Hanahau'oli PDC

La Gioia di Imparare, with Sarah DeLuca

Sarah DeLuca, Hanahau‘oli School Kukunaokalā Teacher, was featured on the February 5, 2024 episode of The What School Could Be Podcast, in an episode that beautifully captures her devotion to the process of learning and growing, and her deep respect for the young child. Listen as she shares about her recent sabbatical study of Reggio Emilia practices in Italy, and her teaching practices at Hanahau‘oli, where she has been a teacher since 2009.

The What School Could Be Podcast believes that innovation in education comes from the grassroots: From the public, private and charter school educators and education leaders engaging students and their communities on the ground. The What School Could Be Podcast gives full voice to those educators and education leaders so that their stories of innovation, creativity and imagination might inspire others towards student-driven and relevant learning. This podcast amplifies the belief that student engagement, purpose and joy comes from project-based, problem-based, challenge-based, essential question-based, product-based, place-based, culture-based, intentional design-based, personalized, individualized, multiple intelligences-based, inquiry-based, competency-based deeper teaching and learning. Find this podcast at Apple, Spotify, TuneIn, Amazon, Google, Pandora, iHeart Radio and all the other podcast stores. Join the What School Could Be global online community by installing the app on your smartphone or tablet. 

Listen to Dr. Makaiau's Recent Interview with Carl Ackerman on ThinkTech Hawaii's Journeys of the Mind

 
 

Interested in learning more about Hanahau‘oli School’s long history of progressive education, and our robust partnership with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa for teacher professional development? Learn about that and more in this ThinkTech Hawaii web broadcast, titled “Journeys of the Mind: Teachers, Teaching, and Philosophy”, with host Carl Ackerman.

ThinkTech Hawaii, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) Hawaii nonprofit corporation founded in 2001 and dedicated to raising public awareness through civic engagement by citizen journalist hosts on digital media platforms.  ThinkTech has produced over 12,000 talk shows and short movies, and streams 30 new live talk shows every week covering a variety of subjects of interest to the Hawaii community.  ThinkTech produces some 50 talk shows moderated by volunteer citizen journalist hosts. 

 
 

The Human Restoration Project features Hanahau'oli School in their podcast series, Pedagogy in the Hawaiian Islands

In the summer of 2023, Noah Ranz-Lind, an intern at the Human Restoration Project (HRP) spent time at Hanahau'oli School to learn more about progressive education. A visiting scholar with the school's Professional Development Center, he conducted and recorded interviews for a HRP podcast episode about the school. The podcast he produced is now a resource for growing progressive education, showcasing Hanahau‘oli School as an example of progressive education in practice. The podcast is housed and made available to the public on the HRP website, other streaming services (e.g. Spotify and Apple Music), and the Hanahau‘oli School website.

 
 

Hanahau'oli School Professional Development Center Referenced in a Recent USA Today Article

AS HAWAII DECLARE CLIMATE CRISI, SCHOOLS HOPE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE WITH SAVE THE ISLANDS

By Wong, Alia . USA Today (Online) 28 Feb 2022.

NANAKULI, Hawaii –When Kalehua Krug became principal of Ka Waihona O Ka Na‘auao several years ago, he and his team cut down some age-old trees that towered over the charter school’s front lawn. The decision caused “a bit of a stir” in the rural, coastal West Oahu community of Nanakuli, Krug said. One elderly resident told Krug removing the trees was akin to erasing a neighborhood legacy. But Krug’s intention was, in fact, to reclaim that legacy.

A plurality of the area’s residents are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and most of them are low-income. The monkeypod and ficus trees Krug had cut down are species that were, like the forced assimilation suffered by Hawaii’s Indigenous people, introduced to the islands by outsiders. In the old trees’ place, Krug and his team planted breadfruit, a staple in the traditional Hawaiian diet and a material used for everything from canoes to glue.

It's all part of the Native Hawaiian concept of aloha ‘aina –"love of land" –which has become crucial to both Hawaii's cultural awareness and its existence.

The Pacific island chain is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Its beaches are disappearing thanks to expedited sea-level rise, now estimated at an inch every four years. Three of Hawaii’s eight main islands have lost nearly a quarter of their shores. Last spring, Hawaii became the first state to declare a climate emergency.

Hawaii is also dangerously reliant on imported goods, with more than 80% of its food brought in from out-of-state.

So it's no surprise people in Hawaii are significantly more likely to discuss climate change than the average American, according to a 2021 Yale study. Close to half of Hawaii residents talk about climate change with their family at least once weekly, the study suggests, compared with a little more than a third of all Americans.

Hawaii's schools hope to lead climate education across the U.S., too.

