A portion of those in attendance.
Parents received a brief presentation about what our overall vision for instruction is at WJHS and then we visited classrooms for a first-hand look at the teaching/learning taking place.
At WJHS, we base our goal for instruction on the Rigor/Relevance Framework developed by the International Center for Leadership in Education.
We synthesize the research behind the Rigor/Relevance Framework with two simple phrases: Above the Line and Get Real.
Above the Line:
We strive for higher levels of thinking. We work to avoid limiting the thinking of our students to simple memorization. We want our students thinking in more complex ways to build upon and extend their knowledge.
Get Real:
With regard to relevance, we attempt to construct learning experiences that ask students to:
- Contemplate "real" problems/issues
- Create "real" products
- For an authentic audience.
As we visit each room, parents get to see how our teachers are working to create more meaningful learning experiences.
After the visits, we debrief and discuss the evidence of rigorous, relevant learning that we just witnessed.
The parents that joined us this morning had a wonderful time and were extremely complimentary of our students and teachers.
We will host another Parent Learning Walk after the PTO meeting on April 5th. I hope that you can join us.
Tim Sparacino, Principal
