Madison schools are collaborating globally
BY GREGG L. PARKER
Sandy Brand told the Madison Board of Education on Nov. 3 that the district is taking classroom study outside school walls.
Brand, the district’s technology coach, leads work on “global collaboration. Educators need to lead students to learn WITH the world — not just about the world,” she said.
In this effort, Discovery Middle School seventh-graders are collaborating with Heart of England School in reading each country’s literature classics. At West Madison Elementary School, second-graders are working with a school in Alaska and third-graders are reading Dr. Seuss books with children in Rome.
Each classroom at Horizon Elementary School is selecting a country and studying its culture, holidays and day-in-the-life scenarios, Brand said.
International School of Beijing and Casablanca America School in Morocco have inquired about working with Madison schools.
Mugdha Mokashi and Priya Ganatra from Bob Jones High School told the board that the superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee recently met with Dr. John Green, principal at James Clemens High School. “We discussed how to carry school spirit at Bob Jones into the new high school,” Ganatra said.
James Clemens’ school colors will be navy blue paired with light blue, Mokashi said. “We suggested using quizzes as status checks – not for grades.” The committee hopes student-to-student mentoring will be continued at James Clemens.
“I always get great insight from the student committee,” Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler said. “It’s great to get reinforcement from actual users.”
Principal Louis Gordon at Patriot Academy said his students are progressing with the Alabama graduation exam. “The schedule gives 30 minutes daily. Students learn how to take tests and how to dissect questions,” Gordon said.
Antwoine D. Carter, who transferred from Sylacauga, is using the ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educator & Students Statewide) network to complete a psychology course while at the academy.
Jeana Ross and Sharon Willis discussed the Strategies for Success program that promotes student achievement. The tutoring program has 16 tutors assisting 37 teachers to serve 345 students and is funded by a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) grant.