At Ka Waihona, teaching aloha ‘aina is “about our familial relationship with land, our connection with each other, the ideas of sustenance,” Krug said. “But it’s also about unlocking the shackles and chains that have been put on food and sustenance.”

FEW US EDUCATORS TEACH ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Students across the U.S. have already dealt with the consequences of climate change–wildfires, flooding, extreme heat. Such disasters will only become more common, experts predict, as the earth warms and sea levels rise. And they’ll continue to disrupt food supplies and other systems integral to humans’ survival. Polls show that most Americans, including teachers and parents, believe climate change should be taught in school. Yet one of those same polls, from 2019, also found most educators weren’t teaching about it at all. A 2016 study found that most science teachers were ill-informed or ill-equipped.

The politicization of climate change adds to the complexity. Virtually all scientists agree that climate change is occurring and caused by humans. But just 1 in 4 Americans realizes such consensus exists, a recent study suggests.

That discourages teachers, already under increased scrutiny, from addressing the issue.

In the fall of 2020, nearly two dozen education leaders –including superintendents, the presidents of the two largest teachers’ unions and former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King –got together with the mission of better equipping schools to respond to the climate crisis.

For starters, they say in their 80-page K12 Climate Action Plan, it's incumbent on the country’s schools to reduce their massive environmental footprint. Sitting on 2 million acres of land, schools are often their locale's largest real-estate owner and consume more energy than most other public sectors. Collectively, they also operate the largest mass transit fleet in the country and produce hundreds of thousands of tons of food waste annually.

But it's just as incumbent on schools, the report suggests, to match those efforts with education that engages students in environmental issues and enables them to be change-makers.

"We're going to have more of those climate change-induced crises," said King, referencing Hurricane Maria, which devastated his mother's homeland of Puerto Rico in 2017. "And schools are going to have a critical role to play in terms of community resilience."

‘OUR ‘AINA IN DYING’

Critical to that resilience are not just technical skills but social-emotional ones, too –how to work with others, for example, and manage one's time.

Scenes from Ka Waihona show how those skills are, if only implicitly, being developed in tandem. On a recent Monday, Hi‘ilani Shibata, an agriculture teacher at Ka Waihona, led a group of giddy fifth graders to a portable tucked toward the back of campus near the beach.

The portable is home to a rabbit and her newborn kittens, which explained part of the excitement. (The students use the rabbits’ feces as fertilizer on their plants.) But it’s also home to rakes and shovels and hedge shears, the main reason these preteens were so energetic. The gardening supplies meant agriculture class, and agriculture class meant a brain break and a chance to get outside.

For Shibata, that her students equate the class with relaxation is, in a way, the point. Just as students shouldn't have to go on a field trip to experience ‘aina, she said, students shouldn't see their work with ‘aina as a chore or just another required class.

After they collected their supplies, the fifth graders proceeded toward an unkempt plot of land along a fence separating Ka Waihona from the beach. That’s where the school plans to grow a garden of Polynesian plants, including produce students will provide to community members and sell at a farmer’s market.

Shibata’s students immediately got to work, splitting up to do different tasks of their choosing. Some were in charge of transferring mountains of nutrient-rich soil procured from a local farm in wheelbarrows to the soon-to-be garden. Some took on the role of pulling out invasive plants and weeds, including bundles of prickly overgrowth. The remaining students chose to trim and prune a hala tree, whose long, spiny leaves are used to make products ranging from hats to mats.

The whole time, the students made observations and exchanged tips –"this is how high the soil needs to be"; "this is how you pull out the roots without getting poked" –while also engaging in casual chit-chat. This was, after all, a brain break.

Krug made agriculture a required course –along with dance (hula) and Hawaiian language –as part of his goal of better weaving Indigenous cultural practices into the fabric of the school.

The school is harnessing the Hawaiian ethic, he says–“the psychology of the Indigenous way of existing here in Hawaii.” His priority as a principal isn’t to prepare students for good jobs in corporate America. It’s to enable students to internalize what it meant–and what it should still mean–to be Hawaiian, including in their relationship with and use of natural resources.

“When you build your identity and become accountable to your culture ...the academics become stronger,” Krug said.

Asked why an education rooted in cultural and environmental sustainability is so important in Hawaii, one sixth-grader said: “Because our ‘aina is dying."

CLIMATE EDUCATION: EMOTION AND ACTION

In a Scientific American article last fall, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, a climate change professor at Singapore's Yale-NUS College, coined the term "climagogy." It's essentially the teaching of students about different aspects of the climate crisis. Climate change “is no longer a niche topic," he wrote.

Yet two critical elements are often missing from such instruction, according to Schneider-Mayerson. One element is emotion; the other involves "pathways to collective action."

