| In
our own day, masterpieces with their roots in instruction
include Richard Feynman's The Character of Physical Law
or Paul Klee's Sketchbooks. Casebooks written
for students are some of the most significant and enduring
achievements in American law.
The lesson
in all this is clear: When teaching materials are artfully
created, one cuts to the essence, focusing on the heart of
the matter, avoiding complication and adornment, and inspiring
students in a memorable way.
A curriculum
can and should be raised to the level of art. This aspiration
is at the heart of our "well-tempered" curriculum.
Though many of its elements are traditional, they are delivered
in dynamic and original ways that together define a program
of distinction. But the Newton Learning curriculum
is not static. It includes emerging ideas and topics, and
students and teachers are encouraged to contribute substantially
to the curriculum as well.
The
Newton Learning Curriculum: Key Characteristics
The Newton
Learning curriculum is results-oriented. Most after and
summer school programs describe their program in terms of
student participation. For them, student involvement in social
and recreational activities is enough. For some, education
is at best an afterthought. In Newton Learning extended-learning
programs, results—what students learn—are
what matter. As the demand for increased learning accelerates,
schools and school districts are increasingly becoming aware
of the potential opportunity to increase student learning
during the time children are cared for after school. Schools
have long been aware of the instructional memory loss associated
with long summertime breaks. Entwistle and Alexander (1996)
and Cooper (1997) produced studies that confirmed once again
what educators already knew: students lose considerable academic
ground over the summer. According to research provided by
the Chicago Research Consortium (1999), the deficits in instructional
memory are the greatest for poor urban students.
Researchers
have confirmed that by providing students additional instruction
during "off school" periods, students can overcome
these deficits and make serious academic gains. Cooper found
when studying over 90 summer school programs, for instance,
that students gained as much as .20 to .25 standard deviations
in real learning. The gains represent the equivalent of one
half year of academic growth.
Newton
Learning
has received unprecedented recognition around the country
for real results in educating public school students. Newton
Learning's vast experience in providing the nation's
best researched academic programs provides school districts
with a most impressive reason for contracting with Newton
Learning for extended-learning programming.
Spanning
five major domains, Newton Learning's curriculum
takes a broad view of education. The curriculum is about far
more than traditional academics. By covering humanities, the
arts, mathematics, science, and health and physical fitness,
the Newton Learning curriculum aims not just to prepare
students for academic performance—though it does so
superbly—but also to prepare them for productive lives.
Our standards
are high. We believe in the potential of every student and
have high expectations for the achievement of all. In general,
Newton Learning's standards equal or surpass the
most ambitious standards currently in place in extended-learning
programs around the nation.
Our subjects
are integrated. By using an interdisciplinary approach, Newton
Learning schools make learning more coherent and more
enjoyable. Combined with a flexible schedule that builds in
student fun, the Newton Learning curriculum asks
students to solve authentic problems that require them to
draw on several disciplines.
Our curriculum
addresses local interest and cultures. The Newton Learning
instructional program is written specifically for each partner
school and district, ensuring that each school addresses the
priorities of its own community and that students confront
the major issues and interests of their locale.
Our curriculum
is project-based and problem-centered. Newton Learning
partnership schools draw on many techniques to make education
come alive. Students learn by tackling tough, real-world problems.
They read, write, experiment, and calculate, as well as present
their ideas through the visual arts and a variety of media.
The curriculum stimulates all of their senses, draws on a
range of skills, and uncovers a multitude of talents.
Our curriculum
takes full advantage of sophisticated technology. Technology
is integrated into curriculum, instruction, and assessment
at every school.
Our curriculum
produces self-reliant adults. We intend to educate students
who are well rounded, inquisitive, thoughtful, concerned for
others, devoted to (and knowledgeable about) democratic principles,
and intellectually sophisticated. We want students to be articulate,
ethical, healthy, and eager for further learning.
Humanities
and the Arts
A productive
adult life is determined by the ability to communicate—to
read, write, speak, and listen. Yet communication takes many
forms, as the arts—music, dance, visual arts, drama—demonstrate
so vividly. In the area of the humanities and the arts, the
Newton Learning curriculum is designed to produce
articulate, expressive students who recognize and appreciate
the richness and texture that the arts and literature give
to life.
