North Shore Children & Families February 2012

North Shore

Children SPECIAL ISSUE:

& Families FREE!

The online and print forum promoting the development of children, families and the parents who care for them.

Transforming Education

Real Solutions to the Problems of American Education American Students: Why Are We Getting Our Butts Kicked?

The “Teacher-Centered” vs.

“Student-Centered” Debate What Are Your Educational Values?

Instructional Practice: What Works?

Improving Education at the Local & National Levels

’s Day! Happy Valentine

Community Calendar Education Feature: Tower School Coming in March: Our 5th Annual Summer Camps & Programs Showcase Series Kicks Off – camps see page 7!

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FEBRUARY 2012

2 North Shore Children & Families

Family & Friends

Helping Ourselves & Others ♥ A Valentine Story It’s Almost Time for Summer Camps!

by Suzanne Provencher, Publisher Hello again, dear readers! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays – and that 2012 is filled with blessings and all things good for you and your family. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ This issue deals with the state of our schools. We examine the challenges our schools currently face – and we share ideas and possible solutions. The state of our schools is not someone else’s problem – whether you have children in school or not. Change and improvement can happen and benefit our communities – but only if we all take an active role, no matter how large or small. Consider volunteering or sharing your expertise as a mentor to the many organizations in our area that

benefit local schools, children and families. Perhaps you could donate extra art supplies or school supplies to your local school – or attend and support the many fundraisers that are planned. We can’t wait for budgets to be restored, as those days are seemingly over. So it is up to all of us to get involved in some way, for the sake of our local school children – and for the sake of all of our futures. Today’s school children will be tomorrow’s leaders – and it’s important to find new and innovative ways to help our local schools.

For starters, we have two fundraisers coming up that benefit local kids. The Salem Education Foundation will begin selling raffles tickets on March 1 – and

the prize is dinner for two anywhere in the world! That’s right – anywhere! The winner will receive roundtrip airfare for two, two nights hotel stay and $150 for dinner anywhere in the world! The tickets are $5 and there is no limit to how many you can buy, or how many will be sold. For more information on this and SEF’s upcoming auction fundraiser – please see the Calendar in this issue on page 20 under “Save the Date” and on page 22 under March 1, when the raffle tickets will go on sale. The SEF is a perfect example of local community coming together to help local schools by raising funds to restore programs and provide needed support that benefits local teachers and classrooms.

An annual auction fundraiser is also planned for April 5th at the Hawthorne Hotel. If you would like to donate a product, service, experience or gift certificates to the auction, please see the listing on page 20. To learn more about SEF, please visit www.salemeducationfoundation.org. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Another local organization is taking root in Salem, too – Spark 540°. This non-profit organization is working to offer support, mentoring, resources and more to local kids. A Valentine TalenTime talent show fundraiser is planned for February 13. For more information, please see page 20 in our Calendar under “Sign Up Today”. If you

would like to participate in the talent show, the deadline is February 8. If you would like to make a donation, participate in or attend the variety show on February 13, or volunteer your time or expertise, please visit www.Spark540.org to learn more.

These are just two examples of ways that we can do something to help ourselves and others in our local communities – and we welcome others to share their fundraisers and missions with our readers, too. Please share your upcoming events with us to include in our Calendar; see page 20 to learn how to submit your listings to us.

Listings for March and early April events are due by noon, Tues., February 21st to be considered for our March issue Calendar, which appears in print and online. Congratulations to the Salem Education Foundation and Spark 540° for stepping up to help make a difference that will benefit all of us, and especially our local school children. We hope this inspires you to start your own non-profit organization to benefit your North Shore city or town – or to get involved in some way, no matter how large or small. Every little bit helps all of us and our communities. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ A Valentine’s Story: A few weeks ago, I got a call from my little friend, Tiara.

She was so excited and wanted to share Continued on page 19

Early Childhood Professionals The Legacy of Teaching Institute Keynote: Author and Motivational Speaker, Carrie Stack Workshops, Door Prizes, Exhibits, Lunch Saturday, March 10, 2012 Riverside School, 95 Liberty St., Danvers, MA 01923 For more information contact

Play It Forward Giving Circle Telephone 978.993.4425

info@playitforwardgc.org

www.playitforwardgc.org

North Shore Children & Families

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Letter from the Editor

Real Solutions to the Problems of American Education

by Michael F. Mascolo, PhD Mari Jansen* left the teaching profession after teaching nine years in an underperforming district in Massachusetts. In that nine years, she saw expensive curricula come and go, took endless trainings, attended countless meetings on student achievement and thought deeply about why her students were struggling.

The city built a new school building, and Mari and her colleagues were thrilled to begin teaching in state of the art classrooms equipped with the latest technology.

Sadly, not much changed despite the improvement in surroundings. Mari, who holds a Master’s degree in education, offered a tremendous amount of time, energy and expert teaching to her class of third graders. It was heartbreaking to watch them struggle despite her best efforts; all the while hearing her school district disparaged in the news. After nine years, Mari called it quits, discouraged by what she calls “spinning her wheels in the sand.”

In December of 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) identified the Bentley Elementary School, in Salem Massachusetts, as an “underperforming” (Level 4) school. Four other schools in Salem were identified as being “on the cusp” of the “underperforming” designation. These include the Carlton Elementary School, Collins Middle School, Nathaniel Bowditch School and Salem High School. Throughout Massachusetts, DESE has identified forty schools as Level 4 schools. The majority of these schools are located in Boston and Springfield. Lawrence and Lynn each have two schools identified as underperforming.

(See State Guidelines for Identifying and Transforming Level 4 “Underperforming” Schools in

www.northshorefamilies.com P.O. Box 150 Nahant, MA 01908-0150 781.584.4569 A publication of North Shore Ink, LLC © 2012. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in full or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Suzanne M. Provencher Publisher/Co-Founder/Managing Partner suzanne@northshorefamilies.com Michael F. Mascolo, PhD Editor/Co-Founder/Partner michael@northshorefamilies.com Designed by Group One Graphics Printed by Seacoast Media Group Please see our Calendar in this issue for our upcoming deadlines.

Published and distributed monthly throughout the North Shore, 10x per year, and always online.

All articles are written by Michael F. Mascolo, PhD unless otherwise credited.

Information contained in NSC&F is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Individual readers are responsible for their use of any information provided. NSC&F is not liable or responsible for the effects of use of information contained in NSC&F. Established 2007.

There is something troublesome about the concept of an “underperforming school”.

The phrase “underperforming school” directs our attention to the school: it is the school that is underperforming. If the school is underperforming, it must be a bad school. Imagining a bad school involves imagining a bad principal, bad teachers and bad students. Perhaps the school building is old and decrepit. It doesn’t have computers, a decent library or other school supplies. But according to this image, the problem is a problem in the school.

I am certain that there are plenty of “bad schools” out there. It is tempting to believe that a good education is something that is under the control of the school itself. If only we can change what’s going on within the walls of this or that school, education will improve. We then begin the search. If our students are not learning, it must be because we are not instructing them right. The solution, we are convinced, is to find better ways to instruct our students. There must be instructional methods – out there somewhere – that will fix what we are doing wrong in the classroom.

We must implement better methods, hire better principals, recruit better teachers, purchase better technologies, and so forth, if we are to have “better schools”.

However, the problems of American education are not simply problems of the schools.

The problems of education are problems in our both our local and national culture.

The problems of American education extend beyond the walls of any given school.

Continued on page 4

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Real Solutions to the Problems of American Education Continued from page 3

Nationally, the United States has fallen into the average and even below average range when it comes to educational achievement. In the most recent data comparing international student achievement, Asian nations occupy most of the top ten slots in reading, science and mathematics. The top ranking nation in reading, science and mathematics is Finland. The United States does not figure in the top nations when it comes to educational achievement. (Paradoxically, American students are near the top when it comes to self-esteem. It turns out that American students feel quite good about themselves, even though, as a group, they are underperforming in the context of the world’s nations.)

The problems of American education are not simply problems of the schools. They are problems within and among our communities. Lasting change in the quality of student learning is not something that will happen simply by making improvements in schools (although we should certainly start with that); lasting change will require cultural changes – changes in how we think about and value education in our local schools, our homes and communities. It will require that we ask ourselves uncomfortable questions and try to answer them with honesty, boldness and compassion. It will require a commitment to something other than business as usual.

This issue of North Shore Children & Families is dedicated to the question of how we can transform education. Our issue is based around a series of direct questions: How does optimal teaching and learning occur? What is needed to support quality learning in our children? How can our local school districts seize the opportunity to renew the ways in which we think about and approach education as it occurs not only within the classroom, but between the classroom, the home and within the larger community? *A pseudonym

State Guidelines for Identifying and Transforming Level 4 “Underperforming” Schools An “underachieving school” is one whose students have exhibited low levels of performance in English/Language Arts and Mathematics over a four-year period as measured by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Schools identified as “Level 4” schools are given a three-year period of time to develop a “turnaround plan” designed to produce rapid improvement in the level of student achievement.

