RE Log Fall 2019

FALL 2019 Ransom Everglades LOG 27 From the Everglades Campus Smart Scheduling RE’s pedagogical approach is reflected in new middle school schedule Our new middle school daily schedule, which we instituted at the start of the 2019-20 school year, is not just tactical, it is a statement of philosophy about our programs and pedagogy. We are seeking on both campuses to enhance skill development, including critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, literacy skills (information, media, technology) and life skills (flexibility, leadership, initiative). And we are always mindful of creating the space so that students are able to establish and build relationships with surrounding adults. Everything we do at Ransom Everglades reflects those objectives, including how we approach the school day. Students at the middle school are now benefiting from 70-minute classes that meet every other day and at different times on different days, longer breaks between classes, more time in daily advisories, mid-day teacher help sessions and daily community events. RE’s upper school schedule also includes some longer (“block”) periods and classes that do not meet every day. At the end of the 2016-17 school year, Ransom Everglades faculty and administration began studying the nine-period schedule at the middle school, realizing that it had been a holdover from an era in which educators focused on imparting facts rather than teaching students how to think. The more closely we looked, the more determined we became to update the schedule, the driving force behind our ability to interact as a community. More traditional schedules can produce fractured instructional time; limit the ability to give authentic assessments; leave insufficient time for group projects; contribute to a general frenetic pace of the day; lead to inconsistent student engagement during some periods of the day; and leave little room for social-emotional learning. At the onset of the 2017-18 school year, discussion ensued about possibilities, design, format and options for looking at our day differently. Ultimately, we engaged the assistance of a consultant through Independent School Management. During the summer of 2018, files, profiles and information were gathered for the consultant to learn about RE and ponder possibilities. In September 2018, students, faculty and parents were surveyed in order for us to learn ways in which we were meeting expectations and to identify areas for change. In November 2018, a group of parents, students and academic leaders met with the consultant over a three-day period. The week culminated with a four-hour faculty meeting during which scheduling considerations and suggestions were offered. What became clear to us during that week as we reviewed data was that students are proud to be members of the RE community. Our middle school students love their school. They enjoy clubs, activities, classes and their teachers. They are honored to be part of the traditions of Ransom Everglades. It also became clear that eighth graders yearned for more options and opportunities. We understood that we needed to rethink advisory and build in a community curriculum that includes the five social-emotional competencies. We wanted to make sure to provide students with an understanding of their place in a global community and society. When we unveiled the new schedule in August, some changes were immediately evident. The classroom experience is now devoted to engagement — in subject and collaboration — while maintaining the rigor of the RE experience. The slower-paced day means students are spending more sustained time with the adults in the community. They have each selected one club that meets approximately twice during the eight-day rotation. Club offerings have been enhanced with a focus on community time. Our AAA period is built upon social-emotional learning competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making) and utilizes activities from Making Caring Common and High Resolves. Other issues that were brought to our attention, such as carrying heavy backpacks and nightly homework in each class, have also been addressed. Students have more time between most periods to go to their lockers, and they receive homework from only the classes that meet on a given day. Although we expect to find speed bumps along the way, we are pleased to offer students a schedule that is student-centered and promotes the time for the best of 21st century learning. Rachel Rodriguez Head of the Middle School Rachel Rodriguez