Innovative and Effective Programs for Children
Philosophy, Implementation, ExamplesEducational Opportunities for Teachers
Philosophy, Implementation, ExamplesCollaborative Curricular Projects Between Schools
Philosophy Implementation Examples
Innovative and Effective Programs for Children
"Democracy demands we acknowledge everyone's inalienable capacity to be an inventor, dreamer, and theorist - to count in the larger scheme of things." Deborah Meier 1995
All children deserve the opportunity to become skilled thinkers. The Neilson Fund will support the development of programs that give children both the tools to be effective learners and the passion for the big ideas found in every subject area. Through the Teacher Education Center (TEC), UCDS will collaborate with educators and researchers to develop curricula and teaching techniques that support critical thinking. Programs that result from this work will incorporate subject matter and seminal ideas from literature, world history, math, science, art, music, philosophy and physical excellence. All existing and new programs developed at UCDS will be shared with educators through the TEC.
Through the Neilson Fund, UCDS teachers will have access to critical resources previously difficult to obtain: the precious resource of time and the access to research, expertise, and materials needed to develop and share innovative programs. The Neilson Fund will support visiting experts who will collaborate with UCDS faculty to create innovative and effective programs. The fund will purchase books, materials for hands-on math explorations, equipment for science, art, music and physical education that are needed to develop these programs at UCDS. As innovative programs are shared through the TEC, the Neilson Fund will benefit children throughout the Seattle community and beyond.
Funds from the Neilson Fund are critical to develop and share new programs that encourage powerful ideas. The following are examples of current Curricula and Programs that will be shared through the Teacher Education Center with children throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Literature Circles for Early Elementary Children
Through literature, a child develops imagination, curiosity, and a sense of wonder about the world. Even before learning to read, young children in Literature Circles think deeply about literature and develop a love of books. The Neilson Fund will put this powerful tool in the hands of teachers and parents through seminars, classroom observations, and by making this program available on the Internet. The Neilson Fund will facilitate collaboration between schools adopting Literature Circles, assist schools in identifying funding, and provide ongoing support to teachers as they implement this program.
Math Vitamins
To develop an understanding of mathematics, children must not only know how to carry out an algorithm but also why it makes sense mathematically. Through the Math Vitamin Program, children make sense of math by developing a strategy to solve a math problem and learn to express this idea in multiple ways: by explaining the steps, building a mathematical model, sketching a solution, and creating an algorithm. Children who learn math in this way gain a powerful conceptual understanding of mathematics. The Neilson Fund will educate teachers, provide curriculum, support implementation of the Math Vitamin program, and make it possible for children throughout the region to enjoy this exciting program developed at UCDS.
Nikkei Manor Partnership
The seeds of compassion, and civic responsibility are planted early in life as children listen to adults tell stories of other times and places. Through the Nikkei Manor Partnership, children from UCDS have been able to transcend the boundaries of age and culture to develop a meaningful relationship with an elderly Japanese American. The Neilson Fund will make it possible for schools in any community to replicate this intergenerational program and to share similar projects through the Teacher Education Center at UCDS.
Educational Opportunities for Teachers
"For our schools to do better than they do, we have to give up the belief that it is possible to create the conditions for productive learning when those conditions do not exist for educational personnel." Seymour B. Sarason, 1990
Like their students, excellent teachers are constantly learning. The Neilson Fund will support a Teacher Education Center (TEC) at University Child Development School. Teachers visiting the center will be able to access educational materials, attend seminars, and share best teaching practices. The center will offer educators a forum to discuss organizational structures and reforms needed to create learning communities for teachers within each school. Teachers attending TEC programs would have the opportunity to visit UCDS classrooms to see teaching techniques and curricula being used with students. In recognition that parents are the primary educators of young children, the TEC will provide special programs and materials for families. The TEC will also publish and share seminars, curricula and programs with educators over the Internet.
Typically referred to as "teacher training," professional development for teachers is often conducted away from the classroom with limited subsequent opportunities for teachers to access support as they apply what they have learned with their students. Through the TEC, the Neilson Fund will make it possible for teachers throughout the Pacific Northwest to have ongoing professional support and dialogue as they implement changes in their classroom. The Neilson Fund will cover the operating costs associated with the TEC, such as purchase of teachers' resource materials, producing seminars and workshops, supporting ongoing educational forums, publishing, and technology support to share resources on the World Wide Web.
The Neilson Fund are needed to transform teaching practices in our region by providing teachers with essential information, tools, and opportunities for dialogue. The following are examples of Educational Opportunities that will be made available with funding from the Neilson Fund to educators everywhere.
