The Spring of 2020 and the 2020-2021 school year were challenging for all school district stakeholders. No matter what your beliefs were concerning whether students should be attending school or the type of instructional format that the district needed to be using, everyone’s goal was to educate students. The pandemic pushed the district outside of it’s comfort zone to use unfamiliar instructional methods (i.e. virtual) that we had not made a commitment to implement. I acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made by our employees who accepted the challenge of implementing these unfamiliar teaching strategies.
During the 2020-21 school year, our schools implemented numerous initiatives intertwining the four C’s including: teacher use and integration of Google G suite components, implementation of ELearning strategies through asynchronous learning, teacher use of Google Classroom and communication apps, and the use of IReady Pathways to personalize instruction. With the implementation of a 1:1 Google Chromebook initiative for K-12, teachers integrated Google Classroom lessons into their curricula to provide learning opportunities for virtual and hybrid learning. Our students were exposed and use most of the G Suite components; email, sheets, docs, and slides. Due to quarantining of staff and students from Covid 19 exposure, it became necessary for the implementation of various ELearning days where asynchronous learning was utilized. Class DoJo and other social media platforms were used to integrate the curriculum and communicate with parents and community members. IReady
Pathways provide teachers an opportunity to differentiate and incorporate personalized learning experiences for students. Our teachers worked collaboratively using Rubicon software to create pacing guides for all subject areas. Writing across the curriculum and project-based learning were initiatives rich in creativity, communication, and critical thinking skills.
Our programs provided opportunities to integrate the four C’s in several ways. Opportunities include band, chorus, art, athletics, and clubs. These opportunities allowed students to demonstrate mastery of their learning standards through performance. Administrators continued to showcase their instructional expertise by leading professional development on PD Tuesdays.
Greenwood District 52 encourages rigorous instruction embedded the four C’s through the use of planning, the delivery of instruction, and the assessment of student learning. Implementation of the four C’s was essential to the achievement of our direction, “Impacting Students to Change the World.” Extensive community partnerships strengthen and support us. By embedding soft skills with academic employability skills and establishing positive relationships with our students, we believe they will be successful and become productive citizens in our global society.
