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Topic: "Political and Economic Realities"

Objective:

Students will design a charter school and will accept roles as teachers who exercise discretionary power in the school change process.  In their new roles, they accept responsibility for improving school climate through teaming, collaborative learning, and shared decision-making.

Accomplished Practice #9:  Learning Environments

Survey:  This survey is a self-inventory for teachers in the classroom.  If you are a pre-service                 teacher, please complete the survey as a preview of good classroom practice.               Survey for Accomplished Practice #9

Video:    Education's Big Gamble: Charter Schools (Merrow Video)                Go to the WebBoard and complete the weekly media reaction writing

Internet Links: Read about Florida's charter schools in the Tampa Tribune.

Education Week online: http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/charter.htm NOTE the definitions for the following: "school reform"; "site-based management"; and "alternative schools."

Lesson:           Designing a Technologically Enhanced Learning Environment.

Goto the site above. Review Cynthia Leshin's questions for designing effective learning            environments:  What do you want the students to learn? What learning strategies can be used to make the content or experience more personally meaningful or relevant? What learning strategies can be used to promote understanding and the transfer of learning? What tools or resources do you have available? How will you assess or evaluate what the students have learned? Internet Adventures (Allyn & Bacon, 1996),

ASSIGNMENT: Use the above questions to design the learning environment in an "ideal" charter school.  In addition to technology, consider other elements needed to increase students' school success.  Demonstrate sound education decisions as you write your design (See the links to Accomplished Practice #9 for suggestions). Use your imagination, too.  You may take liberties as you imagine the building, staffing, tools, resources, curriculum, etc.

E-mail your charter school design:  jhoneych@fgcu.edu

GRADUATE STUDENT ASSIGNMENT:  In addition to the design assignment above, read the article at the following site: http://www.osstf.on.ca/www/issues/charter/charter.html.

In his article Charting a Course to Social Division, Murray Dobbin reviews the charter school movement in Canada and other English-speaking nations.  He suggests that charter schools pose a threat to public education, at least as it relates to serving the public good.  Briefly summarize his argument; then either support his point of view or write a counter position based on what you learn from articles concerning the charter school experiments in the United States.

EVALUATION:  Save your file.  You might choose to include work from this lesson in your portfolio.

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SCFTIO Homepage This page was last modified December 01, 1998 jhoneych@fgcu.edu