In order to remove themselves from Level 4 status, schools must show increased scores on MCAS and introduce changes in both the school and the district designed to maintain those elevated test scores. Schools that fail to produce the designated changes over the course of three years would enter into a “co-governance” with a receiver appointed by the State Commissioner of Education.

School districts can apply for a School Redesign Grant to support their attempts to develop a turnaround plan. Under the provisions of a School Redesign Grant, schools must choose one of four broad, federally-prescribed intervention models designed to produce significant change. The restart model involves starting a new charter school in place of the existing Level 4 school. Both the turnaround model and transformation model seek to produce change within the existing school. Both of these models involve implementation of new instructional practices, increased class time for key subjects and the provision of socio-emotional services for students. The turnaround model relies more heavily on replacing underperforming staff, whereas the transformation model works to create instructional change and school reorganization through enhanced professional development and incentive systems with existing staff (with the exception of the school principal). The fourth option is school closure.

North Shore Children & Families

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Problems & Prospects in American Education

An Overview Our educational problems are not simply problems of the schools; they are cultural problems. They are problems that occur between the school and the communities of which they are a part. To produce real change in educational achievement, it will be necessary to examine how we think about education both at the national and local levels. The problems of education in the United States can be divided into four basic categories: cultural values; the quality of curriculum and instruction; social class, diversity and funding; and the quality of support that exists for student achievement.

Cultural Values and “Child-Centered” Education: Finding Balance Over the past century, there has been a significant shift in how we think

about education, parenting and socialization in the United States.

We have moved from the traditional emphasis on “teacher-centered” education to a more “studentcentered” model. (This trend is paralleled by a similar shift from “adult-centered” to “child-centered” parenting.) The move to studentcentered teaching is based on the idea that children must play an active role in their learning, and that too much direction or critical feedback can undercut a child’s self-esteem, initiative or creativity. One might argue that the well-intentioned move towards child-centered teaching and parenting has had a series of unwanted effects.

These include the devaluation of the importance of direct instruction in education, a relaxing of academic and behavioral standards, and a decline in the work ethic of many American

students. Improvements in American education will depend upon finding an alternative to “adult-centered” versus “child-centered” thinking. Happily, we need not choose between these two approaches. It is possible to organize teaching and learning around high standards and sensitive support for achievement.

Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum. A curriculum refers to the system of knowledge and skills that children are expected to acquire.

Happily, Massachusetts is fortunate to have a strong curriculum that guides educational practice throughout the state. The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks contain a set of benchmarks and goals for Mathematics, English/Language Arts, Science/ Technology, History and Social Science, Foreign Language and the Arts for all students between 1st and 12th grade.

Standardized Testing. Despite this strong curriculum, there is great

frustration about the use of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) to assess student and school performance.

Indeed, many schools in Massachusetts have devoted considerable energy to preparing students for the MCAS. Performance on the MCAS is critical in maintaining accreditation for any given school or district. While the desire of public accountability is understandable, the use of standardized tests has serious drawbacks. Parents and educators are aware of the dangers and temptations of “teaching to the test”. More important, the reliance on standardized tests runs the serious risk of stifling innovative and integrative teaching. The best school system in the world – Finland – does not use standardized tests to assess its students or its teachers.

Quality of Instruction. We already know a great deal about the types of Continued on page 6

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6 North Shore Children & Families An Overview Continued from page 5

instruction that produce optimal learning in children. Optimal learning occurs under conditions of scaffolded instruction and student engagement.

Scaffolding is the process of fine-tuning instruction just ahead of the developmental level of children.

However, to profit from such instruction, students must be actively engaged in the learning process.

Students learn what they do in the context of instruction that is finetuned to their developmental needs.

In general, formal instruction in the United States operates according to this approach. Problems arise, however, in the difficulty of reaching students with diverse learning needs.

In the United States, a single teacher is generally responsible for an entire classroom. Administrators evaluate teachers by observing their classroom performance. In so doing, administrators tend to spend less than five hours per year observing a

teacher. In contrast, Finnish teachers tend to work collaboratively in groups of 2, 3 or 4 teachers in small classrooms. They observe each other’s performance and meet regularly to discuss how to fine-tune instruction to the learning needs of the class. The system is cooperative rather than hierarchical. Teachers are highly trained, respected professionals who are trusted with the task of finding the best way to educate their particular students.

Support for Academic Achievement Support consists of everything beyond

formal classroom instruction that is needed to ensure academic achievement. It is sometimes tempting to see support as “something extra” – something that is needed when students are unable to learn from formal instruction alone. To be sure, additional support is essential to help struggling students succeed. However, support is not simply an “extra” or an “adjunct” to formal teaching. Formal instruction in the classroom cannot achieve its goals without supports that occur beyond formal instruction. This is true for all students, and is especially important for struggling students.

Academically successful students tend to (a) come from wealthier homes, (b) have more educated parents, (c) have parents who engage their children in learning activities outside of school (e.g., reading together, visiting museums, traveling, etc.), (d) hold children to high academic and behavioral standards, and (e) intervene to help their children attain those high standards. Thus, academically successful children tend to come from communities and families that provide

them with a wealth of both direct and indirect support for learning.

Underachieving students tend to come disproportionately from families who are unable to provide the wealth of direct and indirect support that is typically provided in families of academically successful students.

Families in such communities often face significant obstacles. These include lack of income; relative lack of education; the need to work multiple jobs; an inability to assist children in their learning; lack of fluency with the English language; cultural backgrounds that can clash with school culture, and so forth.

It is possible, of course, to blame families for the difficulties they face.

While this may help us to explain away the problem, it will do nothing to alleviate it. Where family support for academic achievement is insufficient, there is a need to work to develop partnerships between families and schools to strengthen the support that families are able to provide, or else find systematic ways to compensate for the absence of familial support.

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Problems & Prospects in American Education

American Students: Why Are We Getting Our Butts Kicked?

Although we say we value education, US students test out in the average range in the context of the world’s nations. The highest levels of educational achievement are attained by various Asian nations. The highest scores on educational achievement go to one nation: Finland. What do these nations do that we do not? What, if anything, can we learn from them?

The Asian Experience Students from many Asian nations – China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and more – begin to outpace students in the United States from a very early age. How? The simple answer is that they work harder than American students do. Asian students spend much more time in school, doing homework, getting tutoring and studying than American students do.

Why do Asian students work so hard? It’s a matter of culture and values. For example, in China, learning is built into the cultural fabric of everyday life. In China, learning is not simply a practical activity (e.g., a means to employment); instead, it is a moral virtue. Chinese parents stress the importance of learning from a very early age. From a very early age, children are given training in the process of moral self-perfection. This refers to the idea that a person is expected to engage in a life-long process of continuous self-perfection. How does one perfect oneself? By working to live up to moral ideals through the process of life-long learning.

perseverance and sustained hard work over time. “Natural intelligence” is less important than hard work and effort. The Chinese view success and failure differently than we do in the West. Because learning is a life-long process of perfecting the self, success at any given task is seen as but one step in a life-long

In China, the prevailing belief is that learning occurs through effort,

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politically charged) facts about Finnish education. These include the following:

American Students Continued from page 7

process of learning. A child may be praised (modestly), but it is more important to focus on the next step in cultivating the self through learning. Failure is viewed not as an indication that one has no ability or talent; instead, it is viewed as an indication that one has not yet put forth the effort and perseverance to learn. With effort, anyone can learn.

From the perspective of many in the United States, the Chinese advantage in education comes at quite a cost. Chinese culture is a hierarchical society.

Children are expected to obey their parents and to live up to the very high moral expectations of their parents. If children live up to expectations, they bring social honor to their families. If children fail to do so, they bring a sense of collective shame upon their families. Chinese education is based upon these principles. Although the example of Chinese education shows that effort and persistence can foster high levels of achievement, many Chinese practices are at odds with cherished American beliefs.

The Finnish Experience Education in Finland is much different than that in China. Why does Finnish education work? The simple answer is because: They teach smarter. Highly educated teachers have the autonomy to fine-tune their instruction to the needs of particular students. They focus on collaborative and in-depth teaching of core subject areas.

The popular literature on Finnish education is growing. However, much of this literature does little to illuminate why Finnish education works so well. This is largely because writers tend to focus on a series of counter-intuitive (and

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• Finnish teachers are very highly educated. They must earn Masters Degrees to enter the teaching profession. Finnish teachers are well paid. Teaching is a well-respected profession in Finland. Competition to become a teacher is fierce – only the best students gain entry into Finnish schools of education.

• Finnish education is a very relaxed experience. Children take their shoes off when they enter school. They call their teachers by their first names.

Students start formal schooling at 7 years of age. Their school days are shorter than virtually any other Western nation. They receive less homework than American children.