In Hawaii, both elements tend to take center stage in lessons about the environment and sustainability. "Our relationship with land and place is really grounded in a Hawaiian worldview, and we're surrounded by so much physical beauty," said Amber Strong Makaiau, who directs the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center. The center has numerous teaching workshops related to the environment or climate change. In Hawaii, people are good at "overcoming differences and being able to listen to multiple perspectives. We do our best to relate to one another and solve problems as a community."

Twenty-six miles east of Ka Waihona, near downtown Honolulu, sits another charter school known as SEEQS–the School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability. As with Ka Waihona, at SEEQS students spend much of their days learning in nature. Environmental lessons are infused throughout students’ coursework, too, rather than as, say, a standalone science unit. And while SEEQS isn’t explicitly focused on Hawaiian culture, Indigenous practices are central to much of the learning. That’s in part because sustainability and Hawaiian culture are so intertwined. On a recent Friday afternoon, about a dozen middle schoolers spread out in a little-known botanical garden that adjoins the school’s largely asphalt campus.

They were there, as they often are, to take kilo–a traditional Hawaiian method of observing one’s surroundings and focusing on the more subtle details–as part of a capstone project. This class’s research question: How do we malama (care for, preserve) our ‘aina?

Taking kilo is similar to meditating, said Ayu Sumayasa, a 14-year-old eighth grader at SEEQS.

“We kind of tune in with our senses, what we’re hearing, what we’re smelling, what we might be tasting, what we’re seeing–and we journal all of that,” Sumayasa said. “You can notice the patterns, which is kind of what kilo is for–to notice patterns. And when you notice these patterns, it's easier to fix a problem.”

One group of students was examining a bare spot of earth where they plan to plant some native ferns. What kinds of plants are already there? Are they invasive? What is the soil like? What about the lighting? Another group of students was surveying the stream in preparation for a cleanup they planned to do the following week. After the cleanup, they’ll take kilo yet again. What’s different about the stream? What’s the same? Trash, for example, consistently ends up on in an eddy on one side of the stream.

For Buffy Cushman-Patz, the school’s founder, the goal of SEEQS isn’t just to promote awareness about environmental issues. It’s to help students become active players in and contributors to their communities.

At SEEQS, students lead their own conferences with parents and develop campus policies through town halls. A few years ago, one group of students convinced a popular restaurant to stop automatically providing plastic straws; another helped successfully lobby the state Legislature to restrict the use of single-use plastics.

“What I learned really early on was you cannot decouple community and sustainability,” Cushman-Patz said. “Sustainability is basically understanding that our actions have impact on others. ...That’s what the school is trying to teach–ultimately, we’re just trying to make people move on to be a successful human.”

CLIMATE ANXIETY, ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE

An Indigenous ethic, as Krug says, is critical for any community interested in revitalizing its natural environment. Resource depletion, species extinction, inhabitable land–it’s all a sign that “something occurred,” Krug said. “We have to look at what (practices) the traditional folks in that place ... embraced to allow for everything to thrive.”

The people most affected by climate change tend to be the ones who, at least historically, played the littlest role in contributing to it. A federal Government Accountability Office study published in January shows students in U.S. districts affected by climate disasters are more likely to suffer from challenges such as housing instability and food insecurity.

The climate crisis has also taken a toll on people's–and, particularly, young people's–mental health.

In a recent global survey of thousands of adolescents and young adults, for example, 60% of respondents said they were "worried" or "extremely worried" about climate change. Separately, in a 2020 survey conducted in England, more than half of child psychiatrists said they were seeing patients distressed about environmental and ecological issues.

Education leaders in Hawaii say the key to enabling young people to thrive in the face of a changing climate is bringing them back to the islands' earliest days. How did ancient Hawaiians live and how can we apply those lessons today?

Many of those lessons come from Hawaiian fishponds, innovative aquaculture systems dating back centuries that used weir-like dams to bring in juvenile fish. Nearly 500 fishponds were built over the course of 800 years; today, just 50 or so remain.

One of the remaining fishponds–Waikalua Loko I‘a–lies on the northeastern coast of O‘ahu, at the end of a dirt road, abutting a golf course.

Herb Lee, a part Hawaiian entrepreneur who grew up in the area and cares for Waikalua pond, began the process of restoring it in 1995. Back then, it “was in really, really bad shape,” Lee said. The pond was covered in mangroves, and the surrounding land –featuring an abandoned car lot, a sewage treatment plant and a trash dump –was in disrepair. Real estate development in the surrounding area further restricted the freshwater stream that once fed into the pond.

In the years since, Lee and his nonprofit have begun the process of restoring it, restacking rocks to accommodate past floods and rising sea levels and removing invasive seaweed and mangroves. On a recent morning, a group of Pacific Baptist Academy high schoolers visited the fishpond as part of a lesson on altruism. They learned about Lee’s restoration efforts. But they also learned about the pond’s science and history, its relationship with the broader community in which it sits.

