reteset ome te meres artnet omy Public conference to orient ~ parents on changes in schools TERRACE -—— In an effort to clarify the changes being brought about by the Year 2000 curriculum ‘and clear up confusion among parents of school-age children, School District 88 is organizing a major conference for local parents this weekend. ‘The conference begins. Friday evening Oct. 26 at Uplands Ele- mentary School with an address on the ‘Year.2000 by Dr. Barry Car- bol, director of the Curriculum Development Branch for the Min- ‘istry of Education. The session begins at 7 p.m. and is expected to last about 90 minutes, with time allowed for questions and answers. The Saturday conference, sche- duled for 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Uplands, will consist of what the district terms “mini sessions" on concerns outlined by parents in recent survey. Those concerns include dual entry in the primary program, support for special needs children, co-operative learning, assessment and evaluation of stu- dents, the transition from primary to intermediate programs, an ¢xam- ination of the role of parents, and classroom organization under the new curriculum. The Saturday sessions will be _ headed by school staff from within the district. ” Editor’s note: this is the first of a regular series of articles contributed to the Terrace Review by School District 88 on the sweeping changes taking place in public education as a result of the Royal Commission on Education. This time of year is fall colours, Indian sum- mer, warm sun, chilly nights, and the start of a new school year. This year school begins with another new element — newly developed pro- grams that will help prepare our children for the changing times as we head toward the next cen- tury. The Ministry of Education is starting to put into effect the recommendations of the Royal , Commission on Education: A Legacy for Learn- ers, which was completed in 1988, The Commis- sion, headed by Mr. Barry Sullivan, gathered opinions about education and the B.C. school system from people all over the province. Educators, parents and other members of the - public formed committees to create new direc- tions for the school system, The result of these deliberations was the document, Year 2000: A - framework for learning. A new School Act was drafted and tame into effect in 1989. New programs for all students are being developed, based on the philosophy of the Year 2000 framework. This year begins the first step in this new direction with the introduc- tion of the Primary Program into the schools of our district. Changes will cause mixed reactions. For some the process will proceed too slowly, for some it will move too quickly. Opinions about the pro- grams will vary. Some will feel that the previous ‘programs were fine, and wish to keep them. Some of the changes, such as a new method of . reporting a child’s progress without the use of formal letter grades, will take time for educators, students, and parents to work out. But a public that has survived change of every other method of measuring — imperial to metric, fahrenheit to celsuis, degrees to pascals, pounds to kilograms, gallons to litres — will surely adapt to the fundamental changes of the new program. Many people, however, are pleased that British Columbia is setting the standard for other educational systems with a student-centred curriculum designed to meet the changing needs - of the children in our schools. The new pro- ‘ grams will help children realize some of the aims of education: . @ to learn that each person is unique, with a special place in the world @ to stimulate thinking and reasoning @ to learn to evaluate @ to be responsible for improving one’s own skills ®@ to help one another In the weeks ahead we hope to visit a number ele Toward the Year 2000: Enabling Learners A regular education feature contributed by School District &8 journey towards the Year 2000. And new phrases — cooperative learning, multi-age grouping, theme planning, individual progress — have crept into the language to add spice to the old diet. Thornhill Primary Schoo! was our first selec- tion for a visit; it was one of the schools in District 88 chosen last year to pilot the new pro- grams. Our first discovery was that not all classes are programmed in the same way, nor all schools, At Thornhill, (and, as we later found, in other schools) the distribution of pupils in classes is as different as the pupils to be taught. There are multi-age classes, single age classes, older age grouping and younger age grouping. It appeared haphazard but, in fact, as we soon discovered, it was instead the result of many hours of staff consultation. Our first impression as we entered the multi- age class was the concentration of the children ‘.. in what they were doing. They seldom even looked up. They were working by themselves or in groups of two or three, at reading, writing, drawing, listening activities and other centres that explored Math, Socials and Science topics. The day began with children and the