures that the plants are watered, weeding is done, and donations continue to be made to the food bank to help those in need. Groups are able to work together supporting the growing process and individuals know that they are making a difference in the lives of those in their community, while enjoying quality time outside in the fresh air. The benefits are intangible, as individuals are provided a chance to bond and work together towards a common goal. The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, National Honor Society members, school district families, students groups, and other community members all help to keep the gardens growing even in the hottest months!

The garden project has been written into the existing Family and Consumer Science

curriculum and encompasses aspects of state and nationally recognized standards. Emphasis is placed on the science of growing with hands-on applications, math, reading, geography, and a written component further supports the initiative.  The project is aimed at teaching students how to grow and create healthy meals, as well as giving back to neighbors in need.  Parts of the yield are also used in the FCS labs, so the students can taste the difference in fresh grown produce and also taste the fruits of their labor. Being an integral part of the vegetables from seed to yield has even encouraged many to plant and cultivate their own home gardens.  In the coming months, some of the produce will also be incorporated into the meals in the school cafeteria.

The Patton Garden project teaches all of the students the importance of sustainability and how it impacts them now and in the future. In addition to the regular FCS classes, the garden project t is an integral component to the Sewing the Seeds of Kindness class that has a sewing component where the students make quilts and pillowcases for sick children at AI DuPont Hospital for Children in nearby Wilmington, DE. The focus is to continue growing the program and to inspire others to make a difference in the lives of students and in own their communities.

Betsy Ballard

Family and Consumer Science Teacher

Charles F. Patton MS

bballard@ucfsd.net

Kim Hisler

Family and Consumer Sciene Teacher

Charles F. Patton MS

khisler@ucfsd.net

T3 - Tasks, Tools and Talk

T3 – Tasks, Tools and Talk

            The Common Core State Mathematics Standards (CCSS-M, 2010) challenge traditional

beliefs regarding what it means to learn and teach mathematics.  The Seneca Valley Middle School has embarked on a professional development campaign, begun in the Seneca Valley Elementary Schools four years ago, to help teachers meet the Mathematical Practice standards defined by the CCSS-M (CCSS-M, 2010).   Although the standards dictate neither curriculum nor pedagogy, the emphasis on student reasoning and communication challenges the traditional method of delivery, wherein teachers model procedures and students use the procedures in repetitive fashion (Lampert,1990; Ball, Goffney, & Bass, 2005).  Supporting students in a way that encourages a belief in their own efficacy and a positive disposition toward mathematics, demands teacher reflection regarding the vision of good instruction and the related classroom culture that supports it (Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005).

            Seneca Valley teachers are taking a close look at the classroom culture created during math instruction. With the help of professional development experts associated with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and faculty from the University of Pittsburgh, teachers work toward creating a discussion- rich community.  When one considers classroom culture, teaching mathematics in a way that is consistent with the Common Core State Standards includes more than teaching mathematical content. The first three practices: make sense of problems and persevere in solving them; reason abstractly and quantitatively; and construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, focus on making sense of problems and solutions through the process of logical explanation as well as through probing the understanding of others as students construct arguments, identify correspondences among approaches, and explore the truth of conjectures.

            It is through talk that mathematical ideas are aired, revised, connected to prior knowledge and to one another, examined, and challenged. Exchanges between teachers and students or students and students, go beyond describing a summary of steps in solving a problem; problem solving strategies are linked to mathematical argument. At Seneca Valley Middle School, roles of teachers includes establishing  norms wherein differences are expected and respected; where disagreements are resolved by reasoned arguments; and where mathematical reasoning is a practice to be learned, not an innate ability (Ball, Goffney, & Bass, 2005). 

            Discursive participation and the related teacher practices that influence student learning are largely affected by the mathematical task selected by the teacher.  It is the mathematical task, a set of problems or a single complex problem, itself that focuses attention on a particular mathematical idea and defines the intellectual challenge on which students will attend during a mathematics class (Stein, Grover, & Henningsen, 1996).  The kind of task selected can promote or discourage students to explore deeply the intended mathematical goal and is closely related to norms in which students will engage and the opportunity for deep conceptual understanding (Doyle,1988; Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver, 2000). 

            Seneca Valley teachers are considering the task’s cognitive demand,that is the level and type of thinking that a task has the potential to engage in a student. In general, low-level cognitive demand tasks are algorithmic in nature.  They involve using or producing previously learned facts or procedures.  There is little ambiguity about the direction or steps needed for solution and they are generally not connected to concepts underlying the procedure.  The focus is primarily on obtaining a correct answer with little need for explanation.  Conversely, tasks that require students to explore and understand mathematical concepts, processes, or relationships, requiring that students develop meaning through the use of multiple representations and analysis, while accessing prior relevant knowledge fall into the category of high-level cognitive demand. These tasks often require students to use non-algorithmic thinking while persevering to develop solution strategies.  Further, equity is served as students profit from the alternate representations of classmates’ vision of the mathematical ideas. The task itself provides the reason that talk is needed at all. Properly chosen, it offers the opportunity for everyone to make a contribution to both individual and group success.

