In opening our summer work this year, Oklahoma A+ Fellows were
invited to reflect upon the way in which our sessions with schools provide a third space into which we bring our
plans, teachers bring their knowledge and experience, and together we find new
understanding and inspiration. The reason for this is our commitment, not to present A+ philosophy, rather to facilitate the experiences and
discoveries of the educators in the room.
OKA+ Schools staff and
Fellows conducted Institutes for five new A+ Schools this summer,
as well as conferences
for eight implementation schools and assisted with LAA+ Institutes and
Conferences. Among our successful new components or practices this year was the
introduction of curriculum mapping on Day One of our New School Institutes.
Whenever possible, on their very first day we invited participants to create a
poster sized web of what they will be teaching at the beginning of the year.
This allowed participants to return to their web after each workshop or new
component of integrated unit planning and add the new information or
connections that they found. The response to this tangible context for the
content of the institute received rave reviews from participants and Fellows.
We believe that it led to a better grasp of more of the content we shared in
our 5-day Institutes.
This Kindergarten team decided to web several concepts for the year.
We also held Wednesday lunch time arts experiences for all
participants to allow them to mingle and get acquainted with other participants
in preparation for networking between schools in the elective workshops on
Wednesday afternoon. At two institutes, A+ Senior Fellow Cindy Scarberry and
the Rodeo Opry band shared lunchtime interactive concerts.
Lunchtime interactive concert
At our institute
held in Tahlequah, OK where Native American culture is so rich, we enjoyed the
interactive storytelling of Robert Lewis from the Cherokee Nation. It just so
happens that the school secretary at our Cherokee Immersion School is Kathy Van
Buskirk, a Living Treasure of the Cherokee Nation. Her art form is basket
weaving, and one of her double-walled Cherokee baskets is on permanent display
at the Smithsonian Institute. Kathy displayed some of her baskets and helped us
weave baskets of our own at an optional event on Wednesday evening.
Kathy Van Buskirk of the Cherokee Nation demonstrates the art of basket weaving.
Cherokee Baskets
Teachers learn to weave their own baskets.
It is a strength of our network and philosophy that we
continue to learn, evolve, and make new use of our resources, just as we expect
of our schools. Personally, I’m looking forward to watching the progress of our
implementation schools on their A+ journey.
About the Author
Rosalynn Wade is Program Director for Oklahoma A+ Schools. She gives planning and direction to services provided to OKA+ schools, associates, and Fellows. She holds an MA in educational leadership from Southern Nazarene University and is an adjunct professor there. Her passion for giving students creative choice and problem solving opportunities comes from her work as a visual art teacher and arts integration specialist for over twenty years.