In ancient Hawaii, land was broken up into what are known as ahupua‘a–pie-shaped sections of land that run from the mountains to the sea. Hawaiians irrigated and cultivated taro in streams, bringing that nutrient-rich water into ponds that connected to the ocean and provided an ideal habitat for fish.

The ahupua‘a were self-sustaining ecosystems, leveraging natural food chains and supporting Hawaiians in a remarkably efficient subsistence economy, Lee said. The Waikalua fishpond was one of many serving the ahupua‘a of the Kaneohe Bay area, a lush region that today remains one of Oahu’s largest residential communities and commercial hubs.

“I believe that these ancient fishponds hold the key to helping to grow food in Hawaii,” Lee explained to the students. “We’ve basically fished ourselves out.” The ponds no longer function “because of what we’ve done to the water, to the environment. It makes it hard for us to grow cheap food in a safe manner.”

Toward the end of the visit, the students broke into smaller groups and were tasked with building miniature ahupua‘a using sand and any natural debris around them. The goal of the assignment was to create a mountain-to- sea system that successfully captured water in its fishpond. The students got to work and, through a 20-minute process of trial and error, designed their ahupua‘a. One group ended up lining the base of their stream with leaves in an effort to streamline the water’s flow. Another group erected sand walls on the side of their miniature fishpond to help contain the water. They all experimented with different stream and pond depths.

Ancient Hawaiians learned through trial and error how to harvest fish. Similarly, Lee suggested, today’s students must learn how to make use of Hawaii’s land to help the islands to reduce their reliance on imports. The fishponds may not be back up and running in his lifetime, Lee said, but he’s hopeful today's young people will return them to operation, as schools instill them with knowledge and appreciation needed to revitalize ancient Hawaiian aquaculture.

“I really believe that it's going to benefit us –maybe not in my generation, but maybe in your generation or for your kids,” Lee told the students, “and that we’ll be able to flip back to that situation where ancient Hawaiians, before Western contact, were totally self-sufficient.”

Contact Alia Wong at (202) 507-2256 or awong@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aliaemily.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Hawaii declares climate crisis, schools hope Indigenous knowledge will save the islands

How Hawaii Schools Are Teaching Kindness And Empathy In A Volatile World feat. Amber Strong '89 Makaiau

February 12, 2021

Civil Beat publishes a timely article on how our schools are teaching kindness and empathy in these challenging times and Hanahau’oli’s PDC Director and alumna, Amber Strong ’89 Makaiau is featured for her important work with Philosophy for Children and more.

Click HERE for the full article from Civil Beat.

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Mrs. Toyama INSPIRES STUDENTS TO Jump For Joy!

 
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Jewel Toyama, Hanahau‘oli School PE Teacher, chats with Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America CEO Stephanie Morris about her Jump For Joy school-wide event benefiting children and pre-service teachers supported by University of Hawa‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science’s P.L.A.Y for All program.

Education Cheat Sheet: How to Teach Your Child Empathy During the Coronavirus Pandemic feat. Michiko Sugiyama

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Modeling behavior, asking the right questions and sharing stories can help keiki discover how to care for others.

BY MICHIKO SUGIYAMA

Empathy, the act of understanding others’ feelings, is something that teachers aspire to teach their students. They also rely heavily on families to support a child’s social emotional and academic learning more now than ever. In the article “Cultivating Empathy in the Coronavirus Crisis,” Emily Boudreau referred to psychologist Richard Weissbourd’s suggestions for how parents can support children by modeling empathy as individuals: by listening and taking action. Shifting our attention to the needs of others can also help families combat feelings of isolation and  cultivate empathy in children. In other words, we can use this time as an opportunity to practice empathy at home. Here are some strategies teachers use in school that can be easily used in the home setting:

Understanding My Own Feelings

“I”statements are simple but powerful prompts to guide children to express themselves. When we listen carefully and support children to say “I feel…,” “I think…” and “I need…,” we are helping them pause, identify and express what’s going on inside them. After acknowledging their feelings, we might move on to reassure the child and perhaps offer a solution. Many times we have to not offer what they want and that’s okay! (Teachers have to do this all the time!) In this process, it’s important for adults to set an example by sharing their own feelings appropriately and encouraging the child to do the same. “I” statements offer reassurance and a voice to the individual. It sets the tone to create a safe space for both adults and children.

Resources:

  • Heart-Mind Online Resources for Families: The Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, a secular, non-political, non-profit organization is inspired by Dalai Lama’s belief in balancing education of the mind with that of the heart. The Heart-Mind Online has a variety of resources for educators and families to help support positive social and emotional development.