• Although Finland has a national curriculum, it functions only as a set of guidelines. Individual schools and teachers are free to fashion any curriculum that they choose. In this way, the Finnish system is based on a deep sense of trust and respect for teachers.

• Finnish school systems are not evaluated using national standardized tests.

None of the above tells us, however, what Finnish teachers, parents and students do in order to get the results that they do. The following facts give us some additional information: • Classes tend to be small. There are at least two teachers in each class, and sometimes as many as four teachers per class. One teacher operates as the master teacher. The other teachers are focused on providing 1-1 support for struggling students.

• Teachers continuously observe each other and discuss ways to improve their individual teaching and their teaching as a group. Such discussions focus on how a particular group of teachers can teach and support a particular group of learners over time. Innovative solutions are planned and tested out together. If something doesn’t work, it is changed.

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• Parents are highly involved in their student’s learning. There is, for example, a culture of shared reading among preschoolers and their parents.

When examining cultural differences in education, it is important to consider why educational practices work within the context of the entire culture in question. One can rarely select the practices that one likes and import them to another culture. For example, many pundits have commented on some aspects of Finnish education (e.g., small class sizes; sizable pay for teachers; shorter school days; less homework) without noting the vital importance of the remaining cultural practices. For example, Finnish educators are more highly trained than those in the US; Finnish schools of education are more selective than those in the US; the Finns have organized their education system in terms of an ethos of interschool cooperation rather than competition, and so forth.

Imagine what would happen if the US were to import the first set of practices in the absence of the second group? The results would be disastrous. Systemic problems require systemic solutions, not piecemeal ones.

North Shore Children & Families

9

Education Feature

Tower School – Ahead of the Curve Tower School is a place where students learn by doing. It’s a place where teachers engage children in the joys of learning instead of “teaching to a test.”

It’s a place where students gain knowledge of advanced concepts and graduate with the skills needed to thrive in secondary schools and colleges that are among the most selective in the country. It’s a place where leaders are made. And it’s a place where the seeds of a lifelong love of learning are firmly planted.

The oldest independent elementary school on Boston’s North Shore— located in Marblehead, just over the Salem line—Tower provides a rich and innovative curriculum to its students while empowering its faculty to teach with equal parts passion and ingenuity. Its outstanding program combines the best of traditional and contemporary practices.

Eighth graders collaborate on an experiment in Tower School’s state-of-the-art science lab.

“Innovation is central to the excellence of the program at Tower and consistent with the school’s longstanding commitment to deliver a program that imagines the future, and prepares students for it,” says Head of School Peter Philip.

Start Ahead, Stay Ahead Research shows that an excellent early childhood education can provide a high return of academic success for years to come. With an enrollment of just under 300 students in grades pre-k through eight, Tower is an intentionally small school that allows children to learn

in themselves. Tower’s small-school culture enables each student to take on a leadership role, whether it’s heading up a sneaker drive or spearheading a recycling project.

An Artful Approach When she founded the school nearly 100 years ago, Adeline Tower was ahead of the curve in her commitment to the arts as essential in elementary education.

That commitment is still evident today: students create a gallery of masterpieces, from papier-mâché animals to handmade guitars. Students learn to read music beginning in second grade and are given plenty of opportunities to perform—whether it’s in a handbell concert at Friday assembly or the fulllength theatrical production each spring.

Collaboration Counts A classroom “store” provides a hands-on lesson about currency for first graders.

In this 21st century world, the ability to through meaningful, hands-on consistently read above grade level. work with others is an essential skill. At experiences. Pre-kindergartners begin to Spanish classes begin in second grade.

Tower teamwork isn’t limited to each recognize patterns by working with Science is integrated into the homeroom child’s classroom—students of different blocks, for example, or gain an in pre-k and kindergarten. In Upper ages often work together. This winter, understanding of math in cooking class.

School, students become adept with for example, third and eighth graders Learning isn’t a passive activity, and tools and strategies—note-taking, teamed up on a project to create animal getting the right answer is meaningless if research, and test preparation—that will robots. In this situation, learning is a twoa child doesn’t comprehend the enable them to thrive in high school. way street: The younger students learn reasoning behind it. “Students retain Leading the Way from the “big kids,” and it’s an material and make ‘learning connections’ experience they’re likely to remember This fall, the school served as a model to when they are engaged with that for years to come, while the older its educational peers by launching an material,” says Philip. students gain confidence and develop innovative 1:1 iPad program for grades This is fostered by Tower’s low studentmentoring and leadership skills.

3–8, the first of its kind in teacher ratio. “Students learn best when Massachusetts. “Innovation is not new Planting the Seeds of Success working with teachers they know and to Tower—it is a part of our By the end of eighth grade, students are trust,” notes Philip. “We share our institutional DNA,” notes Philip. “This exceptionally prepared to tackle what’s observations as to what motivates the has always been a school eager to next: high school and then college. This student, what challenges him, what embrace advances in pedagogy.” The fall, members of Tower’s Class of 2007 inspires her. We take the time to know iPad is a truly transformative teaching headed to some of the country’s most each of our students well.” Teachers have tool; the vast array of information it selective colleges and universities, the flexibility to make adjustments to makes available to students—literally puts including Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, curriculum based on the needs of each at their fingertips—is astounding.The Brown, and Northwestern. Tower alumni child. They can determine whether he program ensures that students are know how to juggle a substantial needs guidance to solve a problem or technologically skilled in an era that workload, ask key questions, and most would be better served by working requires new levels of creativity, importantly, self-advocate. The independently. The takeaway: Students collaboration, and flexibility. While iPads knowledge and skills they gain at Tower learn how to learn. are a contemporary teaching tool, a serve them not only in their educational A Challenging, Inspiring Program traditional approach to learning remains career—but also in life. at the heart of Tower’s program.

Tower is a welcoming place where each Making Conscientious Leaders child is valued. Students are excited to To learn more about Tower, come to school and plunge into a Character education has long been please call 781.631.5800 or visit diverse and engaging school day. Skilled, central to a Tower education, and www.towerschool.org. passionate teachers form the backbone students are held to the expectations of of Tower’s accelerated program, and they the Tower Code. From an early age, The information contained in this have the freedom to present their education feature was submitted by they learn the importance of service. lessons creatively. The curriculum places Tower School, and published in The more the students volunteer, the an emphasis on language arts and partnership with North Shore Children more they discover that they’re not just & Families; www.northshorefamilies.com. written expression, and students giving to others, but gaining confidence

10 North Shore Children & Families

Values & the Culture of American Education

The “Teacher-Centered” versus “Student-Centered” Debate: Fretting Over a False Choice Over the past century and more, there has been a slow and steady tendency away from the traditional “teacher-centered” approach to teaching to more “student-centered” approaches. Despite important drawbacks, studentcentered thinking has been in vogue for quite some time now. In recent years, in response to skill and knowledge deficits exhibited by American students, the pendulum has begun to swing away from the student-centered approach. Is this shift justified? Let’s take some time to explore the debate.

There have been long-standing controversies about how teaching should occur to foster optimal learning. At the risk of simplifying, we can divide the various approaches to teaching and learning into two broad categories. Teachercentered (traditional) learning refers to education that is organized around the teacher’s goals and knowledge. The teacher-centered approach casts the teacher as the expert in the classroom. The teacher provides expert instruction – often in the front of a classroom in terms of lecture or presentation. Students attend to the teacher’s instruction and put it into practice in some way.

Student-centered learning (sometimes called “active-learning”) grew out of dissatisfaction with teacher-centered approaches. The teacher-centered

approach is often characterized in terms of the “drill and kill” or “chalk and talk” approach to teaching. In contrast, student-centered learning is based on the idea that learning occurs best when students are active in their learning.

Teachers are understood to be more like “guides on the side” than as “all knowing sages on the stage”. Student-centered teaching strives to make learning tasks relevant and exciting to students. Interesting, activity based learning tasks are used to activate a child’s intrinsic curiosity. Further, studentcentered learning proceeds as an attempt to foster a sense of creativity and independence in children’s learning. Too much direction is thought to undercut a child’s inquisitiveness or creativity; too much corrective or critical feedback is thought to be damaging to a child’s self-esteem.

Beyond the “Teacher versus Student-Centered” Controversy: Teacher Direction and Student Engagement However well-intentioned, student-centered learning has significant drawbacks. While it is true that children must be active in the process of learning, this is only a half-truth. Focusing primarily on a child’s own individual learning process leaves out the other half (or more) of the learning process. It leaves out the role of the active teacher who must structure learning activities for the child; it leaves out the subject matter itself; it leaves out the tools and objects that children learn with; it leaves out parents and culture; and much, much more.

Children do not learn on their own. Corrective feedback is not damaging to a student’s creativity or self-esteem; in fact, creativity and self-esteem are dependent upon the academic success that is fostered by the provision of sensitive direction and feedback. Teaching and learning requires teachers who actively structure and give direction to children’s learning and actively engage students who learn through their participation in learning activities. To find out more, read What Works? Scaffolding Student Engagement in Integrative Learning Activities (in this issue).