ENGLISH
AND LANGUAGE ARTS - Words
are basic. It is a rare individual who can think through a
complex idea without putting words to paper or computer screen.
To an overwhelming extent, the archive of human knowledge
is written, meaning that those who can read swiftly and analytically,
and retain what they read, are better able to take advantage
of this storehouse of ideas.
Speaking
and listening skills are no less important. The ability to
express one's own ideas and to understand those of others
is inextricably linked to the ability to read and write. All
are powerful tools of logic, as is visual literacy. Video
and other forms of visual media are increasingly prevalent
means of communication.
READING,
WRITING, SPEAKING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING - The Newton
Learning curriculum fosters high levels of literacy in
each of these areas. The first step is to ensure that all
students have strong reading skills. Too many young people
struggle through school because they never acquired the skills
needed to learn. In the Newton Learning reading courses,
students follow a sequence that includes teacher readings
of award-winning literature, group discussions, and creative
extension activities. The readings help struggling students
develop oral fluency, which builds vocabulary, comprehension,
and confidence. Teachers pose thoughtful questions about the
readings to reinforce important topics and themes. Students
follow up with fun-filled, group activities which serve to
enhance knowledge and skills.
The curriculum
is equally committed to writing, which is a daily activity.
Students learn to express themselves creatively in fiction
writing classes. They hone the art of nonfiction writing by
becoming "journalists" and reporting on their world,
and by studying nonfiction writing in books and magazines.
Speaking
and listening are highly valued as well. From kindergarten
on, students learn how to organize their thoughts for oral
presentations. They also get lots of practice speaking, presenting,
listening, and questioning.
Finally,
we emphasize viewing skills, as visual literacy is increasingly
important in today's world. Students learn to be informed
and intelligent viewers who question what they watch just
as they question what they read.
Primary
Academy (Grades K-2)
To ensure that
every student learns to read and write well by the end of
second grade, Newton Learning employs multiple techniques,
with emphasis on such proven methods as cooperative learning
and tutoring. Phonics, word-attack, comprehension, and study
skills are explicitly taught through a literature-based approach
that features classic contemporary stories, fables, fairy
tales, and folktales, in addition to expository texts.
The writing program
involves keeping daily journals and writing portfolios. The
early goal is to promote enthusiasm for writing. As students
become more adept at writing both fiction and nonfiction,
they focus on spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as
content. Ample access to computers encourages editing and
revising, and offers experience with multimedia presentations.
Elementary
Academy (Grades 3-5)
Here students solidify
their grasp of the essential tools of English. They gain strong
skills in reading, writing, and speaking in all disciplines
and deepen their understanding of more sophisticated literature.
They read poems, plays, speeches, and biographies, as well
as novels and short stories. They memorize passages from great
works for intellectual discipline and for grounding in cultural
literacy. Students also focus more attention on the rules
and structure of proper English, vocabulary growth, oral fluency,
and public speaking.
Junior
Academy (Grades 6-8)
During these pivotal
middle grades, students attain mastery of the essential elements,
structures, and conventions of English. They expand their
vocabulary and strengthen their ability to communicate effectively.
They not only read good literature and expository texts, but
also learn how to analyze them and relate them to history,
geography, the arts, science, and other fields.
Students write
creative, expository, and analytic prose and study poetry
and drama. The quest for effective oral communication leads
to experiences in extemporaneous speaking, recitations and
readings and theatrical performance (in conjunction with arts
instruction).
Senior
Academy (High School Grades)
With the mechanics
well in hand, students in the early high school grades are
ready for an in-depth study of literature and nonfiction works.
Since these are the years when Newton Learning's
history program concentrates on U.S. history and the modern
world, students read American literature and look for connections
between what happened and what was written.
The Arts
The Newton
Learning extended-learning program recognizes that the
academic disciplines most commonly taught only begin to tap
students' creative potential. Some feelings and ideas can
be—in truth, can only be—communicated and understood
through the arts. The Newton Learning school design
places great emphasis on creative expression and skill, as
well as aesthetic judgment.
