Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer | Page 4

The Model Redesigning the school day at Pioneer has created space for personalized, student-centered learning experiences that engage students and make the best use of time. Key components of the school’s new learning model were a studentdirected learning block during the school day, after-school enrichment activities, and enhanced teacher collaboration. Personal Learning Time Adding 45 minutes to the school day allowed Pioneer to create personal learning time (PLT), a block of time that is completely self-directed by students and designed around topics they are interested in and questions they want to solve. Because PLT is student-directed and students get to focus on something they are passionate or curious about, there has been great engagement, says teacher Paul Crossen. “It’s something they gravitated to and liked a lot. It didn’t take much motivation to get them interested.” Nelson-Steinhoff agrees: “Everyone said personal learning time was their favorite time of day.” Each teacher has the flexibility to facilitate PLT in a way that makes the most s ense for the class, but the overall goal is to give students the resources, time, and materials they need to dive in, discover, and create through a project-based learning approach. The deliverable, or “learning product,” at the end of a project is determined by the student, but involves sharing and presenting the knowledge gleaned during the process to classmates as well as the community. (Parents and family members often come in for presentations.) 3 Enrichments In addition to a project-based, student-centered learning block during the day, Pioneer implemented 320-Plus, an optional enrichment block at the end of each day. From 3:20 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., students participate in Zumba, Taekwondo, soccer, chemistry exploration, knitting, homework club, yoga, and a range of other activities provided by 25 to 30 community partners. At the beginning of every three-month cycle, students and parents are given a menu of upcoming activities, and teachers work to invite particular students to activities that may be of academic or personal interest. On any given day, one-third to one-half of all Pioneer students choose to stay for 320-Plus activities, Nelson-Steinhoff says. To help facilitate the partnerships with community organizations, Nelson-Steinhoff hired a 0.3-staff community partner liaison. enhanced Teacher Collaboration By expanding the day and rethinking the schedule and staffing, the Pioneer team has also increased common collaboration time from 40 minutes once a week to 80 minutes each day. During that time, teachers plan for instruction by using their Biliteracy Unit Frameworks; meet with leadership to discuss student growth and struggles, based on what has been observed anecdotally and through data; and focus on instructional changes.