What do teachers do on early release days?

 Every ARMS educators is launching a year-long collaborative research project through the professional practice of teacher inquiry groups. On the early release day in September and at the Oct 5 faculty meeting the staff generated thematic topics for school improvement to investigate. They selected groups with which to work and developed a research question to explore. They will delve into the work starting Oct 19th on the following topics:

1.     ARMS Curriculum: How we shape ARMS teaching and learning, How we document ARMS teaching and learning, How we plan ARMS Integrated learning (technology, arts and more)

2.     Climate: ARMS students’ social-emotional health, anti-bullying practices, PBIS structures and systems, restorative practices

3.     Staff wellbeing: morale, work place conditions, working environment

4.     Social Justice Issues: teaching and learning/history of oppressive structures and learning as activism

5.     Case Study Curriculum Development:  Family Diversity Projects:  In Our Family (Nov/Dec), bigger project for Pioneering Voices: Portraits of Transgender People

6.     Demonstrating/documenting student learning: Grading/Homework/Report Cards/

7.     Schools Structures: ARMS team structures – rationale for shaping teams, looping, advisory periods. Examination of how structures of Math classes/math curriculum influences school-wide schedules. How schedule meets the philosophical underpinninning.