  • Centervention’s Free Social Emotional Learning Activities: Centervention provides online games for students to practice their social and emotional skills. This particular page has a variety of free resources with lessons, activities and printables. This site offers ideas for families to engage children in regulating emotions, expressing feelings, and to reinforce strategies for social development.

Learning About Diversity

I was reminded of the words from an educator friend when we were discussing ways to teach children how to care and how to work together. She shared that one of her teaching mentors explained: “Children have to know each other in order to care about one other. And it’s only when they care about one another that they can start to work together.” Questions like “Who’s in your family?” “What’s your favorite activity?” seem to be generic questions but are critical entry points for children to connect. In our school’s remote learning platform, we share student work and voices through images and video, have virtual time with students during morning and closing meetings and also have entertainment times where children share their talents remotely. At home, virtual opportunities to connect with others, family games and conversations, and even snail mail or pen pals can offer opportunities for your children to connect with others.

Resources:

  • Penpal Schools: Educators from over 150 countries use this resource to set up pen pal exchanges and encourage student collaboration. It is a fantastic tool to promote global and digital citizenship. Parents can create an account and also monitor student communication.

  • Diverse Book Finder: The Diverse Book Finder aspires to be a resource to those who seek to create collections in which all students can see themselves and each other reflected in the books they read. Use this search engine to diversify your home library!

  • Stories of Diversity from Scholastic: Scholastic offers a list of picture books, biographies and novels that celebrate differences and help readers foster tolerance and respect.

COURTESY OF MICHIKO SUGIYAMA

COURTESY OF MICHIKO SUGIYAMA

Diving into the World of Stories

Literature is a creative realm where imaginative empathy can be practiced. Putting yourself in a character’s shoes starts from diving into a story. Don’t worry if your children aren’t reading independently or don’t have deep interests in chapter books yet. Whether reading a story out loud, sharing a real-life story, or watching a movie, there are many ways children can experience the life of another. Biographies, nonfiction articles or news events are also options. Sometimes, a child might prefer to empathize with an animal or a house pet. While reading, listening, or observing, take a moment to ask your child, “How do they feel? What do you think they are going to do next? What would you do if you were them?” Instead of asking about the content, these simple questions help us make connections with the world.

Resources:

  • Books that Teach Empathy from Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media has a list of books for all ages, recommended for those looking for themes like celebrations of friendship, differences and caring for one another.

  • Movies that Inspire Empathy from Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media also has a list of movies for all ages, with a lead character that grasps the observer’s attention throughout the story through their strengths and transformation.

  • Story Online: Story Online has videos featuring actors reading children’s books alongside the book illustrations. This is a useful read aloud resource to listen to stories together with your child.

Modeling to Be a Part of the Solution

On a daily basis, children come to the adults in school for support. While we have the responsibility to keep children safe and guide them when necessary, it is important we maintain some boundaries so children can problem-solve creatively and independently. At school, you’ll find teachers asking children, “What do you think?” “How do you think we can make this situation better?” You’ll be surprised by the strategies and solutions children come up with! If you feel like you can’t do it alone at this time, partner with your child’s teacher and school to help streamline the message to your child. Moreover, modeling by being a problem-solver yourself and looking for ways to lend a helping hand to others at this time, could be the most powerful way to teach empathy.

Resources

  • Design for Change Podcasts: Design for Change aspires to equip youth to take steps to transform empathy into social action: feel, imagine, do and share.  Children and families can choose a social cause to learn about. The podcasts are less than 10 minutes and also have accompanying warmups, design sprints and community action projects children and work on.

  • Design for Change #DoGoodFromHome Challenge: The #DoGoodFromHome Challenge encourages children to use compassion and creativity to engage in acts of good from their homes. Get inspired by looking at the Daily Challenges with your children and challenging yourselves to do one good at a time!

The effect of the pandemic is immense and often leaves one feeling powerless. However, we can’t deny that there have been moments of positivity and joy during these difficult times. The “aha!” moments, or opportunities to teach children, which teachers call “teaching moments,” are everywhere. But perhaps we should start to call them “empathy moments,” so we can all engage in being a better version of ourselves each day. By practicing our empathy muscles, we can grow stronger to care for ourselves, think and live beyond ourselves, and proactively engage in creating a better tomorrow. 

Michiko Sugiyama is the coordinator of learning resources at Hanahau‘oli School. She obtained her master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University and taught in New York City public schools for eight year before joining Hanahau‘oli in 2017. During this stay-at-home time, Michiko is experiencing the joys and challenges of remote learning!

Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools Hanahou‘oli School HAIS Education

Embracing the Challenge of Distance Learning feat. Rebecca Eldredge

Photo from Honolulu FAMILY

Photo from Honolulu FAMILY

Education Cheat Sheet: Embracing the Challenge of Distance Learning

There is no question that turning your home into a classroom is not easy; especially when it's also become an office, campground and everything else for your family. So here are some tips from Hawai‘i educators.

