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Set the Stage and Then Leave It

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Research: Contrary to popular belief and most school policies, parental involvement in their child’s school life by and large does not improve student achievement. In fact, a study on parental engagement found that higher levels of involvement (including help with homework) often negatively affect achievement. It found that the most important way parents can be involved is by communicating the value of learning to their child. The authors’ best advice to parents is to “set the stage and then leave it.”

Practice: By enrolling your child at Chrysalis you’ve effectively set the stage for your child. We work hard to match your child with the right teachers, ensure they are in a positive environment, and provide the right supports when they need them to ensure their success. It’s all about the journey from dependent to independent learner, which means a more hands-off approach for parents. Parents often ask how they can help support their student and our answer is quite simple: love them unconditionally and be their cheerleader. Teach them all life has to offer beyond academics: show them acceptance, teach them kindness, and model the value of learning.

No Standardized Testing

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Research: Standardized testing is used in many schools to measure student achievement and determine resource allocation on a large scale. At the individual level, however, numerous concerns abound regarding its validity, as noted by researcher Thomas Haladyna. By placing such importance upon these exams, the focus of teaching becomes teaching to the test rather than student learning. Furthermore, student progress is often glossed over or minimized by scores that are based on arbitrary and often developmentally inappropriate criteria.

Practice: At Chrysalis we don’t need to use state standardized testing to assess student learning. The value of small group and individualized instruction is that we can constantly gauge what our students know by assessing them in a variety of ways to determine the breadth and depth of their knowledge. While we will prepare students for the SAT and college by introducing test-taking strategies, we refuse to tie their success to a single number.

Individual Playlists

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Research: Teacher and blogger Matt Levinson writes about the potential the Internet holds for engaging student learning. He argues that educators should capture students’ natural fascination with technology to use it to our advantage, creating individual “playlists” of learning resources for every student. Beyond that, it’s just as important to teach students the responsibility that comes with so much information, learning which resources to trust and how to use them.

Practice: Our teachers are not restricted to the methods or materials they use to obtain their class goals. Chrysalis teachers are encouraged to be creative and resourceful in creating their classes and choosing course content. Furthermore, students are encouraged to be part of the process so that their coursework reflects their interests. You’ll see our students using a variety of resources to support their learning, from smart phones and ipads to online textbooks and videogames.

The Negative Effects of too Much Homework

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Research: Two new studies on homework pose concerns about schools’ misuse of the practice. The first study surveyed teachers across the nation and concluded that high school students are assigned an average of 3.5 hours of homework per night. The second uncovers the ramifications this practice, finding that these heavy loads take an emotional toll on both students and their families. The faulty assumption that heavy homework loads lead to success encourages tensions between parents and their children, increases stress, leads to sleep deprivation, and discourages other developmentally appropriate life lessons.

Practice: At Chrysalis we recognize that time spent outside of school is extremely valuable in the development of a child. It’s important that children nurture their relationships, explore their interests, and engage their passions outside of school. Out of respect for this time, the amount of homework we assign a student is directly related to their individual learning goals. Furthermore, we view homework as a measure of a student’s independence. While Chrysalis parents may need to help create a space or time for homework to be completed, they are dissuaded from active participation in the homework process.

Teachable Moments

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Research: Eric Jensen argues that self-regulation is the number one executive function skill that kids need to be successful in school. Also termed grit, resilience, or perseverance, Jensen cites numerous studies that relate this skill to academic performance and educational achievement. Students who can regulate their emotions and behavior are simply more likely to succeed in school and in life.

Practice: Self-regulation can be taught by slowing down to consider student attitudes and choices in given circumstances. At Chrysalis we engage students in direct, honest conversations about their behavior–where it might be appropriate, where it might not, and how to make that decision. We look for teachable moments where we see students struggling with self-regulation and use that opportunity to drive lessons around behavior and promote positive interactions. We allow students the opportunity to fail and get back up in a caring environment where everyone makes mistakes and learns from them.

Teacher’s Passion and Experience

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Research: Effective teachers are passionate about their subject area, but also other areas of their lives. A recent post from the Center for Teaching Quality, entitled “How Being Punk Rock Makes Me a Better Teacher,” demonstrates just that. Teachers who can share their passions and experiences with their students can have a tremendous impact on students both personally and academically, teaching valuable life lessons along the way.

