Approaches to Program

The program at Churchill is based on several basic beliefs. These include self-directed learning, a cooperative approach, integrated learning experiences, and an encouragement of the arts.

Self-Directed Learning

Churchill promotes self-directed learning. This means that teachers respect each child's learning choices, learning agenda, learning style, and rate and process of development. Teachers facilitate rather than determine children's learning. Time management, risk taking, goal setting, and portfolios are all important aspects of self-directed learning.

Time Management

Beginning in Kindergarten, children learn the life skills of time management and planning. Students need these skills to become effective self-directed learners. Although approaches vary, time management techniques and strategies are present in classrooms at all levels; they become more sophisticated and detailed as the students progress towards greater independence and responsibility for their own learning. Teachers assist children with their planning, enabling them to balance teacher-directed and self-initiated tasks within their day.

Children use organizational tools such as personal files, notice boards, and daily planners to allow for individualized learning, productive use of time, completion of tasks, and establishment of realistic timelines. As children move into the Junior grades, they work more independently to plan their time in order to reach individual learning goals.

Some sample "snapshots" of these tools in action are:

• A five-year-old girl checks the planning board to see what needs to be accomplished that day. Different types of activities are colour-coded. She must choose a specific type of activity within the room, then record when it has been accomplished.
• A seven-year-old boy checks the "Must Do" list posted in the classroom and plans how to carry out the activities. Wherever possible, it will relate to his short- and/or long-term goals.
• A nine-year-old fills out a contract for work to be accomplished during the day.
• A teacher has given written expectations for a project to a small group of 10-year-olds. They must work together to plan how to meet these expectations.
• An 11-year-old uses a planner to keep track of assignment due dates. Procedures for breaking down major projects into smaller chunks have been taught, and the student sets dates for reaching each stage.

Risk Taking

Students are responsible for their work. Although they may not always plan well, they must be given the opportunity to learn through trial and error. Not all children will manage time successfully in the beginning. Having the confidence to take risks and the freedom to make mistakes in a secure, supportive environment are critical components of learning.

Goal Setting

All children, with direction from staff, develop skills in setting personal goals. As students move from year to year within the school, they are helped to set increasingly meaningful, realistic goals in specific academic and behavioural areas. In consultation with the classroom teacher, students periodically set new goals and review their progress. This process includes developing an action plan to reach the targets and reflecting regularly on how the plan is working.

In Kindergarten, goal setting is necessarily simple and may take the form of daily decisions about which centres to visit. An early Primary child may reflect on "what I know how to do" and "what I want to learn." Late Primary and Junior students become steadily more skillful at setting detailed goals and at taking more responsibility for the type, amount, and quality of work to be completed.

Portfolios

Many instructional and evaluation methods at Churchill rely on the development, maintenance, and use of student portfolios. These portfolios are ongoing collections that demonstrate effort, progress, and achievement over a period of time. They allow for individual differences and multiple forms of expression, encourage students to assign value to their work, and assist teachers by providing tangible evidence to support instructional decisions.

A student's portfolio is created in Junior Kindergarten and follows the child from class to class. Each year, high quality work or work that demonstrates an important aspect of learning is selected by the child and/or the teacher, and saved in the portfolio.

Cooperative Approach

Teachers and parents create a supportive school environment that allows children to develop positive self-concepts and learn to be open, sharing, and cooperative members of a community.

To interact cooperatively, people must feel positively about themselves. The classroom nurtures this need by fostering respect for each child. The school does not tolerate verbal or physical abuse in the classroom or on school property. Adults address students with respect and kindness. Students are expected to address each other and adults in the same manner.

The classroom teacher offers opportunities for individual children to share their unique talents and learn in accordance with their own style. Goal setting and maintenance of portfolios help to develop a child's self-concept and growth. Getting involved in decisions that affect their work helps students develop a sense of ownership for their learning.

The school focuses on developing intrinsic rather than extrinsic reward systems. We do not use systems that create win/lose or lose/lose situations in our classrooms. Rather than stickers and public comparisons, students receive creative feedback and learn by example how to give this to others. This feedback helps students become aware of their own uniqueness and growth.

Community of Learners

To build a community of learners, our students are given opportunities to learn cooperatively. Games, for example, encourage individual and group growth. Children learn to rewrite the rules of conventional games so that everyone cooperates to achieve a common goal. (An excellent resource book for all teachers and parents is No Contest by Alfred Kohn.)

The teacher is responsible for building and maintaining group cohesiveness. Before the children even enter the classroom, the teacher has arranged the space to facilitate cooperation. Churchill's rooms offer a relaxed, comfortable environment: they encourage face-to-face discussion through group seating, but they also provide areas for solitude.

