Running head: RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

ECUR 811 Re-Envisioning a School

Jillian E. Paulsen
University of Saskatchewan

I am a grade four teacher at Venture Heights School in Martensville,

Saskatchewan. I have taught at this school for eight years. I may be biased,
but I think I have the privilege of teaching at one of the best schools in the
province. The administrative team is supportive and influential, the staff is
innovative and motivated, and the students are respectful and hard-working.
As much as I thoroughly enjoy teaching at this school, it is an interesting idea
to reflect on what our school, our school division, and our province could
improve on educationally by re-envisioning a school where all of these ideas
merge and connect. Focusing on the areas of curriculum, assessment,
administrators, teachers, and students (which often overlap), I will use
educational theory and knowledge, combined with real-life practice and
examples, to re-imagine.
CURRICULUM

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

The curriculum for this school would still be mandated by the

Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, but would allow for more flexibility and
openness as to what is taught and when it is taught, based on the strengths,
needs, and interests of the students. More openness in the curriculum would
allow educators to match teaching and learning with the interests of
students. As well, providing students with some choice allows students to
take ownership of their learning. Internal motivation for students would
likely rise because students would be interested and willing to learn. As
Noddings (1987) stated, Students do not have to study the exact same
subject matter nor need they be deprived of choice in order to be truly
educated (p. 193).
Secondly, the curriculum would have more of a spiral focus, so that
ideas and concepts could be taught at multiple age levels and would be built
upon based on age, maturity, and interest. This type of curricular format
would allow for deep learning and would allow students to expand on prior
knowledge, as well as solidify and reinforce the information. Bruner (1966),
described the spiral curriculum as ideas are first presented in a form and
language which can be grasped by the child, ideas that can be revisited
later with greater precision and power until, finally, the student has achieved
the reward of mastery (p.107). For example, in grade four we could
complete a science unit on Cells and Systems. Grade four students would
gain a basic understanding of a cell and its parts, as well as a basic
understanding of the different body systems. Then in grades five to eight,
the same unit would be taught, but the information and learning would

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

become more specific and age-appropriate. When the curriculum is spiralled

in this way, students develop a deep understanding of concepts and ideas
and are exposed to more complex information as they become ready.
Finally, curriculum at this school would have built-in opportunities for
students
to apply their knowledge to real-world contexts; the lines would be blurred
between school and real life. As Dewey (1938) suggests, Give the pupils
something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as
to demand thinking; learning naturally results (p.181). Students would be
involved with local projects that provided them with the opportunity to take
charge and make a difference in their community. For example, a couple of
years ago, our class was learning about homelessness as part of our
Christmas Virtues unit. Many students did not believe that there were
many homeless people in Saskatoon, nor did they believe they could do
anything to help.
We started to learn about Habitat for Humanity and this organizations
important job in building houses for those who could not afford a regular
mortgage. We had guest speakers come out and speak to our class about the
local and worldwide importance of Habitat for Humanity. My students were
then fortunate enough to attend the building of a house in Saskatoon. They
observed and participated in the home-building. This hands-on opportunity
was much more beneficial than myself just transmitting all the information to
them in the classroom. As Kiran Sethi (2009) describes in her TED talk, Kids,
Take Charge, the students became aware of an issue, they were enabled to
help out, and most importantly, they were empowered to be leaders.

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

ASSESSMENT
Currently in Saskatchewan, assessment is becoming very data-driven
and we are seeing more and more high-stakes assessment practices being
implemented. In my re-envisioned school, educators would choose
assessment practices that are meaningful and applicable to themselves,
their students and the parents of those students. Much of the assessment
information would be self-reflective and written feedback, instead of
numerical grades or percentages. This is because it is often hard to put a
number on a deep conversation, or a class discussion, or a students
response to a piece of music. As Eisner (1967) states, not all perhaps not
even most outcomes of curriculum and instruction are amenable to
measurement (p. 112).
For example, my class had a discussion several days ago about how to
memorize basic math facts. One student put up her hand and made an
interesting comparison: memorizing math facts is like riding a bike: it takes
some practice at the beginning and you have to remember all the steps in
your brain. But then something just clicks and you memorized it. And if you
dont use that fact for a while but someone asks you it in five years, you will
still know it, just like you will still know how to ride a bike. This analogy
demonstrates a deep understanding of the importance of basic math facts,
but it is hard to put a number grade on this conversation. Instead, I wrote
down what she said and emailed home to share how impressed I was that
their daughter connected two ideas totally unrelated to each other, and
constructed her own meaning. In this situation, written feedback was a much