MAR. 30, 2020

If you are anything like me, the mere prospect of “home” schooling my children for the next several weeks is beyond daunting. And, I say that as an educator and former classroom teacher. Aside from the usual cooking, cleaning and general care we provide our families, we are now faced with overseeing our children’s education while tending to them throughout the entire day. All this while working remotely ourselves. It’s a lot!

One thing I do know with complete certainty is that this new reality is overwhelming to everyone: our children’s teachers and administrators, friends and family, and our employers. It is also especially stressful for our children, as they grapple with mixed emotions ranging from disappointment about having “the worst spring break ever” to frustration about not being able to see friends.

In the weeks ahead, we will all be faced with a steep learning curve. And, while our community works to figure this out, we must remember to be kind, patient and understanding. To help navigate these uncharted waters, I sought the advice of friends and colleagues from several HAIS member schools.

Practical Tips, Advice and Suggestions for Successful Distance Learning

While your child’s school will provide guidance as you get with distance learning, there are a few norms that can be established early on. Kristi Bendon, head of school at Carden Academy of Maui, recommends setting a daily schedule and routine and then sticking closely to it. “Children thrive on routine, and they will need that stability more now than ever.” She also recommends letting children work as independently as possible, adding “they are more capable than you think!” Finally, for older students make sure social media is turned off throughout the school day and eliminate other potential distractions as best you can.  

Setting up a designated work space for your children is also important to do before their distance learning plan commences. This is something your children should help with so they can make sure they have all the learning tools and supplies they need on hand. Rebecca Eldredge, extended learning programs specialist at Hanahau‘oli School, recommends identifying a central location that is separated from other daily activity areas including the kitchen or main living space. Somewhere where you can monitor their online activities and be present as they need support. This situation could last awhile, so it should be somewhat permanent.

One of the biggest challenges ahead for parents will be figuring out our roles as parents /teachers. Glenn Medeiros, president of Saint Louis School, suggests that parents should plan to be a partner, not a replacement, for their children’s instructors. “It is vital that parents work with teachers to help facilitate learning. Parents are there to guide their child, to ensure their work is being done and to communicate to the teacher the challenges the student may be facing in completing his or her work.” Figuring out early on how best to communicate with teachers and offer feedback about this new experience will be a key factor for overall success. Remember, this is all new to everyone and it is OK to ask your children’s teachers for help.

If your child’s school has shared a distance learning plan, be sure to read through it with your child, ensuring that you have a shared understanding of everyone’s expectations. As Nan Ketpura-Ching, a high school science teacher at ‘Iolani School and parent of middle school-aged children, explained “at 'Iolani, we are still requiring students to be in dress code. This means collared shirts for boys when they log into Zoom for classes.” Discussing what to expect and having a plan in place early on will ensure that the entire family is on the same page, as you commence this new school experience.

Recognizing opportunities throughout this experience is also something we should do our best to embrace. Jeanne Wilks, interim head of school at Holy Nativity School, points out that this period of time presents an “opportunity for teachers to hold older students accountable for taking greater responsibility for their learning.” Robyn Vierra, director of global education at Punahou School, notes that there are many ways to begin incorporating service learning into weekly routines. “Figure out what the issues are that kids care about and find a way for them to have an impact.”

Parent Homework by Grade Level:

Early Childhood: Preschool – Grade 3

  • “There are so many meaningful opportunities to engage younger students in distance learning. They learn naturally by exploring and interacting with their world.  In addition to online ‘traditional’ learning shared by your child's school and teacher, cook with them. Have them plant and care for seeds and then observe their growth. Help them to be creative as artists, musicians and authors.”—Steve Ross, elementary principal at Island Pacific Academy.

Here are a few ideas that Robyn Vierra, director of global education at Punahou School, plans to do with her first- and second- grade children:

  • Take a slow walk in your neighborhood, taking time to observe and wonder (inspired by Harvard Project Zero Eden Walks). Map the neighborhood and discuss. What do we wish was included? What do we value? How do things we see help or hurt people and our planet? 

  • Play math games with number cards and dice.

  • Generate an inquiry project. Kids will pick an animal or a topic that they want to explore and research it online. Then they will make models of the animal, paint it, write about it, design solutions to protecting or caring for it, create an “Explain Everything” video about it, create a Scratch coding project about it, email an expert, create a game, etc. Vierra says the key is to have a sustained project that can help them create learning on the iPad, rather than just consuming on the iPad. 