The community of students, parents, and teacher care for the room and materials, with students taking on more and more responsibility. Where the supplies are kept, who has access to them, how many pairs of "big scissors" are available for use, and whose work is displayed--these are all hidden messages that speak to the kind of community that grows in a classroom.

Mixed-Age Groupings

In our school, staff have made a commitment to organize classes, as much as possible, into mixed-age groupings. There are many social and academic advantages for the students to this approach:

• Children are able to remain in a familiar environment, with the same teacher, for two or three years.
• Students seek help from each other based upon proven skills and abilities, not based on age or grade.
• Teachers form groups and teach lessons directed at ability and interests, regardless of age.
• Groups are open to any student based on certain entry requirements. For example, if a six-year-old wishes to join the multiplication lessons in math, she might have to first prove that she has learned her addition facts to 20. A student interested in science fiction novels might first have to demonstrate that he could get the reading done with a buddy before being able to join a more advanced reading group.
• Children who continue in the class are called upon to act as models and mentors for new members. This should be seen as a rite of passage, a grand opportunity, and a responsibility of every member of the community. The new students receive comfort and assurance, while their guides build self-concept through affirmation. This helps build community.

Interaction Between Classes

We build bridges between classes to humanize the school experience and create a community. This is done in a variety of ways:

• Classes at Churchill takes part in Reading Buddies, a weekly program that matches an older and a younger class for reading.
• Students who have excelled in an area in one classroom sometimes teach or share their skill in another class. A gifted artist, a proficient computer user, a talented basketball player--each might visit another class to work with individuals or groups.
• Primary classes meet regularly in the gym to share some of their learning experiences--a song, a poem, some research, a play. Each class hosts this "Primary Sharing"; on a rotating basis.
• Some teachers combine their classes for special units or subjects.
• Every year, several events enable all the students to participate together and share their work. For example:
  • In 1995-96, an Arts Fest focused on puppetry. In addition, Let's Celebrate Science highlighted a variety of science topics being studied throughout the school.
  • In 1996-97, we participated in African drumming workshops.
  • In 1997-98, we worked with two artists to make masks, culminating in a Mardi Gras.
  • In 1999-2000, we concentrated on sculpture and dance.
  • In 2000-2001, a generous Ontario Arts Council grant together with support from the Churchill Alternative School Council (CASC) provided an artist-in-residence program in music and dance.

Through such bridges, students become aware of happenings in other classes.

Community Resource People

Churchill classes have always been open to resource people from outside the home/school community. Over the years, volunteers have presented talks and demonstrations on many topics. Often, it's the students themselves who contact these visitors.

Several regular volunteers work within the school, reading to students, assisting students with academic difficulties, etc. The school office and the resource teacher coordinate the schedules of these volunteers.

Integrated Approach

At Churchill we want to provide our students with learning experiences that are integrated and holistic. Our education program reflects our understanding that we are affected by, and operate in, the whole environment in which we live.

Here are some approaches that are used to promote integrated learning:

• Classes investigate a particular theme or area of study in depth, incorporating as many aspects of the curriculum as possible. For example, if Ancient Egypt is the area of study, students could read and write stories about Egypt, use the Egyptian number system to extend their knowledge of place value and basic operations, and use Egyptian art to develop their concepts of perspective and colour. After the unit, students then transfer the knowledge and skills gained to other learning experiences.
• Class trips provide an excellent opportunity to integrate many subjects and outcomes into a unit. A trip to the National Gallery can enhance a number of skills. Children can calculate the distance and the time to travel, for example. They can explore science topics through the analysis of the painting medium in contemporary or older works of art, and in their restoration and/or care while housed in the gallery. In addition to exploring the paintings' artistic merit, students can learn about history.

Encouragement of the Arts

Fostering both creativity and a love of the arts is one of our missions. Each classroom seeks to provide opportunities for children explore options and express their artistic individuality and creativity. Teachers are encouraged to use the resources of the parent body to supplement their classroom arts program.

We encourage the display of student art in both the classroom and the hallways. Hallway displays create an inviting atmosphere and allow the entire Churchill community to share in the appreciation of the students' work.

In the visual arts, all work is appreciated if it reflects thought, effort, and care on the child's part. Discussions about the work focus on interesting features, rather than value judgements. Children are encouraged to think creatively and imaginatively, openly expressing their own ideas. In a class art project, for example, you will not find 25 identical pictures copied from a teacher's sample.

CASC has a standing committee devoted to the arts. Each year the Arts Committee focuses on visual arts, music, theatre, and/or dance. Activities and performances are planned throughout the year. Projects are developed, in conjunction with the teachers, around each year's theme. Teachers can go directly to the Arts Committee for creative help and financial support.

Recently, we have received generous grants from outside art agencies (Arts Smart, The Canada Council for the Arts, and The Ontario Arts Council) to extend and enrich our school arts program. These grants support artists in our school and introduce us to additional resources in the community.