PUFM: Profound Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics
UCDS faculty and Dr. Loyce Adams, from the University of Washington Department of Applied Mathematics, will present a summary of research by Liping Ma. In the PUFM workshops, course participants develop hands-on methods to teach four basic algorithms that were used in the PUFM research project and learn how each problem is typically presented by teachers in the U.S. and China. Course participants examine effective instructional strategies used by teachers in China and discuss how these strategies may be integrated into early math instruction in the U.S. Through the Neilson Fund, these workshops and others like it will be available to educators through the TEC.
The U-Net: Building Community On-Line
Young children can enjoy the power of the Internet in a safe internal web environment that builds community in a school. Course participants learn to create a photographic interface that allows children to "browse" the Intranet, share files, communicate via email, post personal web pages, engage in school-wide conversations, and link to the World Wide Web. Teachers attending the workshop will have an opportunity to see teachers and students use the Intranet in ways that increase dialogue and resource sharing. Through the TEC, the Neilson Fund will make it possible for educators to share resources and ideas for using technology in ways that enrich learning and encourage community dialogue.
Literature Circles for Early Elementary Children
Through literature, a child develops imagination, curiosity, and a sense of wonder about the world. Even before learning to read, young children in Literature Circles think deeply about literature and develop a love of books. The Neilson Fund will put this powerful tool in the hands of teachers and parents through seminars, classroom observations, and by making this program available on the Internet. The Neilson Fund will facilitate collaboration between schools adopting Literature Circles, assist schools in identifying funding, and provide ongoing support to teachers as they implement this program.
The Residency Program-Mentoring New Teachers
The UCDS Residency Program offers a one-year, intensive, hands-on teaching experience designed for beginning teachers. Resident teachers, under the direction of a mentor, work fulltime with master teachers in a classroom. Residents gain experience in classroom teaching, curriculum development, parent conferences, and narrative report writing. Residents also attend professional development workshops, a regional institute for new teachers, and meet weekly with a cohort of peers. Residents receive career counseling as part of this program and over the past six years have moved into professional positions throughout the country. This successful program can be replicated in public and private schools and will be shared through the TEC.
Collaborative Curricular Projects Between Schools
"Schools, like teachers, must learn to reach out beyond their traditional borders and create sources of support, challenge and legitimacy for themselves. Teachers who see themselves as part of a school in the process of change must also see themselves as part of a profession in the process of change. In that way, the norms and values of the school become part of a larger social system, one that sustains improvement and encourages it." Ann Lieberman and Lynne Miller, 1992
Collaboration between schools is a powerful tool for educational reform. The Teacher Education Center will support collaborative curricular projects between UCDS, local universities, and elementary schools in the Pacific Northwest. UCDS will use the TEC to identify partners who are interested in improving instruction for students by creating learning communities and professional networks for teachers. TEC staff will acquire resources, provide logistical support, and will design professional development programs for participating teachers. TEC staff will help partner schools identify ways to educate and involve parents in the reform process.
In classrooms across America, teachers have traditionally worked in isolation. Independent schools, public schools and universities seeking to educate teachers have also traditionally worked in isolation from one another. Through the TEC, the Neilson Fund will make it possible for UCDS to take a leading role in dissolving traditional boundaries between educators, with the aim of bringing the expertise of each group to the other. The Neilson Fund will pay for TEC support staff to create and design, and seek funding required to implement collaborations between UCDS and other educational institutions. TEC staff will assist collaborating schools in identifying and locating resources needed to improve curriculum, instruction, professional development and leadership training.
UCDS is currently engaged in the following collaborations that can be replicated throughout the Pacific Northwest with the Neilson Fund.
BF Day Literature Circle Collaboration
UCDS faculty has spent the past two years collaborating with our neighborhood public school, BF Day Elementary, to bring Literature Circles to the early elementary classrooms there. A grant from the Kiester Family Foundation has paid for sets of books, release time needed for teachers, and professional development for BF Day teachers. Students participating in this project have improved reading scores and BF Day is planning to expand the program to the upper elementary grades. UCDS faculty involved in the project have learned a great deal from BF Day teachers about working with students who speak English as a second language. Many of these students began speaking English for the first time in Literature Circle discussions. This project illustrates the potential benefits that can result from collaboration between local schools in any community. The Neilson Fund will foster communication and resource sharing between schools through the Teacher Education Center at UCDS.
Thurgood Marshall Math Collaboration
UCDS is participating in the first year of a three-year collaboration with the University of Washington to improve math instruction at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle. UCDS teachers and UW graduate students are working alongside teachers in Thurgood Marshall classrooms to implement a new math program. This triangular collaboration, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, not only unites public and private education but also brings together K-12 and higher education. Each member of this collaboration brings critical knowledge and expertise to this partnership. Collaborations such as this one encourage the kind of resource sharing that is possible between the educational institutions that exist in most communities. The Neilson Fund will support school collaborations by providing information and expertise to interested schools through the TEC.
Phone: 206-547-8237
For more information, please contact the development office
