The STAR project: teaching as a learning experience

Abstract

Knowledge and its applicability nourish each other in schools where teachers critically analyze data and, through team discussions, have the opportunity to solve the challenges that education presents every day. The premise of this model is that all participants have an active role in the function of creating praxial knowledge. This article presents a model of action learning implemented during two school years, 2007–2009, by 26 teachers, their principal and two external advisors. Four pillars composed the core of this teacher-researcher model: two-fold observation of teaching practices, critical reflection, active planning and implementation of best practices. This four-dimensional approach allowed the participants to construct the ideal of a teacher who has the skills to lengthen her/his learning experience, to widen the spectrum of its application and to deepen the content of her/his inquiry. The outcomes of this project suggest that when teachers conceptualize teaching as a learning experience that requires uninterrupted observation, reflection and action, student performance increases. Most importantly, schools become dynamic educational organizations where knowledge is constructed, rather than instructed from teachers to students.

Keywords:

• praxial knowledge
• active planning
• dynamic educational organizations
• two-fold observation
• vertical teams
• constructivism

Notes

The NCLB act changed the role of federal governments in their relationship with public schools focusing this on academic achievement measured by students' scores on the state exams (www.nj.gov).

The API is a single number, ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000, that reflects a school, an LEA or a subgroup's performance level based on the results of statewide testing. Its purpose is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. The API was established by the PSAA, a landmark state law passed in 1999 that created a new academic accountability system for K–12 public education in California.

Data provided by http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us

Questions are released by the Department of Education at: www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/css05rtq.asp