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

more meaningful way to assess this student, as opposed to a numerical

mark.
TEACHERS
In this school, teachers would use more of a transactional approach to
teaching, becoming more of a guide on the side, as opposed to the sage
on the stage. Teachers would occasionally use direct instruction to teach
important concepts or ideas, but more often would learn alongside students
and share in conversations and dialogue with students about their learning.
Teachers would use a variety of instructional approaches consistent with the
cognitive development, strengths, and interests of the students. For
example, over the last several years in grade four Social Studies, students
have used an inquiry approach to learn more about Saskatchewan. Students
were able to choose anything related to the province to become more
knowledgeable about, from black bears in Prince Albert National Park, to
Gordie Howe, to the Crooked Trees near Hafford. I was not the knowledge
keeper on any of these topics, and frequently, learned just as much as the
students about these ideas!
As Noddings (2007) suggests, our aim is to educate, to encourage
careful thinking, critical examination of information, a commitment to
examine all sides, and to allow time for genuine interest perhaps even
enthusiasm to develop (pp. 403-404). By not standing at the front and
lecturing about Saskatchewan but instead letting students discover and learn
more about something they were genuinely interested in, students were
more engaged and deeply motivated to learn.

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

Furthermore, teachers would provide students more opportunities to

engage in aesthetic experiences. Greene (2001) describes aesthetic
education as an:
Intentional undertaking designed to nurture appreciative, reflective,
cultural,
participatory engagement with the arts by enabling learners to notice
what is there to
be noticed and to lend works of arts their lives in such a way that they
can achieve them
as variously meaningful (p.6)
Aesthetic experience is a method of instruction that is often overlooked
because educators may not feel comfortable using it, or because it is
considered fluffy. I believe, however, that it is a valuable way to engage
students in learning opportunities they may not have been exposed to before
and students get to use their critical and creative thinking skills. Aesthetic
experience allows for personal expression and choice, allows students to use
their imagination, and may meet the needs of students who learn in different
ways.
STUDENTS
In this re-envisioned school, students would not take a backseat in
their own learning; they would take ownership of their learning and be an
integral part in decision-making surrounding their progress. As Bruner (1966)
states about learning, The student is not a bench-bound listener, but is
taking a part in the formulation and at times may play the principal role in it
(p. 83). Students would be expected to take part in seeking out knowledge,
as a co-learner and a co-teacher in the classroom. There would be many
opportunities for them to interact in the environment outside the school and

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

to solve real-world problems. Furthermore, the talents, strengths, and

interests of students would be considered when deciding on meaningful
learning opportunities.
For example, in Science last year, we were doing a unit on Sound. The
unit was fairly dry in places but many of the students took a keen interest in
the lessons surrounding how a telephone works. They were not satisfied with
just seeing the inside of a telephone on an internet website; they really
wanted to see the inside of a telephone in real-life. I rounded up some older
telephones, including a rotary dial one, and brought them to school for the
students to explore. They spent several hours taking apart those phones and
putting them back together, all while constructing their own understanding
about how a phone works. As well, the students were able to Skype chat with
a man who worked for SaskTel. They asked him real-world questions, thought
critically about information, and constructed meaning about the concepts.
The students instigated the desire to learn more about telephones and how
they worked, which demonstrated their interest and motivation. As Dewey
(1933/1960) suggests, Since learning is something that the pupil has to do
himself [or herself] and for himself [or herself], the initiative lies within the
learner (p. 36).
ADMINISTRATION
Administrators in current schools perform many different roles and
often need a substantial skill set to deal with the variety of situations they
may encounter, from talking to students and parents, to budgeting, to fixing
a boiler that is not working properly. The descriptions of the day-to-day
activities of principals have pictured their jobs as hectic, fast-paced,