Upper Elementary: Grades 4 to 5 or 6

  • “Start a family book club. Everyone read the book and do a check-in to discuss it every couple of days (brainstorm questions, reactions, and connections prior). Make it an official book club by cooking for it or serving hot cocoa!”—Robyn Vierra, Punahou School

  • Encourage kids to be creative. Maybe suggest a long-term project they could work on such as writing and illustrating a journal about their experience or creating their own board game. Give them household responsibilities if they don't already have them and encourage participation in the family "team".—Catherine Fuller, ‘Iolani School

  • Meet up for lunch at the dining table. Be sure to carve out time to exercise: either go for a walk, play Just Dance in front of the TV or do yoga. Have kids help more with dinner prep. Learn a new craft together. My kids and I are planning to work on a knitting project over spring break.—Nan Ketpura-Ching, ‘Iolani School

Middle and High School: Grades 6-12

  • Try to help others such as an elderly neighbor. Acts of service build community, perpetuate agency and reduce anxiety.—Maureen MacLeod, Punahou School

  • This is a chance for upper school students to try distance learning, which is a popular option in college.—Michelle Bradley, secondary interim principal at Island Pacific Academy

  • Set clear systems, guidelines and routines. What are times for family engagement and what are times for independent work? What are the choices during independent work time? Brainstorm those together as a family and make expectations super clear and upfront. Nobody wants their kids asking for the iPad throughout the day!—Robyn Viera, Punahou School

Tips for Parents:

  • Continue with a daily schedule and routine. Involve your children in planning for the day. Set the alarm, wake and get dressed as you did when school was in session. Stick to a bedtime routine.—Rebecca Eldredge, Hanahau‘oli School

  • This is all uncharted territory. Be patient, kind, and listen to your child.—Tim Spurrier, head of school, Honolulu Waldorf

  • It is important to include children in daily chores and upkeep of the house.—Kristi Bendon, Carden Academy of Maui

  • Take a deep breath. Know that not everything has to be done or completed.  Schedule time for work (for parents and students) and also time to enjoy together, such as a movie on Netflix, a walk in the neighborhood, or a bike ride to the park.—Steve Ross, Island Pacific Academy

  • Be sure to carve out time for yourself as a caretaker. It could be a walk by yourself or time to read a good book, or doing an activity you enjoy.—Nan Ketpura-Ching, ‘Iolani School

  • Focus on the opportunities in the situation: time together, keeping routines strong, and the assurance that, as a nation, as a family, and as individuals, we have endured hardships before, and will do so again.—Jyo Bridgewater, Holy Nativity School.

Resources:

Deanna D’Olier is the associate director at the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS). She is a former teacher and holds a master's degree in education, with 20 years of experience in the field. She is also a wife and mother of two daughters, ages 10 and 12.



How to Win at Homework feat. Lia Woo from Honolulu Family

JANUARY 22, 2020

Education Cheat Sheet: How to Win at Homework

If homework becomes a battle, how can you help while keeping your child an independent learner?

GETTY IMAGES

GETTY IMAGES

If you’re the average parent, your child probably does homework at the kitchen table every night, just as you did as a child.  It seems like a hallowed tradition, a rite of passage that every child, and parent, must go through growing up.

It’s not always easy. Some evenings feel like a no-win situation, as you plead, cajole, or bribe your tired child to finish up his or her homework. You’ve probably asked yourself, while bleary-eyed and exhausted, does homework really help my child succeed in school? How involved should I be? Should I check the work to make sure that all answers are correct?

Research suggests that there’s very limited evidence to support the often heard claim that homework helps students achieve academically or develop good work habits, particularly in the elementary years. However, there are some who believe that teachers and parents can help students develop self-confidence as learners through homework, which, in turn, will help them to do well in school. The reality is that most schools DO assign homework.  So, what are parents to do to help their child ‘win’?

To get a better sense of how this issue plays out every day, we asked three local experts —Ka’ipo Bailey-Walsh, The Priory, St. Andrew’s Schools lower school principal; Eric Dustman, Montessori School of Maui’s head of  school; and Lia Woo, Hanahauʻoli School’s head of school—to weigh in. Though these schools have distinct ways of approaching teaching and learning, our experts agreed on some key things.

The Purpose of Homework

When homework is assigned, it should be to help students to develop positive beliefs about themselves as learners, build good study habits and time management skills, and should serve as a communication tool between teachers and parents about what their children are learning in school.

Keep It Relevant, Interesting, and Tailored to Each Child

Teachers should focus on tailoring the assignments to each child’s developmental/skill levels to reinforce or apply concepts or skills learned at school.  When a child completes assignments independently, it can help him or her feel successful. According to Bailey-Walsh, your child should feel that homework “is ʻdoable’ without the need for outside help from a parent, tutor or peer.”  Teachers should tie the assignment directly to what students are learning in class and give students choices in the topic or how the understanding or knowledge is expressed.  Finally, ideal assignments encourage students to explore their curiosities while connecting to their families and communities, for example, by interviewing others outside of school, conducting a science experiment at home, or taking photos or videos related to a topic they are learning.