Practice: Our teachers are encouraged to be who they are and share their passions with our community. Our teachers are mountaineers, artists, musicians, writers, actors, athletes, cross-fit trainers, animal lovers, and much much more! Their passions are a vital part of how we match students to teachers, with the hope of sparking productive learning partnerships.

How to Learn

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Research: Journalist Katrina Schwartz recently posed the question, “What would be a radically different vision of school?” She notes that with the growth of technology people will be expected to manage massive amounts of information since everything is at their fingertips. In such an age she suggests that the most important thing students should taught is how to learn as opposed to what to learn, “especially since the content or specific skills needed in the future are as yet unknown.”

Practice: Our teachers are skilled at discerning a student’s learning style to both teach to it and about it. Understanding one’s learning style is empowering–it informs how you take in information and expands the ways you can express what you know. These days it’s important to know where to access information, how to determine its validity, and be able to think critically and creatively about it.

Blended Learning

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Research: Much of the research on schools focuses on finding a solution that will solve the educational system’s woes. Among the most prominent ideas being promoted right now are “blended learning,” “flipped classrooms,” “STEM programs,” and other innovative solutions. Policymakers continue to hope that the implementation of one or more of these trends will serve as the magic bullet to improve educational outcomes for all students.

Practice: What’s missing is the personal nature of the learning process. We know we can’t prescribe the same solution for all kids. What works for one student could be detrimental to another. In reality, none of the solutions being discussed are a cure-all and shouldn’t be treated as such. That’s where an individualized program is so incredibly powerful. We can meet the needs of every student when we account for their individual strengths, needs, and interests to develop a personalized program that incorporates the models that a student would most benefit from.

Deep Learning

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Research: A new report highlights the need to promote “deep learning” in schools to respond to the needs of the global workplace where “creative, connected, and collaborative life-long problem solvers” are in demand. It argues that this cannot happen unless schools truly reflect what works, citing the following as best practices in education: establishing teachers and students as co-learners, long-term cross-curricular tasks, greater student control and choice, continuous feedback and formative assessment, and greater understanding of the learning process.

Practice: At Chrysalis these practices have been in place for more than thirty years. We base everything we do on our own set of best practices, which stem from continuous research into child development, psychology, education policy, and the brain, in addition to knowledge gleaned from our years of experience. Our dedication to research results in the ability to adapt and encourage innovation in the quest to achieve such deep learning.

My Happy Place

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In English 9, the students were asked to respond to a writing prompt, which was partially taken from a prompt found on the Common App for college applications The prompt was – Describe a time or place where you felt perfectly content.  Josh wrote this short, but poignant, piece about one special day, at one very special place. 

My Happy Place

The day of my happy place was June 18th, 2013. It was the last day of school and it was Beach Pie Day. Every year, at the very end, everyone at school brought all different kinds of pies – cherry pie, apple pie, blueberry pie . There were store bought pies, homemade pies, and pies baked at school. There were plenty of pies to go around for everyone!

Everyone also dressed like they were going to the beach to eat pie.I had woken up that morning feeling excited about it being the last day of school and I felt refreshed. I rushed to the bathroom, took a shower, and headed back to my room.  After my usual getting ready routine, I headed to school. When I got there my friends Jonah, Ben, and Dayian were there too. We all got our regular morning food of a chicken flavored Cup Of Noodles and sat down in the corner of the room and discussed what was it gonna be like without Dayian and Ben (this was their last day at Chrysalis). We had decided that the next year of school would not be as fun, and maybe a little lonely.

After about an hour of just talking, we headed outside and ran around having fun.  I don’t think I ever felt my smile come off my face. Everyone was so happy and having a great time. I had never been so happy to be at Chrysalis in that moment, with those people that I love so much, at the school that I treat like my home. After some contests and pie eating, we sat in front of all of our reflections of a dark window at the side of the school looking at our group and thinking, “wow, what a great year.” We talked about all our favorite times together. That day made me feel like my life was perfect.

After that we headed back inside and got ready to leave the South Campus for good. I said goodbye to all my favorite teachers, like Kent and Debbi.  In the end, we all said goodbye to one another and parted our ways in separate cars, but our friendship never left my heart.

 

Our Campuses

Chrysalis High School and Middle School
15900 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE
Woodinville, WA p: (425) 481-2228

Chrysalis Elementary Campus
17005 140th Ave NE
Woodinville, WA p: (425) 481-2228

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