Enriching Learning At OMS

By Kevin Gray

When the middle part of the day arrives at Osawatomie Middle School, students can be found in the gym shooting baskets or playing an assortment of fun games.

Or students can chose to spend their time playing educational games in the computer labs.

Others might choose to stay in their assigned classrooms to read or work on assignments.

But whatever the choice, students at Osawatomie appear to be getting their work done.

After visiting Baldwin and Louisburg Middle Schools last year to investigate learning enrichment ideas, said OMS Assistant Principal Darren Soucie, teachers and staff chose to set up their own plan.

“We wanted to reward positive and good behavior, as well as teaching responsibility,” Soucie said.

Towards this end, students attend both Enrichment classes and Enrichment Freedom Days. “We can group them for their enrichment experience. For those who struggle in certain areas, we can place them for one-on-one teaching, and others can be placed in small groups,” Soucie said.

Sixth-grade students attend the Enrichment class three days a week. On the other two days, they can choose where to go on their Enrichment Freedom Day.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students work in Enrichment classes two days a week and choose where to spend their Enrichment Freedom time.

Going to the gym, computer labs or the library are all favorites, said English teacher Gara Chisam. “With this system, those students who do not have their work done, now have to take the responsibility to figure out when and how to get it done, if they want to participate in Enrichment Freedom Day,” Chisam said.

Chisam said she felt the enrichment plan is working well. “I am in charge of a Freedom computer lab, and they are on tasks when they are here,” Chisam said.

Not all students manage to get their work done, Chisam said, or due to behavior are not allowed to participate.

“The Enrichment program also helps students develop better attitudes about learning. Some find themselves in lockdown. I don’t like the term, but it simply means they stay by themselves in a classroom and must complete their assignments,” Chisam said.

Along with teaching responsibility and better behaviors, Chisam said, the new plan has been a morale booster. “They are in better spirits and happier here at school knowing they can earn some free time,” she said.

But even on Enrichment Freedom Days, the students, Chisam said, will come to her room or they can choose another classroom in which to complete assignments. “They don’t always decide to go do the fun things,” Chisam said.

The OMS enrichment idea will still take some tweaking, Soucie said. “We are also looking at doing some character building with instruction.”

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Posted by admin on Dec 7 2011. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry