Build Week 18: Working to Improve the Lives of Animals in Captivity

It’s Thursday afternoon, and Build Week 18 starts with a call to action. Kenya Bostic, a certified veterinary technician and an animal enrichment expert from The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, calls in via Zoom to teach us about why animals in captivity so sorely need enriched environments that replicate the cognitive and physical challenges they would experience in the wild. She asks us: “How could you support animals in your community in this way?” We’ll answer the call across the course of the next week, as we build enrichment items for animals who need them at Austin Nature and Science Center, a haven in Zilker Park for a small group of native Texas animals who are disabled or otherwise unsuited to life in the wild….

build weekLisa ZapalacDecember 3, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolbuild week 18, makerspace

Guidelines and Research on Reading Volume

At Long-View we make reading a priority and talk about “reading ambitiously.” It is our recommendation that children read for at least ten hours a week. While some of these reading hours occur during our day at Long-View, we have found a greater rate of success in reaching this goal when families set aside at least one dedicated hour at home, every school day, for their child to spend on reading. This is our minimum recommendation—meant for everyone, whether a child is an early reader or a fluent/experienced reader, able to navigate complex texts. A mountain of research supports the fact that success in reading is directly related to the amount of time a person spends reading.

At Long-View, we work to be sure that literacy instructional time goes to activities that involve “eyes on print.” We protect time for independent reading, and know that explicit and high-level instruction, access to high-interest texts, and time to read at length are crucial components within the school day. That being said, learners need even more time for independent reading than is available here at school….

literacyLisa ZapalacOctober 30, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolreading volume, reading diet

How We Think About "Behavior Management"

“What ‘behavior management’ system do you use?” This is a question we often hear from visiting educators, as well as prospective parents touring the school for admissions. We understand the general impetus for this question, prefaced around wondering whether our classrooms are “well run” or or “well behaved” or just based in curiosity with how we “deal” with children who might not be on task in the way we’d like them to be. In many schools, behavior management systems are almost a badge of honor for teachers, proudly displayed as evidence of a classroom under control. And believe it or not, some of us even sat through entire college courses dedicated solely to this topic!

However, the notion of a behavior management system does not square up with our philosophy at Long-View. First and foremost, we do not actually think about “managing” anyone’s “behavior.” We are interested in teaching children to productively engage in the learning process with agency, curiosity, and earnestness, and a system of managing behavior does not serve this goal. So be assured, we are not handing out popsicle sticks or changing cards from green to yellow to red….

generalLisa ZapalacOctober 11, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolbehavior management, agency, philosophy, pedagogy

Exploring an Emerging Medium in Literacy: A Study of Graphic Novels

On a recent afternoon in Lilac Band Literacy, the energy in the room was unmistakable as learners discussed a page from their current read-aloud. When Stars Are Scattered is a graphic novel adapted from the life story of Omar Mohamed, who spent his childhood in the Dadaab refugee camp, and who co-authored the book with noted graphic novelist Victoria Jamieson. Projected on the whiteboard in full color, five panels showed Omar and two friends discussing their dreams for life beyond the refugee camp: to become a lawyer, a social worker, and a teacher. As they contemplated the page, Lilac Band members engaged in a lively conversation about change in the central character. We captured a transcript of the last few minutes....

literacyLisa ZapalacSeptember 22, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolliteracy, graphic novels, unit study

Learning How To Learn

Like other teachers and learners all over the country, we are adjusting to the rhythms of a new school year at Long-View and finding our way in new iterations of our learning community. As discussed in many of our posts, including this one from last spring, the idea of “learning community” is integral to the way we do school at Long-View.

These ideas may feel a bit foreign to many learners and even parents or teachers, since many of us (likely) were educated in classrooms that engaged in very traditional, behavioristic pedagogy. As adults who want to help children further contemplate these ideas, we might ask questions such as:

What are you realizing you might do differently to increase your own learning? What is different about a class that functions as a “learning community”? Learning is messy and hard work…what are you realizing is important to do in order to increase learning for yourself and others?

It is quite a journey for most kids to fully understand the ideas behind these questions. At Long-View, new learners get a lot of support from their peers who have been at our school for multiple years....

generalLisa ZapalacAugust 29, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolnew year, learning, community, drive your learning

Celebrating Marin's Journey: From Long-View to University of Washington

We are thrilled to spotlight Marin, one of our remarkable Long-View graduates from the Class of 2020, as she embarks on her new adventure this fall at The University of Washington, where she will be on the rowing team and major in business. Marin's journey from our halls to the vibrant campus in Seattle is a testament to her resilience, passion, and commitment to personal growth and excellence.

Marin's story took an exciting turn after her participation in the Long-View Cardboard Boat Regatta, where she discovered a new interest in rowing. Before that, Marin explored various sports, never quite settling on one. The regatta sparked a curiosity that led her to a summer rowing program, an experience she describes as humbling and transformative. Her initial apprehensions about competition—rooted in a fear of losing—gave way to a newfound confidence as she joined the novice crew and found joy in the sport....

generalLisa ZapalacJuly 11, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolcollege, rowing, growing interests, regatta

What is a learning community, really?

What has to shift for a group of learners to become a learning community? What is different about a school for which this shift takes first priority?

Let’s step back a little bit to think about what each of these words means. As many educators and theorists have proposed, a useful way to think of learning is as the construction of knowledge. With what we already know in hand, we then build new structures that represent and contain new knowledge. When we learn in community, we do this work together.

Like “communication,” the word community is rooted in the idea of sharing; in community, individuals are not independent, but interdependent….

The Arc of Computer Science at Long-View

Too often, people may conceive of the pedagogy of computer science in primary and secondary school as mainly the process of teaching learners to code. At Long-View, we try to approach the academic discipline of Computer Science, which began well before the invention of the personal computer, in an authentic way. As learners progress in computer science from first encounters to diverse applications of the discipline in later years, a throughline remains: we focus on thinking and learning, not syntax or language-specific features. To engage in computer science at Long-View is to learn the process of identifying the next best step in a computational problem, rather than memorizing a narrow set of solutions.

The arc of computer science at Long-View begins with ‘unplugged’ experiences (no computers necessary) that connect to big ideas….

computer scienceLisa ZapalacFebruary 12, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolcomputer science, coding, principles, ideas

A Tapestry of Play: A Glimpse into Long-View Micro School's Approach to Nurturing Growth Through Physical Play

The midpoint of our day at Long-View is the hour we spend at Pease Park, just an 8-minute walk down the road. But this isn’t just “a break” or “recess.” Congruent with the rest of our school day, it is an intentionally designed time to provide rich experiences for our learners.
Since the founding of the school nearly ten years ago, we have recognized the importance of unstructured free play and reflected on the value of this time. Live Oak Meadow at Pease Park is the stage where different forms of play unfold organically, contributing to the rich experiences that define our school. Learners play and interact in ways that they choose; adults are mindfully observant but not controlling or “managing” behavior. Opportunities for creating games and facilitating other positive forms of engagement or play are plentiful. And thus, so is the opportunity for learners to increase their understanding of conflict and practice effective resolution of conflict. During this time in nature, children can also feel calm, soaking up the proven stress relief that nature brings, and improve their senses as well as develop important sensory integration….

park timeLisa ZapalacDecember 20, 2023Long-View Micro Schoolfree play, park, recess, nature

Community Conversation Recap (Nov. 2023)

Across the year on a handful of Fridays, we schedule time for “Community Conversations” — the aim of these conversations is to help the adults in our community come together to discuss ways we can support our learners. Our first Community Conversation of the 2023-24 year occurred last week. We created a reel on Instagram highlighting a few key points, and we hope, paired with this blog, those who were there can reflect more on the discussion and those who were not can feel included in the conversation.

We began with Claire Rudden (math content leader for Gold Band) giving an overview of the personal finance series we are in the midst of during Monday morning Campfires. We are working to make sure all learners have exposure to aspects of personal finance through this teacher-led Campfire series, which spans three weeks. Last week, the four options for Campfire centered around saving money. Yesterday, the four options taught about various aspects of spending money. And the week after Thanksgiving break, we plan to have four options teaching about investing….

generalLisa ZapalacNovember 14, 2023Long-View Micro Schoolparents, community, campfire, financial literacy, challenge

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