Implementing LEARNING-FOCUSED

Jim Riedl
Sep 22, 2008

Every once in a while, you walk into a school where the implementation of Learning-Focused is so vivid you cannot wait to know more about everything they are doing. This was the case when I had the opportunity to visit the Southside Elementary School in the Central Dauphin District in Pennsylvania.

I was there to work with administrators and supervisors from the Capital Area IU. We were involved in the development of their awareness and skills in Monitoring for Achievement. After a morning session spent together exploring the basic skills and procedures needed to be successful all participants were able to visit multiple classrooms. They observed the implementation of the Learning-Focused Model in a wide range of classrooms at different grade levels.

As the teams came back together many were talking about a strategy for summarizing they were seeing at several grade levels. The strategy was referred to as "Exit Journals".

While several grades were using the strategy, the third grade teachers seemed to catch everyone's attention. All the grades were asking students to summarize at the end of lessons by writing in their "Exit Journals". Summarizing is one of the top five strategies identified as having a significant impact on student achievement. The fact that it was being used by all teachers at multiple grade levels is an indication of how important this strategy is to the teachers and principal of this school.

The third grade team decided to take this strategy to the next level by having students take the "Exit Journal" home each night to show to their parents and have it signed before using it again the next day.  This is a perfect example of adapting their implementation to meet an additional need, communication with parents. This opportunity to connect these two strategies provides the learners, teachers and parents with more than they could have achieved alone.

When I talked with teachers they commented they are now much more comfortable with the fact that parents are not only aware of what is happening in the classroom but they are also having meaningful conversations with their children about learning. They are also very pleased that what they have been learning in their Learning-Focused workshops can be implemented and have such a positive impact.