teacher reading stories and poems on a common theme to provide the class with a shared experience. Together they worked on projects that were based on the information provided and the chil- dren’s interest and experience. It was surprising how well they researched the topics. Their stories, drawings and displays refiected the high quality of work done in groups or individually. Children become mini-experts on various topics of interest to them. The youngsters then en- thusiastically share this information with other members of the class. ‘Different ages in a class seem to make it easier for the children to help . each other,’’ said our guide. This example of student-centred learning and theme planning shows how teachers organize, plan and implement curriculum to meet the. needs of children in a multi-aged ungraded class. Teachers plan group lessons around the goals of the Primary program and children work on ac- tivities that expand their knowledge and skills as they move-through the developmental stages of learning. What makes an ungraded primary class dif- ferent from a traditional primary class? In classes at Thornhill Primary there is a real blend between the end of the old and beginning of the new. In these beginnings of the new pro- gram we see the goodness of the traditional pro- gram retained, but- enriched by student-centred learning, multi-aged groupings, continuous pro- gress, ungradedness, and theme planning, . As we moved from room to’room, we found | teachers pleased to talk, to discuss their re- of classrooms in the district and bring readers an ' actions and strategies as they move towards im- ‘understanding of the transition to the Year 2000. The Thornhill Primary pilot, year two An unscheduled visit to a classroom is a fascinating experience, particularly i in the primary schools. This year it is even more interesting as the primary children are the first to begin the *plementing the changes as proposed in the Primary program. "Last year when we started," said one of the teachers of a multi-age class, ‘‘Il was really ap- prehensive about the teacher's role in these changes. By Christmas, | was quite settled. By. June, ‘I was enthusiastic. Now, | wouldn’t want jt any other way.” . Terrace Review — Wednesday, October 24, 1990 Bli Christopher Hartman and Natalle Salem prepare for a study ot spiders in Judy Scruton’s multi-level class at Thomhill Primary School. It’s the second year for this class, having been the only multi-level pilot class in the district last year. Conference response Jan Iverson: Hope to learn a great deal from these sessions. ~ by Nancy Orr On Kenney Street the old Kalum School, which is now the headquarters for the managers and supervisors of School District 88, was overwhelmed last week. The district had issued an in- vitation through every school for parents and other interested people to attend a conference Oct. 25 and 26 concerning the changes that are taking place in the way education is to be delivered in the coming years leading up to the next century. ‘‘Parents First’’ was the name of the conference. ‘‘The Child’s First and most Important Teachers are the Parents’’ said the posters sent out to advertise the sessions to be held Uplands School. Every child was given a ques- tionnaire to take home to parents, indicating whether the parents would attend and which subjects they would want to discuss. swamps district office ‘‘The responses are pouring in from all the schools,’”’ said Jan Iverson, who with intermediate supervisor Paul Axelson is - organizing the conference. ‘“‘Now we have to correlate the ‘answers to make sure we have enough room in each of the seminars for everyone. We are just delighted that there is so much interest in what we are do- ing this year.” - Dr. Barry Carbol, Director of Curriculum’ Development from the Ministry of Education, will be in attendance to assist and to explain the forthcoming changes that are planned in Intermediate and Graduate programs, as well as the purposes and philosophy of the program known as ‘“‘Toward the Year 2000” which is beginning to permeate the classrooms in varying degrees. Reporting and assessment, co- operative learning, multi-aged classrooms, special needs chil- dren, dual entry, the role of play, and parents as partners will be some of the topics chosen’ to be discussed in groups and seminars throughout the day, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and con- tinuing until 3 p.m. on Satur- day, Oct. 27 and on Friday from 7 until 8:30 p.m., Oct. 26. “We hope to learn a great ° deal from these sessions,” said Iverson, as she and Merry Hallsor sorted through fistfuls of envelopes containing the responses. “‘It is very gratifying that people are wanting to come out to give their views and to listen to what others have to say. The Intermediate and Graduate -. programs are still in the draft stage, and this is the most ap- propriate -time to discuss the proposals.'’ Information about the ses- sions may be had from local schools or from the district of- : fice, 635-4931.