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What Are Your Educational Values?

1. If my child is not getting high grades in school: (a) The teacher is incompetent. (b) She may not have the ability to do the work. (c) She is probably not working hard enough. (d) I worry that her teacher’s expectations may be inappropriate or too high.

[Research suggests that Asian parents are more likely to attribute a child’s difficulty in school to the need for more effort and perseverance. They are also more likely to request that teachers provide greater challenges for their children, even if their children’s grades are high.]

2. Which of the following do you most agree with? (a) Intelligence is changeable. Effort and hard work are the keys to learning and achievement. (b) People who do well in school tend to be more intelligent than those who do not. There is not much you can do to change your intelligence.

[Children who believe that intelligence is fixed are more likely to avoid challenging tasks out of fear of failing at them. They are more likely to select easier tasks that they cannot fail. Children who believe that intelligence or ability can be changed through effort are more likely to see difficult tasks as challenges to be overcome.]

Continued on page 12

12 North Shore Children & Families

(c) I typically help my child do his or her homework, or find someone who can help. (d) I help my child do his or her homework, and often push him or her to go beyond the expectations of the assignment.

What Are Your Educational Values?

Continued from page 11

3. How do your children spend their free time? (a) Mostly reading or doing interesting projects (b) Using videogames, electronics or watching TV or movies (c) Engaging in sports or other extra-curricular activities [American children spend an inordinate amount of time in front of screens of all sorts – computers, TVs, iPods, videogames, etc. There is a strong relationship between the amount of time children spend in front of screens and their academic achievement.]

4. Over the past week, during dinner, our family: (a) Most often did not eat together (b) Talked about current events, your children’s projects or intellectual issues (c) Talked about whatever the kids wanted to talk about (d) Didn’t talk much at all [Families who have dinner together regularly and talk about meaningful topics have children who experience fewer behavior problems and attain higher levels of achievement in school.]

5. When my child has homework: (a) I let my child do his or her homework by him or herself. (b) My child does homework by him or herself, but I check it when he or she is done.

[Children in Asian nations do more homework for longer periods of time than American children. They are also more likely to get assistance with their homework, to have tutoring outside of school (regardless of their ability level) and are provided with deeper explanations during teaching and learning than their American counterparts.]

6. When my child is learning something new: (a) It is important to stay positive. Praising children when they do well increases their self-esteem. Correcting children too often can make them feel bad about themselves. (b) It’s most important to let children figure out how to do new things for themselves. This is how they learn independence. (c) It’s important to praise children when they do well, but it’s also important to correct children’s mistakes.

[Too much praise can have an undermining effect on a child’s interest in an activity.

Praise and rewards tend to reorganize children’s motivation to do new tasks.

Children come to do new tasks to obtain praise and reward, rather than out of interest, to learn new things or even to live up to moral ideals. Corrective feedback does not harm children’s self-esteem. In fact, corrective feedback helps children perform better, which thereupon leads to higher levels of self-esteem.]

7. When my child has a project to do for school: (a) I typically allow him to plan and complete the project without assistance. (b) I help my child plan and perform the project, but I don’t try to influence how my child chooses to complete the project.

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(c) It’s important to me that my child does well. Although I am only trying to help my child, I end up doing a lot of the project for my child. (d) In helping my child plan and perform the project, I challenge my child to go beyond what he might ordinarily do without my help.

[It is sometimes tempting to think that because a project has been assigned to a child, the child should perform the project without assistance. Children learn a great deal by doing projects, but primarily when they are assisted to do their best work. When someone helps a child complete a project – but does not do the project for the child – the child is able to produce much better work than if the child were left alone. In turn, the child learns more.]

8. What types of learning activities do you typically engage in with your child? (a) Life is busy. We don’t have a lot of time to devote to learning activities. (b) We explicitly plan learning activities to do with our children, such as visiting museums, going to zoos and aquariums, going to theatrical or musical events and visiting historical sites. (c) We engage in learning activities when the opportunities come up, but we don’t actively organize our family time around such activities.

[We learn what we do, and particularly what we do with others. Parents set the tone for what happens in the family. If the family engages in learning activities together, children will do the same. Creating a culture of learning within the family can have a profound effect on children’s achievement.]

9. How do you communicate the importance of learning and education to your child? (a) I explain to my child that learning is more important than play, social life or extra-curricular activities. I stress that learning is the key to becoming a good person and living a good life. (b) I explain that it’s important to get a good education in order to get into a good college and eventually get a good job.

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(c) I stress the importance of effort. I tell my child that although I’d like for him or her to get good grades, it’s most important that he put in the effort to do his best. (d) We don’t really talk about this.

[Parents who value education communicate their values to their children in many different ways. They explain the importance of learning, of getting good grades, of how learning can have practical value, and so forth. Such parents are more likely to put learning ahead of extra-curricular and social activities. Parents of academically successful children stress the importance of how effort leads to achievement rather than focusing on effort alone.]

10. When my child does well in school, I usually: (a) Praise my child so that he or she will know I am proud, and offer some kind of reward (b) Give extra dessert for completed homework, or a prize for good grades (c) Praise my child and then talk about ways to continue to improve his or her work (d) Praise my child, but instruct him to be sure not to brag (e) Do not make a big fuss about my child’s success [Praise is important for providing children with feedback in their learning.

However, sustained and overly effusive praise can also have the effect of producing a sense of hubris or entitlement in children. Children who are frequently rewarded often learn to set their sights on completing individual tasks and then stopping; children whose parents encourage them to look beyond the praise and set new goals are more likely to seek out new tasks and challenges.]

14 North Shore Children & Families

Instructional Practice: What Works?

What Works? Scaffolding Student Engagement in Integrative Learning Activities Dante St. Pierre’s 8 year old daughter, Liza, usually gets gasps of amazement when she brings out a homemade soufflé from the kitchen and sets it in front of guests. “She takes after her father”, friends say, but Liza has been doing more than “taking after” Dante.

Dante, a professional chef, has had Liza at his side in the kitchen from the time she could sit up by herself. He handed her a spoon for stirring, eggs for cracking and eventually she progressed from a butter knife to being able to wield a chef’s knife, under dad’s watchful eye, of course. Liza does make a great soufflé, but not without effort on her part, support from her father, an egg or two on the floor and a few very flat soufflés along the way.

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This is an example of how more expert persons (e.g., teachers, parents, etc.) can actively include novices (e.g., students, children, etc.) in the process of guided learning. A student learns best when she is able to participate actively in the activities that she is expected to master, but under conditions of active guidance from a more expert person. This basic approach applies to learning in all contexts – school, home, work, and so forth.

Decades of research supports the idea that effective learning requires two basic processes: (a) scaffolded instruction and (b) student engagement. Effective teaching requires both of these processes;

neither alone is sufficient for optimal learning. In this way, “scaffolded engagement” brings together the best from both “teacher-centered” and “student-centered” approaches to teaching and learning.

Scaffolding occurs when an educator (a teacher, parent, coach, tutor, more accomplished peer) provides supportive guidance and assistance throughout the process of acquiring new skills and knowledge. Teachers scaffold a child’s learning when they instruct, direct, break down a learning task (or even perform part of a task for a child) so that a child can successfully perform the task in question. Effective scaffolding involves showing a child how to do a task, providing supportive and

corrective feedback, guiding a child’s level of participation so that she can be successful, managing frustration in order to keep children on task, and so forth.

Scaffolding alone is not sufficient for learning to take place. In order for effective learning to occur, students must be actively engaged in the learning process. It is not sufficient that students simply register or hear a teacher’s instruction; instead, they must be actively doing something both during instruction and after instruction has taken place. Again, we learn what we do. If we sit in a lecture, listen and take multiplechoice tests, we will learn to listen and take multiple-choice tests. If we are guided through the process of preparing a project or presentation that requires that we bring various ideas and skills together into a finished product, we learn all of the

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skills and content that go into that finished product.

Four Principles of Scaffolded Engagement Based on decades of research in education, human development and psychology, it is possible to identify a series of basic principles that describe how optimal teaching and learning occurs. Although there is room for a great deal of variation in the details, in general, the process of optimal teaching and learning can be described in terms of several basic principles.

1. All new knowledge and skills develop by modifying existing knowledge and skills.

The only way that we can learn new things is by applying our existing knowledge and skills to new tasks. All new knowledge builds on our existing knowledge. For example, in order to participate in the process of making a soufflé, Liza requires some basic and shared knowledge. She has to know what eggs are; she has to be able to read at least parts of a recipe; she has to know some very basic units of

measurement; she must be able to use basic kitchen utensils. Her father will draw upon Liza’s knowledge when he introduces her to new understandings (e.g., “eggs make the soufflé rise”) and skills (e.g., “this is how to cut onions with a knife”). To teach a child who does not have such basic background knowledge will require teaching the basics before moving on. The quality of learning is deeply dependent upon the quality and level of our existing skills and knowledge.

