Instructional practice PRINCIPLES

In order to provide an environment where all students perform up to their potential and are prepared for the future, we will make sure that students:

—         Are actively involved in their own learning.

—         Use writing as a way to learn.

—         Have some ownership over what is being learned.

—         Communicate with peers about what they are learning.

—         Study subjects in a way that shows them applications to real life.

—         Are able to make connections among content areas.

—         Are instructed in ways that help all students learn the Core Content for Assessment which Kentucky has determined is essential for all students to know and be able to do.

—         Are instructed in ways that equip students to apply the Depth of Knowledge specified in the Kentucky Core Content.

 

Instructional practice GUIDELINES

To help ensure our instructional practice principles are implemented:

Each week, students will have the opportunity to:

—         Receive appropriate and meaningful feedback.

—         Work with other students in pairs, small groups, or teams.

—         Do hands-on activities.

—         Use calculators.

—         Read books or materials on their own or with a partner.

—         Listen to an adult read aloud.

—         Discuss different ways to solve problems.

 

Each month, students will have the opportunity to:

—         Read and write in all content areas.

—         Do open-response and on-demand items.

—         Communicate with pictures, charts, graphs, or a web.

—         Use a scoring guide.

—         Use a computer.

—         Use resources other than a textbook or worksheet.

—         Use manipulatives or equipment.

—         Be exposed to real-life examples that relate to content areas.

—         Discuss or read about current events, issues, or topics.

—         Watch the teacher do a demonstration.

—         Perform or create in an area of the arts and humanities.

Each grading period, students will have the opportunity to:

—         Participate in a one-on-one reading or writing conference with a teacher.

—         Do projects and investigations.

—         Participate in a peer reading or writing conference.

—         Read novels, short stories, and poems.

—         Read newspapers and magazines.

—         Use a computer for research.

—         Do real-life activities or projects.

—         Design or investigate projects based on their interests.

—         Speak in front of a group.

 

TEACHER rOLE

To ensure that the principles and guidelines above are implemented, every teacher shall:

  1. Use a wide variety of student-centered, culturally responsive instructional strategies to address various learning styles.
  2. Use activities where all students use higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. 
  3. Assign tasks similar to those used for state assessments. 
  4. Provide opportunities for students to connect their learning to other topics and subjects and real-life experiences. 

5.      Use technology for appropriate and varied learning activities and to extend the classroom into the community and the world.

  1. Use instructional resources that are developmentally appropriate, culturally diverse, and varied.
  2. Follow the procedures outlined in our Homework Policy.
  3. Provide students with opportunities to evaluate their performance and use the feedback to reflect on and improve classroom practice as needed.

PRINCIPAL ROLE

To ensure that these instructional practice principles and guidelines are implemented and teachers are able to fulfill their role, the principal will:

  1. Make sure that these instructional practice principles and guidelines are taken into account in both the interview process and in the final selection of all teachers.
  2. Encourage and support teachers in their role.
  3. Encourage professional development that supports the implementation of this policy.