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

characterized by brief encounters, and spontaneous face-to-face

interactions (Leithwood, Begley & Cousins, 1994, p. 49). In the reenvisioned school, administrators would still have a variety of roles, such as
facilitating vision, building relationships, and developing the educational
community. However an administrators main, and most important role,
would be to lead the instructional program. As Luneburg (2010) states, The
instructional leadership of the principal is a critical factor in the success of a
schools improvement initiatives and the overall effectiveness of the school
(p. 5). Administration would set high expectations for learning and would
monitor the effectiveness of instruction. The administration would ensure a
consistent and continuous school-wide focus on student achievement and
would ensure that learning is the central focus of the school. Furthermore,
administration would facilitate and support professional learning to foster
school improvement.
This fall, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to job-shadow the
principal at Borden School for a day. Borden School is a kindergarten to grade
twelve school with an enrollment of just under one hundred students. In
comparison, Venture Heights School, is a pre-kindergarten to grade eight
school with an enrollment of around six hundred fifty students. One of the
most noticeable limitations for administration at a large school like mine is
the number of hats our administrators wear; they are constantly busy and
have many managerial tasks to attend to. At Borden School, the
administrator can truly focus on being a learning leader because he has the
time to do so. In our discussions throughout the day, he kept reiterating that

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

his main job was to be the instructional leader of the school. This meant that
he tried to be as knowledgeable about curriculum as he could, he
participated in a variety of professional development opportunities, and he
supported his staff in implementing strategies which supported high
standards of achievement. Student learning was at the heart of his job. He
made a strong commitment to ensure that the needs of all students were
met in diverse ways. Observing this administrator in action and being able to
sit down and talk to him, gave me a deep understanding of why leading the
instructional program as an administrator is important and valuable.
Curriculum, assessment, teachers, students, and administration are
just five areas to reflect on when re-envisioning a school; there are many
more areas that could have been discussed, including parent engagement
and the physical school building. However, the five areas reflected on are
what I believe are the most important for learning and for building caring and
competent citizens. The curriculum is at the heart of teaching and learning,
serving as a guide to connect students strengths and interests to engaging
learning opportunities. Administrators and teachers play an important role in
ensuring that high standards for achievement are set and that students
needs are met, as diverse as they may be. Students come into the school
knowing that high expectations are set and that they are primarily
responsible for their own learning. More and more schools are demonstrating
many of the qualities of the re-envisioned school discussed in this paper.
Hopefully with time and with continued dialogue and discussion about what

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

10

our education system should look like, schools like this will become even
more prevalent.

References
Bruner, J. S. (1966). On knowing: Essay for the left hand. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University.
Dewey, J. (1933/1960). How we think: A restatement of the relation of
reflective thinking to the
educative process (new edition). Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath &
Company.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Indianapolis, IN: Kappa Delta Pi.
Eisner, E. W. (1967). Educational objectives help or hindrance? In D. J.
Flinders & S. J.
Thornton (Eds.). The curriculum studies reader (pp. 109-116). New
York, NY: Routledge.
Greene, M. (2001). Variations on a blue guitar: The lincoln center institute
lectures on aesthetic
education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Leithwood, K., Begley, P. T. & Cousins, J. B. (1994). Developing expert
leadership for future
schools. New York, NY: Routledge.
Luneburg, F. C. (2010). The principal as instructional leader. National forum
of educational and
supervision journal, 27, 1-6.
Noddings, N. (1983). The false promise of the paideia: A critical review of the
paideia proposal.
In D. J. Flinders & S. J. Thornton (Eds.). The curriculum studies reader
(pp. 187-194). New
York, NY: Routledge.

RE-ENVISIONING A SCHOOL

Noddings, N. (2007). Curriculum for the 21st century. In D. J. Flinders & S. J.

Thornton (Eds.). The
curriculum studies reader (pp. 399-405). New York, NY: Routledge.
Sethi, K. (2009). Kids, take charge. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/playlists/24/re_imagining_school.

11