by Alex Brooks
The February Round Table meeting of the Berlin School Board provided an opportunity for the science program at the school to strut its stuff.[private] It began with a mini science fair in the hallway, demonstrating some of the research and experiments that Berlin Students are working on.
At the meeting itself, Science teacher Audrey Vanderhoef gave a presentation on the new science standards adopted by New York State last month which will soon be implemented across the state. Although cloaked in educational jargon, the new standards seem to de-emphasize teachers talking to a class and thereby imparting knowledge, and to seek instead a more active learning style in which students pose their own questions and follow their own curiosity, engaging in research and experimentation guided by their teachers, both individually and in teams.
Next, three seniors, Alex Flowers, Ioann Popov, and Samantha Hebert spoke of their experiences in the science program at Berlin. All three have been very successful, and they spoke of the ways their science training has been encouraged and advanced at Berlin. Hebert spoke also of female role models at Berlin, particularly Audrey Vanderhoef who have been important to her success. Popov said he will be going to Yale next year, and the other two had not yet settled their college plans.
Alumnus Kelsey O’Dell also spoke to the Board about how Berlin prepared her for RPI, from which she recently graduated.
She also spoke of female role models at Berlin who had helped her to realize her potential. She served as a chaperone to the Inventeam that Berlin sent to MIT last year, and she was excited that it had been an all-female team. O’Dell also spoke of the teaching style of science teacher Matt Christian, who she said always encouraged her to find her own answers instead of immediately answering all questions. She said this helped to prepare her to be successful at RPI.
The meeting took place in Room 203, which is the room of K-5 science teacher Christine Walsh. This room was offered as the kind of space that facilitates the kind of learning called for in the new learning standards – a large room with movable furniture that can be reconfigured in many different ways. Walsh said she re-arranges the room frequently to accommodate team projects and other activities. Visitors to her classroom said they rarely find her lecturing to the class as a whole – instead there are usually groups working on projects guided by Walsh.
Vanderhoef said while planning new facilities or facilities renovation, the Board should keep in mind the kind of spaces most conducive to the new learning standards. One of the desirable facilities is a room called a “universal lab,” which is a large room that can be reconfigured in many different ways to facilitate small-group learning and interdisciplinary projects. Room 203 is an example of such a space, and Superintendent Young said he had some spaces in mind at the high school that could be set up to serve that purpose.
They also discussed ways that the science program is incorporating the local environment into their programs. Vandrhoef said Liz Wagner at the Grafton Lakes State Park and Lisa Hoyt as Dyken Pond have been excellent collaborators with science teachers at Berlin, taking a great interest in the science curriculum and how it can be integrated with what the students do on field trips to the local parks. Vanderhoef also said she has been reaching out to the new greenhouse facility in Berlin to see what educational programs can be set up in collaboration with the Aquafarm. Superintendent Young said the land the District held onto in Grafton and the District’s land behind the schools may become an educational resource, for studying stream ecology, forestry, and the like.
High School Principal Cathie Allain pointed out that the kind of teaching called for in the new learning standards has been going on at Berlin for years, as evidenced by the things the Board had heard that evening about the teaching styles of Matt Christian, Christine Walsh, and others. Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Fred Hutchinson said when he is at statewide conferences telling people about the work being done in the science program at Berlin, people are “astonished” that such advanced work is being done in such a small rural school.
The discussion then turned to getting the word out about how good the science program is and getting some recognition for the Berlin District. The Board discussed media outreach and considered the possibility off hiring their own communications person instead of using BOCES communication specialists. [/private]