of Arts and Sciences 618 S. Eighth Street Boise, ID 83702 Phone: (208) 331-9260 
Foothills School of Arts and Sciences |
Foothills
School—a Real Alternative for an Alternative Future
First, teachers have the same students for at least 2 years, allowing teachers, students, and parents to establish close connections. Far less time is needed at the beginning of each school year to establish routines and ascertain students’ academic skills. We believe the extended time spent in one classroom gives our students more time to meet developmental and academic benchmarks. Important relationships among parents and teachers are fostered, supporting a real community of learners. Second, with multi-age grouping, there is a greater range of emotional, intellectual, and physical development among the students, allowing more opportunity for students to find commonalities with other students. This range, as well as the small student-to-teacher ratio, enables the faculty to view each student as an individual, avoiding the false assumption that students of the same age or grade level might have the same skills or attributes. Finally, cross-grade teams encourage cooperative learning and a spirit of community. Each year the older children experience the confidence that comes from “knowing the ropes”; they mentor new children. The younger students in each group quickly adopt the behaviors and intellectual attitudes of their older peers, thus maintaining continuity from year-to-year. Every student has multiple opportunities to be in leadership roles. Our low student-teacher ratios (maximums of: 1:10 pre-K, 1:12 K-1st, 1:16 2nd–8th) allow the individual needs of our students to be both recognized and addressed. Close contact with parents results in a team effort to master skills, develop a strong sense of personal responsibility, and build an environment of mutual respect and trust. Problem Solving and Creative Thinking The “basics” at Foothills School extend beyond memorization and drill on discrete skills. At every level, children are engaged in theorizing and problem solving. In the Early Learner and Primary classrooms children are invited to make observations and generate questions about the world. These questions then become an avenue for extension and exploration. Teachers create provocations that challenge individual theories and invite dialogue among the children. New discoveries are shared in class meetings and presentations. In the Junior Class, the process of problem solving becomes more formalized. Teachers invite children to apply their knowledge of physical properties and construction materials to solve a problem, for example, finding a way to propel an object from one point to another or modifying a ping pong ball to slow its descent when it is dropped. Children develop personal research topics, collecting information from a range of sources: Internet, books, maps, charts, interviews. Intermediate students focus on environmental and historical issues that have shaped our present and discuss solutions for the future. In the Intermediate class, students design experiments. They generate questions and design experiments with controlled variables in order to test their theories. Their research sometimes leads them toward community action, such as, a presentation to the Mayor regarding pollution. Fall and Spring Trips offer an opportunity for field work on the Oregon Coast, Teton Science School or in Hell’s Canyon. Seniors explore world cultures through literature, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology and geography. They examine the impact of humans on global ecosystems. Teaching Teams Teachers at Foothills do not teach in isolation. Our teams are housed in “suites” promoting the collaboration of a team of classroom teachers. As we believe that children have to interact with and in a community to learn and grow, we believe this of teachers as well. By working together, we are able to question and share ideas, be creative and problem solve in ways that teachers cannot do when they work in isolation. Each teaching team is supported by specialists in math, art, music, and Spanish, providing additional perspectives on student learning. The entire staff meets on a regualar basis for planning and curriculum development. This allows us to understand our students as learners at all levels, reviewing research and documentation, and sharing ideas across grade levels. Authentic Assessment We encourage children to develop learning habits that are not dependent on rewards, but instead are intrinsically motivated. Letter grades are not given to students in grades Pre-K-5,are optional in grades 6-8; instead, teachers write extensive narratives that describe each learner’s academic, social, emotional, and physical strengths, as well as needs and goals for improvement. These evaluations are derived from ongoing observations and assessments, which teachers make throughout the year. Grades are required in 9th grade and written narratives are included in each student's evaluation. Parents, teachers, and students meet twice a year for student-led portfolio conferences to discuss progress and student growth in the classroom. Teachers keep journals, portfolios, documentation or files in order to record the development of each child. Our project approach to thematic units allows us to observe how a student takes a project from start (conception of an idea) to finish (a formal presentation by the student to the class). Our students participate in many group activities, but they are assessed as individuals. Self-assessments, done by the students themselves, also provide a way for teachers and parents to understand how a student perceives his/her own performance, interests and strengths in the school environment. Evaluation of a student is ongoing and year-long. As teachers, we look for the presence of six key components in a learner’s profile. We expect to see a student demonstrate personal responsibility (e.g., completing assignments, keeping personal areas neat, following directions) as well as social responsibility toward the group (e.g., following rules, including and respecting others, playing fairly). We also look for progress over time, with an effort demonstrated by the student for learning in all subject areas. We expect enthusiastic participation in learning activities. Each student’s performance, as indicated by the time, effort, and interest given to an individual project, is observed and noted by teachers and described in each student’s evaluation. At all times, we look at learning as an integrated process. We find that we are most successful with students and parents who view learning as a lifelong process, rather than solely the memorization of discrete, serial facts. Documentation Documentation of student learning enables our teachers to plan a responsive curriculum that supports individual and group development. It is not done to compare children, to determine placement or inclusion into the program, or to label or grade. It is done in order to understand children – their feelings, interests, dispositions, capabilities and ways of learning and sharing information. This knowledge makes it possible for the teachers to plan learning experiences that are meaningful and yet challenging to children. Documentation encourages the child to reflect on his/her progress, allows parents to reflect on and support a child’s growth, and extends the teacher’s knowledge of how the child learns. Foothills School began this documentation process in the Early Learners program, but has extended this work throughout the school through our Director of Education and a grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, which provided technology and equipment to support documentation, and through a commitment from the faculty to continue to research, learn, and grow with our students and their families. A Flexible Learning Timetable Education at Foothills School is not bound to a timetable; children are not pressed toward deadlines as if they were on a bus or train schedule. Teachers incorporate flexibility into the curriculum. If it takes longer to complete an inquiry project, or if student interests suggest a need for deeper exploration, we allow ourselves and our students the time needed. Our curriculum relies on the inter-relatedness of subject matter. Rather than separating reading blocks from writing blocks from social studies and science blocks, we combine disciplines and integrate one with the next – with the current inquiry unit as the focus. As a result, the day flows and subject areas relate to one another naturally. Thus, while our days are structured, they also allow for flexibility and time for the completion of an idea, thought or project. Parents: Partners in the Learning Process Over the years, Foothills has worked to create a community in which families and teachers work side by side to support a learning environment that meets the needs of all our children. Regularly scheduled classroom level parent meetings provide opportunities for parents and teachers to reflect on documentation of children’s learning. With parents, we discuss ways of extending learning, as a community in the classroom and individually at home. Parents and teachers celebrate successes, share challenges and seek solutions and new directions for learning. There are many opportunities for parents to become involved in the development of the larger school by serving as a school volunteer. Quarterly Board Forums invite parent participation in long-range school planning. Our school is unique. It is unique because of the children, families and teachers that live and grow in it everyday. What exists at Foothills School is a true commitment to learning with and about each other – not just inside the walls of our school, but all around us. Return to top |
