Blog – Page 7 – Chrysalis School

You Can Learn Anything

September 19, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: The Khan Academy recently published a video entitled “You Can Learn Anything,” which emphasizes a very positive message about learning. It contradicts the common perception that intelligence is “fixed” or that people are “born smart,” and instead relays a message that we are born to learn. Failure is part of our growth and an important part of the learning process at any age or stage.

Practice: We often receive students from other schools who believe they are “bad” at a particular subject because they never got their questions answered, weren’t able to master a concept “in time,” or failed to see the relevance in their assignments. By giving them the support they need to experience success we see students develop the confidence they need to persist, grow, and learn whatever they seek.

Self-Awareness

September 3, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: In his new book, entitled How We Learn, Benedict Carey claims that self-awareness is key to effective learning. He argues against traditional notions of how we learn (long hours in quiet isolation with a textbook) and promotes “tactical schooling,” which incorporates new knowledge about memory and the brain. When students learn how to learn, the task becomes less stressful and gives them an edge in making choices about their academic pursuits.

Practice: One of the benefits of working so closely with our students is that we can continually examine what works and what doesn’t to develop such self-awareness. Our teachers are constantly experimenting with new learning tactics and strategies to help students get to know themselves as learners and identify their true academic capacity.

Meaningful Partnership Between Teachers and Students

August 28, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: A report from the American Psychological Association argues that positive student-teacher relationships promote engagement, influence classroom behavior, and ultimately raise academic achievement. They can be supported when teachers establish personal connections with students, maintain frequent communication, and offer guidance and praise.

Practice: Our personalized programs encourage meaningful partnerships between students and their teachers. Consulting teachers in particular play a special role at Chrysalis as the one person who sees the whole child. They steer a student’s program, maintain communication with their team of teachers, serve as your primary point of contact, and can get to know a student deeply over the years. This relationships allows them to know your child’s strengths, potential, and help them achieve their goals.

Every Child

August 13, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: The National Association for Gifted Children argues that general education programs are not meeting the needs of all students. In response, it promotes gifted education programs, highlighting some of the most important evidence-based methods and practices that can maximize student achievement. They include: pace, appropriate levels of challenge, the reduction of repetition, grouping students by ability level, identifying strategies that work for each child, augmenting the relevance of curriculum, responding to individual needs, and providing appropriate individualized support.

Practice: At Chrysalis we recognize the effectiveness of these techniques not only for gifted children, but for all children. Our individualized approach allows all of our students to benefit from these practices to work toward their own personalized goals. We provide a gifted education for every child.

Let Your Children Take Risks

August 6, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: In his Ted Talk entitled “5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Child Do,” Gever Tulley challenges us to reconsider allowing children to take risks that have been virtually eliminated by modern society. He argues that learning to play with fire, use a pocketknife, or take apart an appliance offers valuable learning opportunities and encourages children to develop their sense of self, their perspective on the world around them, and de-mystify daunting tasks.

Practice: We certainly won’t be throwing spears or playing with fire at school this year, but summertime offers a great window of opportunity to allow kids to stretch their zone of comfort by offering new experiences. As parents we can encourage them to take measured risk by allowing them time to explore and placing such opportunities within their reach.

Teaching to the Brain

July 30, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: In his model of how the brain learns, David Sousa emphasizes the importance of experiencing success in accepting or rejecting new learning. When a student experiences success or failure in a learning situation, corresponding positive or negative emotions are connected to it. Success tells the brain to focus on the subject for further processing, while failure creates a block and develops resistance to new learning in that area.

Practice: This is why it’s so important that we create the right educational experience for each student in every subject. If a student has experienced failure in a particular subject there will naturally be resistance that inhibits their flexibility in this area. Under these circumstances we can offer individual courses that can tailor the subject to the student’s interests, abilities, and preferred learning style to start building success and change how the brain reacts to new learning.

Is Your Child Reading Too Early?

July 23, 2014 By:Alison McNee

20131119_101845 Research: A number of studies are beginning to emerge to support the claim that children are learning to read too young. They argue that starting formal schooling at 5 has no long-term benefits, can be damaging to other areas of development, and can affect their self-confidence if they aren’t ready. The new recommendation is for children to begin around age 7, allowing playful learning approaches to take a more prominent place in their development until then.

Practice: At Chrysalis each child is allowed to take the next step in their academic path when they are ready. Since we individualize every student’s program, there is room to develop at their own pace, without ever feeling frustrated, behind, or belittled by the process. With older students who’ve developed a reluctance to read from previous school experiences we start small, hone in on their interests, and get creative with what counts as reading (graphic novels, online content, non-fiction, etc.).

Teachers Need Summer Break Too!

July 16, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: Blogger Joshua Block writes about the importance of summer break for teachers, noting that reflection and rejuvenation are critical parts of the profession to escape the mechanization of routine. Teachers use this time to develop new ideas, engage new experiences, work on their professional development, and gather energy for another big year to come.

Practice: Our teachers are big-time adventurers! They’re volunteering, travelling, hiking, climbing, writing, attending workshops, spending time with family, and much much more this summer! Keep reading our staff highlights all summer long to see what they’re up to and what adventures they’ll have to share with your child!

Staff highlights: Maggie Onewein took a trip to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Grand Canyon, where she hiked through beautiful orange canyons and biked the rim of the Grand Canyon. Where have your adventures taken you

Confident Learners

May 14, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: In his argument about the industrialization of schools, Peter Senge argues against the traditional role of the teacher as the locus of control in the classroom, saying that no one teacher should be able to unilaterally judge a child’s performance, ability, style, or behavior. The teacher-as-manager model places undue weight on quantitative measures of performance, fails to acknowledge the subjective nature of assessment, and can negatively influence a child’s confidence as a learner.

Practice: At Chrysalis we recognize the importance of formulating teaching teams to properly assess a child’s progress. Even in our elementary program students are paired with a variety of teachers who coordinate and communicate with one another to gain insight into the needs and nature of the child. Each teacher sees something different in every student, and putting those pieces together to understand how to best serve their needs is one of the things we do best. We share, strategize, and make adjustments until we get it right.

Eliminating Stress to Promote Learning

May 7, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: Neurologist Judy Willis argues the importance of eliminating stress from the school environment to promote learning. Just as the brain needs stimulating input, it also needs rest to be able to process it. Overstimulation can lead to burnout, which engages filters in the brain that limit the flow of information and inhibit learning. Neurologists often subscribe to the saying, “the brain downshifts under stress.” By contrast, the brain works at optimal levels in positive emotional states.

Practice: At Chrysalis we know we need relaxed brains to work with, so we create conditions that allow for it: allowing students to work at their “just right” level of challenge, reducing competition, creating a positive social culture, allowing students a say in their scheduling, and giving them time during their day to process what they’ve learned and prepare for their next task.

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