Scaffolding to Help Students Build on Prior Knowledge

Butler College Prep – 9th Grade Dean Position

A

BUTLER COLLEGE PREP

Butler College Prep is here to get you ready for the real world out there.

The Lynx is the symbol of the spirit we cultivate: inside each and every one of our students grows the reflective and dominant soul of this fearsome animal—eyes sharp like incisors, limbs strong and powerful. The Lynx—like every student at Butler College Prep—sprints to the finish, growling with desire for the next challenge so it can prove itself again and again.

The field is wide open. The hunt is on. The next generation is yours to lead. Butler College Prep will give you the tools, learning, example, and opportunity to become leaders in your communities and in the wider world.

Welcome to the next step in the rest of your life.

B

Among the 10th grade team, Ms. Rahiem is killing it: her students show tremendous growth in their scores, and the only area she could use some work is on cognitive lift. Ms. Green is also killing as has great growth scores for her students; she could improve her engagement, however, are really help her students to excel even more. Evans in ELA is not meeting expectations and his students are showing poor growth scores. Evans should be focusing connectivity and alignment. Porento in history also has poor student growth scores and should start by making his classroom into an environment that feels safe and supportive for the students. D. Rob in science lacks connectivity and a proper demonstration of alignment—and if he focuses on these areas student growth scores should improve.

Each of these instructors has the skill and tools to achieve great things in their classrooms. Every small victory has to be celebrated, however, because that is how you cement growth and change—by boosting morale, providing encouragement, heaping praise when it is deserved, and showing support. The instructors most in need of support are Evans, Porento and D. Rob, and this is evident in the poor growth scores among their students. To support them, I would use the person-centered approach and Rogers’ (1951) notion of the need for congruence between one’s self-image and one’s self-ideal. Using this approach helps one to see where one is and where one wants to be, and once that is shown, I can help identify the areas that represent challenges and work on implementing solutions with the teachers to overcome those obstacles.

C

A strategy for juniors to promote and engage them with the SAT is first to present the vision of these juniors as successful adults out there in the real world, being leaders in their field. They are successful, responsible, and are seen as genuine good examples for others. Then I ask the question: how did they get there? It all starts now—with the SAT. This is your first step to making the future vision a reality.

What is the SAT? It is simply a standardized test that measures your aptitude in reading, writing and arithmetic. It is generally a requirement for applying to most colleges. Your SAT score will show schools that you choose to apply to how legitimate your chances for success are. Here at Butler College Prep, we prepare you for this test by practicing, guiding you so you will know what to expect, and teaching you how to take the test like a pro.

So no worries, and no fears. The SAT can be taken more than once. But we doubt you will need many attempts in order to achieve the knock-out score you will want to show those colleges you mean business.

D

After watching the video, I assessed that the teacher had several highs and strengths. These included:

· Patience – the teacher waited for the student to respond

· Connectivity—the teacher connected the lesson to other information and to the students themselves

· Repetition—the teacher made sure to repeat information to help the students retain it

· Intentional time usage—everything the teacher did was deliberate and thought-out in advance

· Safe and supported—the teacher created an atmosphere of inclusivity and positivity

· Standards based and data driven—the methods used by the teacher have been well-established by evidence-based research in the field

· Intentional Planning—the teacher was prepared and focused.

Lows shown by the teacher existed in the following areas and could be called weaknesses.

· Too demanding—the teacher pushes the students, which is good, but has to remember to bring it back down to their level at times to make sure they feel encouraged

· Cognitive lift—more time could be given to explaining, making connections and addressing questions

· Quality responses—the best way to get these is to be more engaging

· Engagement—the best way to engage is to ask the students questions in a way that challenges them to think

· Investment—to get the students invested, the lessons should be more personalized

· Empowerment—leaders empower, and teachers need to be able to help students self-actualize by making sure the needs in their needs hierarchy are met

· Scaffolding—more time could be spent building on what has been learned before and showing students how prior knowledge is coming into play

· Not calling all students—ignoring some students is a serious threat to their development