Indianapolis Schools Work With Their Communities To Improve Schools

One Indianapolis Schools’ Elementary School Gets New Playground

Parkview Elementary School 81 will receive a new playground on October 2nd but the work has already started. An asphalt lot will be a brand new playground thanks to the Allstate Foundation and Injury Free Coalition for Kids at Riley Hospital. About 50 volunteers are expected to be involved in the project.

The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by the Allstate Corporation. The Allstate Foundation works to create safe communities. The Allstate Foundation has offered a national donation of $370,000, seven locations across the US have been chosen with Indianapolis Schools ’ Parkview Elementary School 81 being the only one in Indiana. Parkview Elementary School 81 was chosen, in part, because their recess area has for seventy five years been the asphalt lot.

The partnership between the Allstate Foundation and Injury Free Coalition for Kids at Riley Hospital aimed to redo the playground because of the safety issues surrounding child injuries on the playground. According to the Allstate Foundation, over 200,000 children suffer from injuries on the playground. Indianapolis Schools’ Parkview Elementary School 81’s new playground will be fun and safe. It will be covered with a new soft rubber tile known as SofTile and all equipment will have rounded edges. Safety was not the only goal; Indianapolis Schools wanted to improve access for students with special needs and make sure the equipment was durable.

Indianapolis Schools has discovered that play is important to the students’ physical, developmental, cognitive, and social development. Playgrounds are great for providing opportunities to learn about conflict resolution, sharing, and relationship building. Recess time gives students the time to release energy so they can better concentrate during study time. Playgrounds allow students to begin focusing on physical fitness and exercise. Indianapolis Schools Superintendent Eugene G. White wants all children to grow up knowing the pleasure of climbing and sliding on a playground.

The 300 students of Parkview Elementary School 81 are not the only ones to benefit from the new playground. It is estimated that 1,400 children live in the area around the school; these children will have access to the playground when the school is not in session. The Riley Hospital for Children reports that the Northeast-side Community Organization found that this area has some of the highest childhood injury rates in the city. This new playground will decrease fall injuries.

Indianapolis Schools Project Seeks Tutors

A new tutoring project for the fourth grade that is a joint program with Indianapolis Schools and the United Way of Central Indiana is looking for tutors. The project was announced on September 4th. This project aims to help students with reading and language arts skills for the fourth grade.

This project was created because thirty percent of the Indianapolis Schools fourth graders read two or more grade levels below grade. It is believed that one on one tutoring in word recognition, vocabulary development and fluency will help students achieve higher scores. The United Way has been running several similar projects in Madison, Wisconsin. The project aims to recruit at least 200 tutors who could spend one hour per week between the hours of 9:00AM and 3:30 PM at Indianapolis Schools.
by: Patricia Hawke

Speed Learning With SQR3

SQ3R is a reading/study system preferred by many educators.

It can add 10 to 15% more time to a study session. However, it can produce a 70% improvement in retention according to some researchers.

The SQ3R acronym stands for:

S = Survey
Q = Question
R = Read
R = Recite
R = Review

SURVEY:

Take five minutes to get an overview of the material paying special attention to organization and content.

Look out for diagrams, maps, pictures, charts. Take note of headings, boldface type, italicized words.

QUESTION:

Create interest in the material by asking the leading questions - What, Who, Where, When, How.

Keeping the mind focused on these questions as we read maintains interest in the material.

Ask yourself, "What is likely to be the most challenging part of this material for me to understand or remember?"

READ:

Look for answers to your questions from the previous stage. This means active reading. Summarize the main points in your own words, perhaps putting notes in the margin.

Read the whole paragraph first, then go back and underline key words or phrases.

Caution on underlining: Don't overdo it or nothing will stand out.

RECITE:

Without looking at your material recite the main points. Answer the questions you raised in step 2 (Question) in your own words.

If you can't explain it in your own words, you don't understand it - even if you think you do!

Verify your answer by checking the text.

REVIEW:

After applying the previous four stages to your material section by section, review the whole lesson at the end.