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2. Learning happens best when instruction occurs just beyond what a child is capable of performing on his or her own.

Children need guidance in order to learn. But what kind of guidance?

Years of research have demonstrated that the best instruction is that which occurs when children are guided to participate in learning activities that are just beyond their current developmental level. This is the heart of the concept of scaffolding.

Scaffolding occurs when a teacher, parent or more accomplished expert instructs, guides and assists a student

in the performance of new tasks.

Scaffolding occurs when a teacher walks a child through the process of adding 5+3, when a parent makes suggestions about which puzzle pieces might fit into a puzzle or when Liza’s father uses hand-over-hand guidance

to show Liza how to hold her fingers when she slices the onions.

Scaffolding has the effect of raising what a child can do to levels that would not be possible if the child were to work on a task alone. As a result, Continued on page 19

16 North Shore Children & Families

Improving Education at the Local & National Levels

Why Can’t We Just Do What the Asians and Finns Do? It is virtually never desirable or possible simply to import practices from one culture into another culture. When they work well, educational practices from other cultures work because they fit into the cultures of which they are a part.

As a result, educational practices that work well in one culture will not necessarily work well in another culture.

Further, the United States differs in important ways from both Asia and Finland.

Asian nations –and their education systems – tend to be organized around social hierarchies that are distasteful to many if not most Americans. Unlike both Asia and Finland, the United States is a nation composed of diverse subcultures and groups. Further, Finland, unlike the United States, seeks to establish equality in their education systems through an ethos of cooperation rather than competition. Nonetheless, we can learn from other cultures; but each culture has to create its own solutions to its own set of educational problems.

Here are some things we can learn: The value of valuing learning. Successful nations not only place a high value on education, they put those values into practice. Asian nations do this by integrating learning and effortful persistence into the fabric of everyday life.

Finland does this by committing themselves to in-depth teaching in small classrooms with highly trained educators. It is not enough to give lip service to valuing education. It is essential to walk the walk as well.

Cultivating effort, persistence and hard work. The concept of a work ethic is central to American culture. One might argue that we have witnessed a decline in the American work ethic as it applies to learning and education. This is, in part, a product of the “self-esteem” movement of the latter half of the 20th century. The self-esteem movement was based on the mistaken idea that selfesteem is a prerequisite for learning and success. In an attempt to bolster children’s self-esteem, teachers and parents tended to withhold corrective feedback to children out of fear of damaging the child’s self-esteem. Happily, this tendency is beginning to change. In its place, we need to embrace the notion that self-esteem is the result of the success that will inevitably come from effortful persistence and nurturing support from adults.

The need for autonomy and collaboration among highly trained teachers in the service of solving real problems in and out of the classroom. In the US, individual teachers assume singular responsibility for their classrooms. Administrators evaluate teachers by observing their classroom activity on an occasional basis. This practice does very little to enhance teacher effectiveness. A better model is one that is organized around intensive peer collaboration in both the delivery and improvement of instruction. When highly educated experts direct their shared attention toward improving learning rather than toward passing an evaluation, they become able to solve problems that they could not ordinarily solve alone.

Deep parental involvement in children’s learning. Parental involvement is important to support student learning. Parents are essential is setting high standards for learning and behavior; motivating children’s academic activity; supporting homework and other learning activities; cultivating discipline in their children, and so forth. Relations between parents and schools are highly mixed in the US. Teachers from some communities complain of parental overinvolvement; teachers in underserved communities often find it difficult to engage parents in constructive ways. The US must either find ways to forge lasting and constructive partnerships with parents, or to find ways to compensate for the lack of parental involvement where it exists.

Deep support for struggling students. In the US, students are able to

obtain additional support if they exhibit some form of diagnosable learning disability. Parents from high-income families are able to provide support for their struggling students. However, the US has not found a way to provide systematic academic support for the struggling middle class and poor students.

The Finnish system supports struggling students through 1-1 in-class support in small classrooms; in the Asian system, parents, families and tutors provide the support for struggling students. Both of these cultural practices are feasible within the American context.

Promoting academic and socio-emotional discipline in students.

There are relatively few behavioral problems in Asian and Finnish classrooms.

Many US teachers – and particularly those who teach children from disenfranchised communities, complain that their teaching effectiveness is compromised by the need to enforce discipline within the classroom.

Discipline problems in the school are most prevalent in poorer and more disenfranchised communities.

What Do We Need to Turn Around Local Education?

Good education requires a quality curriculum, effective instruction and abundant supplies of support to foster academic achievement. However, above and beyond everything else, quality education occurs within a culture of learning that exists not only in the schools, but also in the home and in the community. On the North Shore – and throughout Massachusetts – we already have a solid curriculum in place for our children. Our local schools have good, hard-working and highly dedicated teachers who provide quality formal instruction. This includes the Bentley Elementary School, the Salem school that has recently been designated as “underperforming”.

What do we need to turn around local education? There are short-term and long-term answers to this question. In the short term, the answer lies primarily in the level of support that is available for students, teachers and families. In the long term, the answer lies in giving more than lip service to the value of education in children’s lives. It would involve calling all stakeholders in the education process to assume their legitimate share of the responsibility for educating children. These stakeholders include schools, teachers, students, parents, local businesses, local support organizations, those who organize extracurricular activities and government at all levels. Against this backdrop, let’s examine some possible solutions.

Addressing the Short Term: Providing a Blanket of Support 1. Identify the Full Range of Skills and Knowledge that Students Need to be Successful We know that optimal learning requires a willingness to hold children to high standards while simultaneously providing the level of deep support needed to assist children in reaching those high standards. Academic achievement requires more than quality academic instruction. In addition, learning requires: Background Knowledge. This includes the everyday cultural knowledge and skills that formal instruction builds upon (e.g., vocabulary, cultural knowledge, reading skills, etc.).

Cultivating a Work Ethic. Learning is not easy. Students need to acquire the capacity to put forth the level of sustained effort necessary to master new knowledge and skills.

Behavior Regulation Skills. To attend to learning tasks and profit from instruction, students must have the basic capacity to regulate their behavior and emotions.

Facility with the Language of Instruction. Language is the medium in

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which learning occurs. Learning is compromised when children lack access to the language of instruction.

Cultivating these skills cannot be accomplished in a piecemeal fashion. It is not sufficient, for example, to focus on only one rather than the other; we need to support the development of all of these facets of learning at the same time.

2. Forge Partnerships with Individuals Who Will Coordinate the Full Range of Content and Skill Support for Each Student The most appropriate individuals to assume responsibility for children’s skill development are parents. Virtually all parents want to support their children’s development. Many low-income or minority parents face obstacles in their attempts to provide such support. These include cultural clashes, difficulty with the dominant language, lack of education or skill, an overextended work schedule, etc. Where it is not possible to forge relations with parents – other individuals, whether paid or volunteer, may be able to assume a supporting role.

These include relatives, mentors, tutors, volunteers, teachers and others.

3. Provide a Blanket of Support for Struggling Students Both In and Out of School We often respond to social need by creating individual programs to address individual concerns. Individual programs tend to form a patchwork of supports that exist for struggling students. Programs often fail because they are frequently unable to address the full range of a child’s needs. A program is only as good as its weakest link. Children can “fall through the cracks” for reasons that seem trivial but in reality are not. A child may not be able to travel to the program; the program may address academics, but not socio-emotional issues; the program may interfere with family obligations; etc.

Continued on page 18

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18 North Shore Children & Families What Do We Need to Turn Around Local Education?

Continued from page 17

The school is the perfect location for the provision of systematic and comprehensive support for struggling students. Within individual classrooms, struggling students would profit from in-class, 1-1 and small group tutoring and support. Extended day programs can be developed that provide safe and inclusive support for the full range of children’s academic difficulties. Such programs can include 1-1 and small group tutoring in areas of particular student need. Staff for such a program can include various combinations of paid or unpaid (a) teachers, (b) retired teachers, (c) college students, (d) parents and (e) others within the community.

seek volunteers, mentors and other interested and able persons. But in the end, we must all assume some form of responsibility. This includes pointing our fingers at ourselves and asking, “What can I contribute?”

Long Term Solutions: Create a Real Culture of Learning Short-term decisions must be made with an eye towards long-term solutions.

That way, long-term solutions can build upon short-term solutions. Building on the types of short-term proposals describe above, one might suggest the following long-term goals.

Use the Bully Pulpit to Promote Educational Values Remember littering? We don’t litter anymore. Why? Because people changed their values about littering as a result of a massive public campaign against it.

The same is true for driving without a seatbelt. We need a similar movement to promote educational values.

4. Funding: Create a Web of Responsibility

Focus on Scaffolding Students through to Mastery

It is easy to play the blame game. We can blame schools for student skill and knowledge gaps. We can blame parents for their own difficulties. We can blame government for not providing enough funding. We can blame non-profits for not providing enough funds. Blaming may feel good, but it does nothing to solve the problem.