For additional information please contact Andrea Peck at Seneca Valley MS

            

Don Eichhorn Schools: School to Watch Summit a Success

Don Eichhorn Schools: School to Watch Summit a Success

By

PA STW Leadership Team

The theoretical framework of Middle-Grades Reform as guided by the principles of the School to Watch initiative include uniting key stakeholders to speak with a common voice to leverage research, policy, leadership, and replicable model practices to drive middle grades reform (National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, 2012). June 23-25 the leadership team for Pennsylvania Schools to Watch organized the Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch Summit at Duquesne University promoting these principles for leadership teams of PA designated schools. Twenty-eight middle level leaders participated in this worthwhile event representing designated middle schools throughout the Commonwealth.

The PA STW leadership team, headed by Bruce Vosburgh, designed the summit around critical topics related to young adolescent literacy development. In order to set the scene and build background information for discussion of this topic, participants first read and discussed the International Reading Association/Association of Middle Level Education joint position paper: Supporting Young Adolescents’ Literacy Learning (2001) as it relates to the critical issues involving adolescent reading. They also reviewed some of the critical NAEP (National Association of Educational Progress) data that reinforces the need for addressing young adolescents’ literacy needs. Some of the important points discussed included: the decrease in demand for unskilled labor which will require better reading skills to secure productive employment; the number of children in eighth grade who lack literacy skills especially among children in poverty; and the disparity in reading scores among minority students and English language learners with others.

Middle level educators then participated in a Structured Interview problem-solving process whereby they sought answers to four compelling problems related to literacy learning including lack of writing skills, dispositions of content teachers about integrating reading into their teaching practices, using formative and summative data to improve reading instruction, and integrating technology more efficiently and effectively to promote reading.  Finally, educators participated in the Six Thinking Hats Strategy designed by Edward de Bono. This strategy challenges people to think differently than perhaps is the norm for them. Using the information outlined in Biancarosa, C., & Snow, C. E. (2006) Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy <http://www.all4ed.org/files/ReadingNext.pdf> published by the Alliance for Excellent Education, educators were assigned a perspective (hat) from which they were required to discuss the report including: white hat thinking, this person focused on data, facts, and information known or needed; red hat thinking, this person focused on feelings, gut instinct and intuition; yellow hat thinking focusing on values and benefits of why something may work; black hat thinking focusing on difficulties and potential problems or why something may not work; green hat thinking focusing on creativity, possibilities, alternatives, solutions and new ideas; and finally, blue hat thinking focusing on the next steps and action plans.  This strategy encouraged participants to “think outside the box” as well as required them to think in ways that may not be comfortable. The STW leadership team wanted to provide these strategies as an opportunity for those in attendance to review and discuss quality research and replicate effective practices that could be used as problem solving methods thus promoting the principles of the STW initiative. They also wanted participants to be involved fully in these critical discussions.

Participants, however, not only engaged in these activities, they also shared best practices occurring in their school districts. Sharing of these best practices contributes to building a community of learners thus promoting a continuous improvement model in an easy and efficient manner. Best practices were posted on the STW  “members only” site so even those unable to attend the Summit would be able to use the valuable information and model practices that were shared. Educators could be seen collaborating with each other after these sessions asking significant questions and sharing contact information via technology. Paul Meck, member of the leadership team, commented that “education requires so much more in terms of crisis management that having opportunities to discuss significant research and its implications for practice are often not a priority. This was a very enjoyable summit and there was so such great discussion and sharing of great tools that can be replicated.”

            The third day of the Summit served as the culminating activity which promoted the literacy hot topic of previous days. Scholastic hosted a very worthwhile Reading Summit for Educational Leaders also at Duquesne University. Participants had the opportunity to attend various breakout sessions. One of the highlights of the Scholastic Reading Summit included listening to an exceptional keynote address by author, Pam Allyn, whose book Be Core Ready, (Pearson, 2013) provides an exemplary resource for administrators and teachers for implementing the Common Core State Standards. Her straightforward and humorous presentation was well received by the audience.

The School to Watch Summit would not have been possible without the significant contributions of Dr. Robert Furman who is a member of the STW leadership team and also Program Director of the School of Administration and Supervision/Foundations at Duquesne University. Dr. Furman and Duquesne University made sure every detail from food to accommodations were perfect for the Summit guests. Erik Lehman, President of Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education, offered praise for the Summit by stating: “These kinds of professional activities provide a very positive experience for participants and it is a great opportunity to find out what other educators are doing in their middle schools.”

Pennsylvania School to Watch Leadership Team:

Mr. Bruce Vosburgh, Director

Kathleen H. Benson, Ph.D.

Robert Furman, Ed.D.

Mr. Paul Meck

Mr. Len Ferrence

Mr. Herb Steffy, Ed.D.