Note the parts that did not come to mind so easily and check the material again.

Re-read your margin notes and underlined words and phrases. Verbalize the sequence of main points.

Do this frequently within a two day period.

That's SQ3R in a nutshell. Sounds like hard work? Yes. But apply yourself and see your retention ability skyrocket!
by: Michael Tony Jones

Speed Learning Using The Pimsleur Method

The late Dr. Paul Pimsleur was one of the world's leading experts on language teaching. Dr. Pimsleur was a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Heidelberg and a founding member of the ACTFL - America Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

During his career he was associated with many educational centers including Colombia University, Ohio State University, State University of New York.

His years of experience and research revolutionized theories of language learning and teaching. He introduced many principles which made language learning much faster.

Two of the key principles are:

1. Anticipation

2. Graduated Interval Recall

Anticipation:

Rather than having information drummed into us through constant repetition, the principle of anticipation gets us to interact in the learning process.

After anticipating the answer from memory, the answer is then confirmed in the lesson. In other words, you receive information, then you recall it from memory and then use it.

Questions demand answers. Questions kick start the brain into thinking. Question and answer sessions therefore are extremely productive in the learning process.

How can Dr. Pimsleur's technique be applied in everyday learning situations?

For students or career individuals preparing for examinations, pick a "Learning Buddy", an associate who will assist you. You sit together in a 15 minute learning session.

Your "Learning Buddy" raises a question on the assigned material and gives you 5 to 10 seconds to give an answer. Whether you give the answer or not, they verbally repeat the answer.

Hearing the correct answer right after anticipation greatly increases your retention. The information is confirmed in your mind, once through anticipation and memory recall, second, from your "Learning Buddy".

Graduated Interval Recall:

This is an expression Dr. Pimsleur used to describe effective memory management.

He discovered that efficiency in remembering information was strongly connected to the intervals that elapsed before the information was recalled.

He then worked out a schedule to maximize the natural retention ability of the human brain and capitalize on peak retention intervals.

Lesson applied:

Label each learning session by giving it a name and make a list of the key points.

Then with your diary or computer planner open, write in the name of the learning session 1 day later, 1 week later, 1 month later. (Depending on the purpose or nature of the exercise, also 6 months later for long term memory).

Then simply review the key points when that session label appears in your diary or planner.

As the length of time between recalls increases, the strength of memory increases.
by: Michael Tony Jones

The Importance Of Homeschooling Laws

For various reasons many parents decide to homeschool their children. Homeschooling can provide an enhanced learning experience that far surpasses what can be had in a public or private school system. There are many advantages to home schooling especially during the elementary years.

However, before you even consider homeschooling, you must make certain you are familiar with the laws governing homeschooling in your state and in your school district. You want to make sure you stay within the law because there can be serious consequences if you do not. Some of these consequences may even have an affect on whether your child will be accepted into postsecondary educational institutions especially if they are state run.

Homeschooling laws vary from state to state so you must know the laws as they pertain to you. There are certain states which are very homeschool friendly and if homeschooling will be your lifestyle for several years, you may want to consider moving to one of these states. There are also states on the other end of the spectrum which make it very difficult for families to homeschool. Inquire with you local school board, you will probably be required to register with the school board even though you are homeschooling. You might be asked to complete a letter of intent that you will be homeschooling your children and have to file the appropriate forms before the fall deadline each year.

Instead of navigating the maze of laws and bureaucracies on your own, seek help from your local homeschooling association chapter. They will be well familiarized with the laws and procedures for your area.

The law also requires that your children take standardized tests so your child can legally be assigned to a grade level in your school district.

You will also be required to keep certain homeschooling documents on file as well as coursework for a certain amount of time. It is possible in some of the more homeschooling unfriendly states that you will be subject to periodic audits of your homeschooling paperwork.

It really isn’t difficult to follow the laws that are set forth by each state and even though you may not agree with them, it is in the best interest of your children to comply with the laws and make sure you understand them. It is your children’s education future at stake if you if you don’t follow the laws carefully and on time.
by: Jennifer Petersen