What would happen if we thought of the goal of teaching as mastery of skills and knowledge rather than attaining scores on a test? Right now, teachers, students and parents alike tend to focus on maximizing test scores (either MCAS or everyday tests and exams) as the goal of learning. Instead of focusing on test scores, what would happen if we focused on mastering particular learning outcomes? There is a big difference between the goal of “getting a good grade on my math test” and mastering arithmetic. If I’m focused on mastering arithmetic, I don’t stop learning when I get a good grade. Teaching and learning occurs until I master arithmetic.

The fact of the matter is that every constituency in our community has a responsibility to support the task of educating students. This includes schools, teachers, students, parents, local businesses, churches, non-profits, governments and so forth. Each of these groups has a different role to play in the process of education.

How do we fund comprehensive afterschool programs? By hook or by crook.

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Work Toward Collaborative Teaching and Assessment Teachers tend to work in isolation. We should consider working toward the Finnish model in which teachers work in collaborative groups in small classrooms. This not only increases support for learning in the classroom, but teachers can learn from each other as they attempt to find the best ways to teach their students.

Set Broad Guidelines, but Provide More Autonomy To Teachers As a rule, we do not treat our teachers as professionals. We don’t trust our teachers. Instead, we treat teachers like laborers who are expected to implement curricula, often in standardized ways, developed by others. Instead, we should identify the broad goals that we want teachers to teach, and then charge them with the task of developing modes of instruction that will foster learning in their particular students at any given time.

Provide Real Professional Development for Teachers

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Most teachers I know find their professional development opportunities to be catch-as-catch can at best. Quite often, professional development involves attending lectures delivered by experts in their field on teaching and curricula.

The quality of professional development varies widely. What would real professional development look like? Real professional development would involve in-school collaboration on solving the real world problems that teachers face with their particular students in their classroom. Real professional education would ensure that all teachers are experts in their field of study, and not simply in the process of teaching.

Forge School-Parent-Community Partnerships Schools cannot (and never have) been able to educate children themselves.

Family and community support are essential. Where parental involvement in education is weak, efforts must be made to find innovative ways to bridge the gap between schools and families. If such attempts fail or are unfeasible, comprehensive programs should be developed to compensate for the lack of extra-school support.

About the Author: Michael F. Mascolo, PhD, is the chief contributor, partner and editor of North Shore Children & Families. Dr. Mascolo is also a college level psychology professor, developmental psychologist, published author, child and adult development authority and North Shore parent.

Family & Friends Continued from page 2

something very important with me. She told me that her class was planning a Valentine’s Tea, complete with songs and skits, and each child could invite one special person. The special person could not be mom or dad. When Tiara asked me to be her special person, I lost it. Even as I type this, my tears are falling again. You see, I am a single person and I do not have the children I always wanted – and Valentine’s Day is usually a day meant for others, not me. I’m not complaining – and I love the children that I do have in my life, and I am blessed to be “Auntie Suzanne” to many of my friends’ children. I have tried to be an active participant in their lives, which fills my heart with joy. So imagine my delight when Tiara shared her special invitation with me. Even at 7 years old, she could tell I was choking up – and she became concerned and asked me what was wrong? I reassured her that everything was right – and that I was so happy that she invited me to be her special person for her Valentine’s Tea at school. We talked about what we would wear – she sang me the special song they are rehearsing – and she was so excited that I wanted to go with her. So while my recent Valentine Days have been rather uneventful, this year will be different and I am honored to be her special guest. Thank you, Tiara – you made Tia Suzanna very happy and I can’t wait to go with you! And seeing how happy this made me, I wanted to remind everyone to remember those around us who may be forgotten on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps you could make pretty paper hearts to share with friends and neighbors who may be alone – and so we can make others feel special on Valentine’s Day. A little compassion and care can go a long way, and there is an opportunity to teach your children to be thoughtful and kind towards others whenever the opportunity arises, or even for no special reason at all. When you do good things for others – you’ll feel good – and you’ll make others feel good, too. Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you, dear readers! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ And finally, it’s time to start thinking about Summer Camps & Programs!

Coming up in our March issue – we kick off our 5th Annual Summer Camps & Programs Showcase series for 2012 – the largest camp showcase and family-friendly resource in print and distributed throughout the North Shore!

Whether you are a parent looking for information, ideas and options for your children this summer – or you have a summer camp or program that needs summer enrollments (and an effective and efficient way to reach local, North Shore parents!) – you won’t want to miss our upcoming issues!

To advertise your summer camp or program beginning in our March issue, please see page 7 and contact me by February 15 at suzanne@northshorefamilies.com or 781.584.4569. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ In closing, I urge you to share the love this Valentine’s Day – by calling or emailing or texting or Facebooking or even by sending an old-fashioned note or card to all of your family and friends – near and far. This is a perfect opportunity to tell them how much they mean to you. It’s not all about flowers and candy and cards and dinner at a fancy restaurant – or it shouldn’t be, in my opinion. It’s the time of year to remember those who love you and those you love – and the time to take advantage of this opportunity to reach out and touch them where it matters most. In our busy lives, we sometimes forget to say, “I love you” – and February 14 gives us that chance and reminds us to express love to the people who are most important to us.

Thanks so much for sharing some time with us again this month – and as always, we truly hope you enjoy this issue and that it inspires you to get involved with your local schools and communities in some way. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Happy Valentine’s Day from Our North Shore Family to Yours!

Until next time – Suzanne

North Shore Children & Families

19

What Works?

Continued from page 15

scaffolding “pulls” the level of the child’s performance to levels that are higher than the child’s current developmental level. It turns out that children are best able to modify their existing skills and knowledge when instruction is just beyond what they can perform alone. It also turns out that children will show the highest level of engagement in a structured activity when it operates just beyond their current developmental level. With help, children master new skills with the assistance of others. Only later on are they able to perform those same skills by themselves. At that point, teachers and parents “up the ante” and provide further scaffolding to support the construction of still higher-level skills.

3. In order for learning to take place, individuals must actively put into practice the skills that they acquire in interactions with others.

Scaffolding new skills is not enough. When children learn new skills under the guidance of others, those skills are generally unstable and tenuous. Imagine Liza’s capacity to slice onions with a knife after her first hand-over-hand lesson with her father. Immediately after being taught, her movements would be awkward and jerky; she would have to alternate her attention between holding her fingers away from the knife, holding the onions and slicing them. She might also experience a bit of fear as she began to embark on this task with less support from her father. Liza would need additional support and then considerable practice in order to consolidate, strengthen and fully develop her new skill. We learn a new skill or concept under scaffolded support; nonetheless, having acquired facility with the skill in interactions with others, we must actively put it to use in order to retain, consolidate and develop it further.

North Shore Children & Families is available for free each month at over 425 familyfrequented locations throughout the North Shore!

Attention Advertisers: Ask us about our … … “Try Us!” program for new advertisers … Annual advertising frequency programs … The Annual Planner for Schools program … The North Shore Party Planner program … Annual Summer Camps & Programs Showcase series … Service Directory Target your message to North Shore parents.

We’ve got the North Shore covered!

2012 PUBLISHING SCHEDULE Issue

Ad Space Deadline

Ads Due

March April May

Fri., Feb. 17 Fri., Mar. 16 Fri., April 13

Tues., Feb. 21 Tues., Mar. 20 Tues., April 17

To explore your advertising options or to secure your space, please contact Suzanne at 781.584.4569 or suzanne@northshorefamilies.com.

To learn more, please visit www.northshorefamilies.com.

20 North Shore Children & Families

Community Calendar To Submit to our Community Calendar: Please visit us at www.northshorefamilies.com and submit your listings directly through our website.

From our Home Page – click on Calendar – then click on Submit in the upper right corner and our form will open for you to complete and submit your listings.

While we will make every attempt to post all appropriate listings in our Community Calendar, space is limited – and priority will be given to those events that are free and family-friendly – and those submitted by our advertising partners & sponsors.

Calendar listings are generally due by the 15th of each month prior and must be submitted through our website. If you need to guarantee that your listing will be posted – please contact Suzanne to advertise. See our current Calendar for our upcoming issue deadlines.

FEBRUARY IS THE MONTH FOR: American Heart Month, American History Month, Black History Month, Children’s Dental Health Month, International Friendship Month, Responsible Pet Owners’ Month

SAVE THE DATE (& DONATE TO THE AUCTION!): The Salem Education Foundation Spring Auction/Fundraiser will be April 5, 6-9pm, at the Hawthorne Hotel, Salem. Proceeds help Salem schools. To donate to the auction (products, services, gift certificates, experiences, etc.), please contact michelle@minasianevents.com or Cindy at pcterri@comcast.net. To make a monetary donation or to volunteer, please visit www.salemeducationfoundation.org.

MARCH ISSUE DEADLINES!