The Value
of the Arts
The arts provide
students with exciting opportunities for participation and
expression. There is also evidence that art and music may
promote academic achievements. Research suggests that some
kinds of music and related coursework boost reasoning skills
and that spatial abilities are strengthened by serious work
in architecture and sculpture. Music, visual art, drama, and
dance also stimulate creative thinking, expression, and deeper
understanding of other disciplines.
Mathematics
and Science
All American students
must achieve higher levels of mathematical and scientific
literacy. The Industrial Age is over and the Information Age
has begun. America's economic future depends on workers who
understand and use information systems and solve complex technical
problems—endeavors for which formal mathematics is often
essential. Mathematics also teaches logical reasoning and
analytical methods that are important for a range of emerging
occupations.
In science, developments
in such areas as agriculture, medicine, energy, transportation,
and communications depend directly on advances in biology,
chemistry, and physics. Scientific study sharpens the ability
to observe, analyze, estimate, interpret, and design. The
scientific method teaches the value of thorough research and
verification—and healthy skepticism, too. It is also
good for democracy to have citizens who are math and science
literate. Our government addresses policy issues that are
technically complex. Politicians would be held more accountable
and policy making would be more effective if all citizens
had the knowledge to grasp many of these highly complicated
questions.
For these reasons
and more, the Newton Learning curriculum helps students understand
more of the essential elements in mathematics and science.
Mathematics
From the earliest
grades, students study math in ways that are practical and
that relate math to sports, music, history, and personal experiences.
We also place special
emphasis on fully understanding mathematics; on developing
an intuitive feel for how numbers, operations, and relationships
work. Students should see math as an essential form of literacy
that they internalize and readily employ. Toward this end,
we emphasize with even the youngest students such skills and
concepts as number sense, estimation techniques, judging the
reasonableness of answers, spatial sense, collecting and organizing
data, relationships among variables, and problem-solving strategies.
From the start we concentrate on building the foundations
for higher-level mathematics.
Students learn
math the "hands-on" way, through interesting and
speculative investigations and games. From interactive computer
simulations (using the award-winning Tom Snyder materials)
to the fast-paced "24" math facts game, the Newton
Learning math program develops essential math facts while
introducing team oriented, learner-centered programming.
In the Junior Academy
(6-8), the mathematics curriculum is even more ambitious.
All students learn first-year algebra through interesting
hands-on manipulations. They reason with graphs; create algorithms
and analytical procedures; use ratios, proportions, and percentages;
and work with elementary functions. They also begin learning
probability, statistics, and geometry.
Science
Like mathematics,
science gets off to an ambitious and early start. In partnership
schools, imaginative and effective scientific teaching begins
in kindergarten, where teachers nourish and fulfill students'
innate curiosity about the world—its wildlife, plants,
and natural systems. Newton Learning's science instruction
provides a wealth of compelling project ideas and field trips
that make learning effective and enjoyable. Even the youngest
students adopt the methods of seasoned scientists as they
analyze, explore, inquire, catalog, and test by means of engaging,
hands-on experiences.
Character
and Ethics
Partnership schools
are public institutions that foster the democratic principles
and basic ethics that most people support. Many agree that
schools should help students understand the value of democratic
government, justice, respect for personal liberty, and equality
before the law. Schools should foster in students such fundamental
aspects of good character as honesty, kindness, courage, and
integrity. In this sensitive but crucial area, publicly supported
schools have a responsibility to serve the common good by
raising responsible citizens.
Newton Learning
partnership schools aim to do just that. They are ethical
places that clearly state their principles, practice what
they preach, and connect everything they do to a coherent
philosophy of beliefs.
Physical
Fitness and Health
The statistics
are all too familiar: Twenty percent of American students
are obese and risk heart attack and stroke in the adult years.
By middle school, nearly 20 percent of students take no physical
education at all. Only about half of all adolescents participate
in organized physical activity in school or in the community.
The Newton
Learning curriculum is committed to improving this picture
through a skill-oriented program of physical education that
emphasizes personal fitness, participation in team sports,
and knowledge of health, nutrition, and safety. Woven into
every Newton Learning lesson, students realize their
potential through thematic, active lessons designed to inspire
and motivate.
|
