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Red Bridge Elementary’s expedition in learning
By: Kurt Kloeblen, Staff writer
For much of the school year at Red Bridge Elementary, do not expect to see the same regimented class schedule you see at other schools.
Red Bridge Elementary is an expeditionary learning school, one of only 185 schools in the United States currently using the alternative curriculum.
EL differs from traditional classroom curriculum by combining nearly every area of study at the same time. The curriculum is science-based, but encompasses reading, writing, math, critical thinking, community skills and more.
The school is starting its second year with EL and will expand last year’s progress as part of a five-year implementation plan.
Anecdotal evidence seems to point to early success.
“The discussion you hear in the community is one that we evaluate,” Principal Danelle Marsden said. “We have parents calling, saying ‘I want to put my child in your school.’ Some are coming out of private school. They are hearing about EL and want to know more about it.”
Red Bridge spent nearly one year learning about EL, having teachers train with a site-specific school trainer to learn the new ways of adopting the curriculum before students saw any specific EL work. Some teachers started the work in January, while the rest started in March and continued through the end of the school year.
EL is done in expeditions. An expedition is made up of two investigations. Subject matter last year included animals, weather and trains. Schools usually have three expeditions per school year, each lasting between six and 12 weeks. This year, the school hopes to have each class complete one expedition.
Bob Bartman, superintendant of the Center School District, said EL presents plenty of advantages.
“I believe in that method of instruction where you integrate math, communication arts, social studies and science,” Bartman said. “In the real world you don’t have all the silos out there. You don’t spend your first hour in mathematics, so bring me all the math stuff I have to do. Students that go through school fixed on a silo mentality have a harder time blending those things.”
One of the hallmarks of EL is cooperative learning and working in crews. Marsden said that while some children take time to learn the constraints of working in a team, the end benefits are plenty.
“It could be challenging for some kids, there is so much cooperative learning,” Marsden said. “You and I may have taken a book and sat down and done our reader. We jigsaw that, where every child is responsible for certain pieces. They have to come together in their crew and teach each other about what they learned in that section. It may be challenging when you have a lower reader. Or it may be challenging when you have someone that’s not a good group worker.
“But we’re building our community, and we will all work together everyday.”
Marsden said building a community within EL can be key to students’ development.
“One of the core practices of EL is the character education piece and the community piece,” Marsden said. “The first two weeks of school this year is nothing but community building within the classroom and school. The way we build a community sets the norm. You can make that choice to not be OK, that’s not OK with us. We’re not going to let you get away with it. There is also the factor of the built-in trust with the teachers and children. If something happens they do let the adult know. They also correct each other. So the community piece is a big part.”
Bartman said the district will watch to see how the school progresses, but ultimately Red Bridge must be judged with the same criteria as other schools.
“We have a goal to make every youngster to be reading at or above grade level and competent in mathematics,” Bartman said. “From the district level we keep an eye on that goal. There are some things that are standard throughout all elementary schools. But we need to see if there is another way at getting at that goal.”
Marsden carries her binder of information about EL with her and said she is seeing teachers and students buy into the curriculum. The best moments may come when parents rave about what their kids say to them.
“The common parent reaction is, ‘When my child was in the middle of an investigation, they could not stop talking about it,’” Marsden said. “They absolutely love every bit of it.”
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Red Bridge Elementary is an expeditionary learning school, one of only 185 schools in the United States currently using the alternative curriculum.
EL differs from traditional classroom curriculum by combining nearly every area of study at the same time. The curriculum is science-based, but encompasses reading, writing, math, critical thinking, community skills and more.
The school is starting its second year with EL and will expand last year’s progress as part of a five-year implementation plan.
Anecdotal evidence seems to point to early success.
“The discussion you hear in the community is one that we evaluate,” Principal Danelle Marsden said. “We have parents calling, saying ‘I want to put my child in your school.’ Some are coming out of private school. They are hearing about EL and want to know more about it.”
Red Bridge spent nearly one year learning about EL, having teachers train with a site-specific school trainer to learn the new ways of adopting the curriculum before students saw any specific EL work. Some teachers started the work in January, while the rest started in March and continued through the end of the school year.
EL is done in expeditions. An expedition is made up of two investigations. Subject matter last year included animals, weather and trains. Schools usually have three expeditions per school year, each lasting between six and 12 weeks. This year, the school hopes to have each class complete one expedition.
Bob Bartman, superintendant of the Center School District, said EL presents plenty of advantages.
“I believe in that method of instruction where you integrate math, communication arts, social studies and science,” Bartman said. “In the real world you don’t have all the silos out there. You don’t spend your first hour in mathematics, so bring me all the math stuff I have to do. Students that go through school fixed on a silo mentality have a harder time blending those things.”
One of the hallmarks of EL is cooperative learning and working in crews. Marsden said that while some children take time to learn the constraints of working in a team, the end benefits are plenty.
“It could be challenging for some kids, there is so much cooperative learning,” Marsden said. “You and I may have taken a book and sat down and done our reader. We jigsaw that, where every child is responsible for certain pieces. They have to come together in their crew and teach each other about what they learned in that section. It may be challenging when you have a lower reader. Or it may be challenging when you have someone that’s not a good group worker.
“But we’re building our community, and we will all work together everyday.”
Marsden said building a community within EL can be key to students’ development.
“One of the core practices of EL is the character education piece and the community piece,” Marsden said. “The first two weeks of school this year is nothing but community building within the classroom and school. The way we build a community sets the norm. You can make that choice to not be OK, that’s not OK with us. We’re not going to let you get away with it. There is also the factor of the built-in trust with the teachers and children. If something happens they do let the adult know. They also correct each other. So the community piece is a big part.”
Bartman said the district will watch to see how the school progresses, but ultimately Red Bridge must be judged with the same criteria as other schools.
“We have a goal to make every youngster to be reading at or above grade level and competent in mathematics,” Bartman said. “From the district level we keep an eye on that goal. There are some things that are standard throughout all elementary schools. But we need to see if there is another way at getting at that goal.”
Marsden carries her binder of information about EL with her and said she is seeing teachers and students buy into the curriculum. The best moments may come when parents rave about what their kids say to them.
“The common parent reaction is, ‘When my child was in the middle of an investigation, they could not stop talking about it,’” Marsden said. “They absolutely love every bit of it.”