The

Bayside of Nahant

March Calendar Listings Due By Feb. 21 Please submit your listings directly through our website.

North Shore's best kept secret & the perfect location for:

suzanne@ northshorefamilies.com

781.584.4569

Programs for Kids at The Community House of Hamilton & Wenham. For schedule, rates & to register: www.communityhouse.org or 978.468.4818 ext. 10.

Call today to schedule a FREE introductory class at The Little Gym! Danvers: 978.777.7977; Woburn: 781.933.3388.

SAVE TODAY: Save $75 with the ad on page 3 for Cranney Home Services: Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electrical, Drain Cleaning! www.cranneyhomeservices.com Save $50 with the ad on page 6 at Mathnasium,The Math Learning Center, No. Beverly; 1st – 12th grades, SAT & ACT Prep, homework help!

Contact Jim today for a no cost evaluation for your student: 978.922.2200.

Check out the special offers from Northside Dental Care in Peabody on page 12! Call 978.535.8244 today to find out how you can get a FREE iPad! With the ad on page 14, save 25% off any single item at Pint Size and Up, a unique boutique in Marblehead!

♥♥♥

To advertise, please contact suzanne@northshorefamilies.com.

Oceanfront Splendor...

Magnificent Views...

Elegant & Affordable

To secure your ad space:

Fundraising Talent Show,Valentine TalenTime, Feb. 13, 6-9pm, at Giggles Comedy Club/Prince Pizza, Saugus; $10pp, all ages.

To participate in the talent show, email name, age & talent by Feb. 8 to spark540.nonprof@yahoo.com; $10 to participate in talent show prize round.

Proceeds benefit youth programs at Spark 540°. To learn more, to volunteer or to donate, please visit www.Spark540.org.

FREE CLASSES:

The North Shore Party Planner

If you need ad production assistance Ad Space Closes Wed., Feb. 15 If you do not need ad production assistance Ad Space Closes Fri., Feb. 17

Karen J. Cronin, MS CCC, Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist, has opened her new office at Middleton Green, 10 Maple St., Middleton.

FREE screenings (by appointment) offered on Fri., Feb. 10. To schedule an appointment for your child, please call 978.239.5520. Congratulations and best wishes to Karen!

SIGN UP TODAY:

To advertise, please contact Suzanne at suzanne@northshorefamilies.com or 781.584.4569.

For complete listing accuracy, we recommend that you call ahead or check the websites listed. Featured listings do not constitute an endorsement from this publisher and we encourage our readers to always do their own research.

NOW OPEN & ACCEPTING CLIENTS; FREE SCREENINGS ON FEB. 10 (by appt.):

• Weddings,

Personalized Poems & Prose

by Suzanne For Gifts A Personalized Poem Makes a Perfect Gift for Any Special Occasion

Speeches, Toasts & Roasts

781.592.3080

781.584.4569

www.baysidefunctions.com

· Private party – clean, safe, beautiful facility all to yourselves. · Instructor led – great age-appropriate games and activities. · Stress-free for The Little Gym of Danvers parents…we take 978.777.7977 care of EVERYTHING! www.tlgdanversma.com Call for details.

The Little Gym of Woburn 781.933.3388 • www.tlgwoburnma.com

A COOL PARTY STORE! Route 110, Salisbury

1.855.45.PARTY www.gofunnybones.com

For Invitations

Showers • Birthdays, Sweet 16s • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Anniversaries • All Special Occasions • Wedding & Function Packages • Many Menus to Choose From One Range Road, Nahant

Have an Awesome Birthday Bash at The Little Gym!

Clever, Custom Verses for Your Invitations & Thank You Notes

For Events

suzanne @northshorefamilies.com

Birthday Party on Roller Skates!

Roller World, Saugus 781.233.3255 Party Line

Ages 5 & Under Birthday Parties at

www.malltots.com 978.777.6411

It’s never too early to start saving for higher education! Dominique Schanley, Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in Beverly, can help you! See ad on page 16!

20 PDPs (2 CEUs); $249. For info. & to register, email Jplourde@thecenterboard.org.

Some financial assistance is available.

FEBRUARY 2:

WEDNESDAYS: Cape Ann Waldorf School presents Morning Glory Parent & Child Classes, meets every Wed., 12:302pm; $280/10 wk. session. For parents/caregivers with children ages 20 months – 3.5 years. Call to register: 978.927.1936. www.capeannwaldorf.org THURSDAYS: Cape Ann Waldorf School presents Morning Glory for the Youngest Child Parent & Child Classes, meets every Thurs., 12:30-2pm; $180/10 wk. session. For parents/caregivers with infants ages 3-19 months. Call to register: 978.927.1936. www.capeannwaldorf.org Mimi Meetings for Mommas, every Thurs. 3:30-4pm; free for expecting & new moms at Mighty Aphrodite Maternity Consignment store, Salem. Feb. 9: What is a Doula? Feb. 16: Partner Relations after Baby Feb. 23: All About Homebirth.

SGP + SMP 1976 ♥ 36 Kindergarten Open House at Clark School, Danvers, 9-10:30am. www.clarkschool.com See ad on page 17!

Feb. 2 through Mar. 21: Random Access: Data as Art Exhibit at Montserrat College of Art, Beverly. Free, open to the public, all ages welcome. www.montserrat.edu FEBRUARY 3: Race to Nowhere, film showing, 7pm; free for adults at Cape Ann Waldorf School, Rte. 97, Beverly. Please RSVP at 978.927.8811. This film has been called “a call to mobilize families, educators & policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare our youth to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens”. www.racetonowhere.com

North Shore Children & Families See local astro-photographer Marc Maccini’s fantastic images of solar and lunar eclipses and more – photographed from around the world; exhibit through February.

On Feb. 7 at 7pm, join Marc for a lecture on his photographs, eclipses and journeys in astronomy. At Gaga Gallery, 459 Humphrey St., Swampscott.

21

FEBRUARY 10: Nursery School & Kindergarten Tours & Info. Session, 8:15-10:00am, at Cape Ann Waldorf School, Rte. 97, Beverly. For adults; RSVP to Kelly Hiselman at 978.927.1936. www.capeannwaldorf.org Karen J. Cronin, MS CCC, Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist, has opened her new office at Middleton Green, 10 Maple St., Middleton.

FREE screenings (by appointment) offered on Feb. 10. To schedule an appointment for your child, please call 978.239.5520.

FEBRUARY 8: Open School at Harborlight Montessori School, Beverly, 9-11am; RSVP at 978.922.1008. See ad on page 5!

Tour Middle School in Action, 8:1510:30am, at Cape Ann Waldorf School, Rte. 97, Beverly. For adults; RSVP to Kelly Hiselman at 978.927.1936. www.capeannwaldorf.org

FEBRUARY 11: Make A Friend Day

FEBRUARY 9: Mimi Meetings for Mommas, every Thurs. 3:30-4pm; free for expecting & new moms at Mighty Aphrodite Maternity Consignment store, Salem. Feb. 9: What is a Doula?

Free Enrichment Program, Explore Asia, 10am, at The Phoenix School, Salem; see ad on page 11. www.phoenixschool.org Enjoy the jazzy sounds of Just the 2 of Us & Guests at Bella Mia, Beverly, 7-10pm.

Continued on page 22

FRIDAYS:

FEBRUARY 4: (Snow Date Feb. 5!)

Cape Ann Waldorf School presents Morning Glory for the Youngest Child Parent & Child Classes, meets every Fri., 9-10:30am: $180/10 wk. session. For parents/caregivers with infants ages 3-19 months. Call to register: 978.927.1936. www.capeannwaldorf.org

SummerScape 2012, 11am-3pm; camp fair/over 70 camps. At Glen Urquhart School, Beverly Farms. www.gus.org

SATURDAYS: Parent & Preschooler Playgroup, ages 2.5-5 years, meets most Saturdays, 9-10:30am, at Harborlight Montessori School, Beverly. Free, but advanced reservation required by calling 978.922.1008. See ad on page 5.

FEBRUARY 5: Super Bowl Sunday!

Go New England Patriots!!!

Enjoy the jazzy sounds of Just the 2 of Us & Guests at Red Rock Bistro, Swampscott, 12n-3pm. Enjoy brunch with a view and some amazing jazz standards!

FEBRUARY 7:

SATURDAYS (2/25 & 3/31): Centerboard Education (formerly SPIN) & United Way present The Power of the Positive in an all-new workshop series in Lynn, on Sat. 2/25 & 3/31, 9-3pm at the brand new Centerboard Education Space in the JB Blood Building, 20 Wheeler St., Lynn.

Centerboard Education provides educational resources and support for families and teachers. Educators can earn

Wish you could give the person who has everything something they don't have?

Personalized Poems & Prose by Suzanne The perfect gift to enhance any special occasion.

Clever verses for your invitations and thank you notes.

Speeches, toasts and roasts.

Middle School Tour for Parents, 8:15-10:30am, at Cape Ann Waldorf School, Rte. 97, Beverly! www.capeannwaldorf.org; see ad page 13!

