0 Is the Role of Generalist Outdated in Education?

Posted by Atsumori. Category: Professional Learning

There's so much to know about teaching and learning today that I'm wondering if the role of generalist is outdated? Yet, I don't want to move backwards to old school content, subject specialty driven departments. Hence, what's the best path to take?

I don't have the answers, but I have some questions and possibilities. Let me know what you think about these ideas related to transforming the elementary school teaching/learning environment?

All Educators on Board: Advisory Groups/Homerooms
First, I wonder if every professional educator in the school building should have a homeroom or advisory group. That would maximize professional effort for student care and attention with low student-teacher ratios. That means all special educators, coaches, interventionists, specialists, classroom teachers, therapists, and other professional educators would spend about an hour a day with a small group of students on tasks related to organization, read aloud, writing, social competency, and care. These professional educators would play the role of the "school parent" who coordinates and leads the parent conference, report card, social/emotional needs, and other care taking for a small group of students. This could be one change in the right direction resulting in greater care, attention, and response for every child in the school.  I believe this role would also create a more vibrant school community since all educators would share an important role related to students. (I know of schools that have done this with regard to "all stop and read" initiatives.)

Menu Approach to Learning
After homeroom, each student would follow a developmentally, academically responsive individual menu. The menu would include a number of specialty skill pods such as reading fluency/comprehension, tech skill practice, and math problem solving in addition to a number of interdisciplinary project base learning pods which could be as creative as "Tree House Design/Build" where students design and build a tree house by applying multiple skills across discipline. Professional educators would each have responsibility for a doable number of pods.  Pods could be same-age or multi-age dependent on learning focus and student need.  All pods would be designed to give students a chance to learn, practice, integrate, and apply essential skill, concept, and knowledge. There would also be a "library commons" pod where students have time to think, read, write, and create with freedom and support.

Educator Assignments
As mentioned earlier, the educator assignments would be reasonable including responsibility for worthy, research-based, responsive learning design to provide students with engaging, responsive academic experiences and growth. The assignments would be created in such a way that during a child's tenure at the school he/she would gain essential skill and experience in all content areas deemed integral to a worthwhile education (for now that would be the common core, 21st C skills, and skills and experiences related to student and community context).

Where to Start?
I think the starting place for this change is to make advisory groups in all schools. The advisors (professional educators) would follow their group of students throughout their tenure at the school. For example at my school that means an advisor would follow a group from grades 1-5.  It would take about a year to establish the systems, spaces, and schedules to support this change.

Then What?
Then begin establishing the menu approach to education by creating large pods for skills practice and project base learning, and smaller pods for specific skill interventions, education, and coaching. Further, there would be create, practice, and tech pods run by teaching assistants. The pods would be built with student/teacher talents and needs in mind.

Don't Forget!
The foundation of these changes is teaching children well, and by implementing these changes we will impact student learning with strength for the following reasons:

• Students will get more attention.
• Students' attention will be more consistent.
• Family contact would be targeted and streamlined because families would have a go-to person in the school for all of their child's needs. 
• The community of professional educators will share the common bond of nurturing their advisory groups with optimal read aloud, social competency, writing efforts, parent meetings, report cards, and responsive action.
• Learning will grow since educators' breadth and depth of responsibility will become more tailored and specific with a limited number of skill-based or project base learning pods. These educators will have more time to concentrate on worthy, blended learning design and response to teach children well.
• Students' daily menu of learning will become more responsive and specific thus potentially providing a more engaging, successful learning program for every child.
• Professional educators would have a greater investment in their students since they would be responsible for the same group of students for multiple years. 

What do you think?  Let me know?

This is only a start of a host of new ideas about moving schools forward, particularly schools for the K-5 set. 

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