The Importance of Balance and Rest

In the end, all three advocate for keeping homework, especially in the elementary years, to a minimum. “Your child deserves the time after school to live a balanced life—complete with hobbies and passions that spark joy, open-ended free time, and quality time and traditions with family and friends,” says Woo.

Parent Homework:

Work with your child to co-define his or her workspace. The area should be away from distractions and should be neat and organized, with supplies easily within reach.

Help your child organize and prioritize homework, modeling the skills that you would like your child to develop.

Observe your child’s work style and co-create regular routines to help him or her manage time. Some students can sit for long periods to complete everything. Others need regular breaks and movement in between problems or tasks.

Show active interest in what your child is learning. Ask questions to deepen and prod thinking and check in frequently. Be your child’s cheerleader and let him or her know that you’re proud.

Allow your child to make mistakes, and refrain from doing the homework for him or her, or correcting the work.  This will help to “hold children accountable and providing a home framework for meeting the demands of homework will pay the greatest benefit,” Dustman says. Moreover, the mistakes your child makes will provide valuable information to the teacher about what support and reinforcement he or she needs.

If your child is struggling:

Communicate your concerns with your child’s teacher. Your child’s teacher should give you multiple ways to communicate your thoughts and concerns on a regular basis.

Monitor how much time your child is spending and any frustration while he or she is working through the assignment. While being challenged is good, unresolved frustration can harm a student’s desire to learn. The teacher may be able to suggest a time limit or assign different homework to better match the child’s skill level.

Balance your child’s homework with after-school activities. The most important thing for your child is to get plenty of rest to be a happy, healthy learner. Regularly staying up late at night to complete assignments is not a good idea.

Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools  Hanahauoli School  Education  Family/All Ages

The Power of Play by Lia Woo featured in Honolulu Family

August 19, 2019

honolulu family Education cheat sheet: The Power of Play

Don't put off playtime! Here is why we should all take it seriously for our kids.

As the head of an elementary school, I think about children and childhood extensively. I also think about my childhood and how I would play for hours in my room, running a pretend bookstore or reading aloud to my well-behaved and attentive class of stuffed animals. I think about my daughters today and how much joy they experience when creating an original play, complete with costumes and music, on an easy Sunday afternoon or catching a “party wave” in the Kailua shore break. I think about how my 9-year-old plays with my iPhone camera, working with different modes to create a great photo.

I also think about how difficult childhood is today. The accelerated and overscheduled pace of life, the intense expectations (which, for kids, often result in equally intense feelings of anxiety, fear and stress), the easy access to disturbing and inappropriate content, the public nature of social dynamics and the sometimes debilitating worry of parents that children cannot recover from feelings of disappointment, loss and failure.

At times it feels society fails to protect childhood. Exacerbating irony is the fact that recent research tells us so much more about the importance of this time in child development. Schools must intervene and persist in honoring our children’s younger years as its own distinct stage of life and valuing play as a child’s work.

I advocate that schools and parents take play seriously. In play, children explore their curiosities, develop initiative and problem-solving skills. They practice focusing attention and persisting in pursuit of their own ideas and goals. They learn to communicate, compromise, cooperate, empathize and self-regulate. They take risks, imagine, and most importantly, find and experience joy. It is also important for parents to join in. Observing and participating in play with our children helps us continually understand who they are, their unique interests and talents, humor and sensitivities, not to mention it brings us joy.

I hope the resources shared lead to many more minutes of reflective thought regarding how to prioritize play.

Parent Homework

In five minutes, you can review:

Have 10 minutes?  

Dive a little deeper in 30 minutes with:



The First Ever Progressive Education Symposium in Hawaii

 
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Hanahau'oli School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa presented the first-ever Progressive Education Symposium on April 6, 2019. Leading educators joined Mr. Cohn in a panel discussion about why more than ever students must learn to ask questions and think for themselves.

Check out a preview of the symposium by local media OC-16 below. To view a recording of the Symposium event, please email multimedia@hanahauoli.org to request a password for access, then click on the images of Alfie Cohn below to view the recording.

 
 
View a recording of the Hanahau‘oli School Centennial Progressive Education Symposium with a keynote by author Alfie Cohn and panel discussion with members of the education community. Please email multimedia@hanahauoli.org to request a password to view this recording.

View a recording of the Hanahau‘oli School Centennial Progressive Education Symposium with a keynote by author Alfie Cohn and panel discussion with members of the education community. Please email multimedia@hanahauoli.org to request a password to view this recording.