Birthdays • Graduations • Showers Weddings • Anniversaries • Births • Retirements • Holidays All Special Occasions

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen/Parent Workshop at Plumfield Academy, Danvers, 7-8:30pm; free for parents.

Learn to create new communication options to help you become more loving & effective parents. www.plumfieldacademy.org

specializing in poignant, personalized eulogies – available in prose and in verse.

Celebrate your loved one's life and share their story.

Your guests will leave with smiles, fond memories and lots to talk about.

Life Celebrations

781.584.4569

or suzanne@northshorefamilies.com Samples available.

22 North Shore Children & Families Community Calendar Continued from page 21

FEBRUARY 11: The Princess & The Pea, presented by The Fairy Tale Players Children’s Theatre, 10:30am; $8/ages 1+, free for parents/caregivers. For ages 1-8 w/accompanying adult. At 396 Main St., No. Andover. www.fairytaleplayers.org

Fundraising Talent Show,Valentine TalenTime, 6-9pm, at Giggles Comedy Club/Prince Pizza, Saugus; $10pp, all ages. Proceeds benefit youth programs at Spark 540°. To learn more: www.Spark540.org.

FEBRUARY 14: Happy Valentine’s Day! National Organ Donor Day

FEBRUARY 12: FEBRUARY 15: K-12 Open House at Clark School, Danvers, 1-3:30pm. www.clarkschool.com See ad on page 17!

FEBRUARY 13: Clean Out Your Computer Day Open Houses at Plumfield Academy, Danvers; 10am-12n & 5:30-7:30pm (or contact to schedule a personal info. session). For parents of children ages 511; www.plumfieldacedemy.org.

Do you have a summer camp or program? See page 7 for more info. on our 5th Annual Summer Camps & Programs Showcase Series – the largest in print on the North Shore!

Series kicks off in our March issue – see below for advertising deadlines; contact suzanne@northshorefamilies.com for camp showcase ad rates, sizes and available discounts.

If you need to advertise in our MARCH issue, and if you need our ad production assistance, please

confirm your ad size and submit your ad materials TODAY! You can see our ad rates, sizes, available discounts & more at www.northshorefamilies.com.

FEBRUARY 16: Mimi Meetings for Mommas, every Thurs. 3:30-4pm; free for expecting & new moms at Mighty Aphrodite Maternity Consignment store, Salem. Feb. 16: Partner Relations after Baby FEBRUARY 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day Grand Opening launch of new kids’ website – www.WonderWorldCity.com.

See ad on page 2!

FEBRUARY 25: Centerboard Education (formerly SPIN) & United Way present The Power of the Positive in an all-new workshop series in Lynn, on Sat. 2/25 & 3/31, 9-3pm at the brand new Centerboard Education Space in the JB Blood Building, 20 Wheeler St., Lynn.

Centerboard Education provides educational resources and support for families and teachers. Educators can earn 20 PDPs (2 CEUs); $249. For info. & to register, email Jplourde@thecenterboard.org. Some financial assistance is available.

FEBRUARY 26: Academy Awards – Oscar Night!

FEBRUARY 29:

Advertising Space Reservation DEADLINE at NOON for ADS in our MARCH issue! To advertise, contact suzanne@northshorefamilies.com!

If you need our ad production assistance, please confirm your ad size and submit your ad materials by 2/15! You can see our ad rates, sizes, available discounts & more at www.northshorefamilies.com.

FEBRUARY 20: President’s Day; Love Your Pet Day FEBRUARY 21: Happy Birthday, Mom! ♥ Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)

Leap Day MARCH 1: Food for Thought Raffle Fundraiser – Win dinner for 2 ANYWHERE in the WORLD! Winner gets airfare for 2 to anywhere in the world, 2 nts. hotel, $150 towards dinner! Tix are $5, on sale March 1; drawing held on April 5 at the Salem Education Foundation Spring Auction at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem (winner does not have to attend auction to win). Contact tracy.kapantais@verizon.net for more info. or visit www.salemeducationfoundation.org.

Proceeds support classroom innovation grants for Salem teachers.

Community Calendar listings’ DEADLINE at NOON for MARCH issue! Please submit your listings for MARCH events directly through our website (see beg. of this Calendar for details).

MARCH 10:

FEBRUARY 22:

For Early Childhood Educators: Who Takes Care of the Classroom Conductor? The Legacy of Teaching Early Childhood Institute presents All Aboard Legacy!, at the Riverside School, Danvers. Keynote Speaker is Carrie Stack, M.Ed., Certified Life Coach, author & motivational speaker. To register (earns 5 PDPs) & for more info.: www.playitforwardgc.org; see ad on page 2! The Play It Forward Giving Circle is made possible by a fund of the Essex County Community Foundation.

Ash Wednesday; Be Humble Day FEBRUARY 23: Mimi Meetings for Mommas, every Thurs. 3:30-4pm; free for expecting & new moms at Mighty Aphrodite Maternity Consignment store, Salem. Feb. 23: All About Homebirth.

Free Enrichment Program, Explore South America, 10am, at The Phoenix School, Salem; see ad on page 11. www.phoenixschool.org

Service Directory

North Shore Children & Families

23

To arrange a school or early education tour, call to schedule your appointment today!

ART INSTRUCTION

EARLY EDUCATION

SCHOOLS

SCHOOLS

TheArtRoom Topsfield 978.887.8809 www.theartroomstudio.com

Next Generation Children’s Centers Locations include Andover & Beverly 866.711.NGCC www.ngccenters.com

Austin Preparatory School Reading 781.944.4900 www.austinprepschool.org

Plumfield Academy Danvers 978.304.0273 www.plumfieldacademy.org

CHILD DAY CARE

Our Secret Garden Newbury 978.465.7070 www.oursecretgardenfpcn.org

Brookwood School Manchester 978.526.4500 www.brookwood.edu

Shore Country Day School Beverly 978.927.1700 www.shoreschool.org

St. Stephen’s Nursery School Marblehead 781.639.4171 www.ststephensnurseryschool.com

Cape Ann Waldorf School Beverly 978.927.1936 www.capeannwaldorf.org

Sparhawk School Amesbury 978.388.5354 www.sparhawkschool.com

FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS

The Children’s Center for Communications Beverly School for the Deaf Beverly 978.927.7070 ext. 202 VP: 866.320.3233

Stoneridge Children's Montessori School Beverly 978.927.0700 www.stoneridgecms.org

Andover/North Andover YMCA Andover 978.685.3541 www.mvymca.org CHILDREN’S RETAIL Pint Size and Up Marblehead 781.639.3699 www.pintsizeandup.com DANCE INSTRUCTION Boston Ballet School/NS Studio Marblehead 781.456.6333 www.bostonballet.org/school DENTAL CARE Andover Pediatric Dentistry Andover & Lawrence Locations www.andoverpediatricdentistry.com Northside Dental Care Peabody 978.535.8244 www.northside-dentalcare.com

The Legacy of Teaching Institute Sat., March 10, 2012 - see page 2!

Register today! 978.993.4425 www.playitforwardgc.org EDUCATION SAVINGS PLANS Wells Fargo Advisors Beverly Dominique Schanley 978.524.1611 See ad on page 16!

FUN & FITNESS The Little Gym Danvers and Woburn www.tlgdanversma.com www.tlgwoburnma.com

Clark School Danvers 978.777.4699 www.clarkschool.com Cohen Hillel Academy Marblehead 781.639.2880 www.cohenhillel.org Covenant Christian Academy West Peabody 978.535.7100 www.covenantchristianacademy.org

HOME SERVICES

Caterpillar Clubhouse Beverly 978.921.1536 www.caterpillarclubhousebeverly.com

Cranney Home Services See coupon on page 3!

1.800.559.7000 www.cranneyhomeservices.com

Glen Urquhart School Beverly Farms 978.927.1064 www.gus.org

ATTN: SUMMER CAMPS!

Little Sprouts Several North Shore Locations 877.977.7688 www.littlesprouts.com

Boost your enrollments in our 5th Annual Summer Camps & Programs Showcase Series!

See page 7 to learn more!

Harborlight Montessori Beverly 978.922.1008 www.harborlightmontessori.org

EARLY EDUCATION

To advertise, contact Suzanne today!

March issue ad space reservation deadline is February 17!

The Phoenix School Salem 978.741.0870 www.phoenixschool.org

Tower School Marblehead 781.631.5800 www.towerschool.org Waring School Beverly 978.927.8793 www.waringschool.org TUTORING A+ Reading Center Reading Tutor/Individual Lessons

Serving the North Shore 781.799.2598 mperkins@aplusreadingcenter.com Mathnasium The Math Learning Center North Beverly • 978.922.2200 See ad on page 6!

NEW WEBSITE FOR KIDS WonderWorldCity.com Grand Opening 2/17/12 Where kids meet!TM See ad on page 2!