EUGENE, Mo. - Cole County R-5 administrators and staff have been gathering ideas on how to incorporate the Missouri Learning Standards into the schools' curriculum.
At the annual Show-Me Conference Professional Development Day at Fatima High School, the conference's nine schools discussed new and updated Missouri Learning Standards, heard from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education personnel and attended seminars from fellow educators on ways to creatively incorporate the standards into their curriculum.
In 2014, state lawmakers changed the Missouri Learning Standards to require a foundation in reading, writing, mathematics, world and American history, forms of government, geography, science, health/physical education and the fine arts incorporated into courses in career and technical education and practical arts. The standards also require students to apply knowledge and skills to the kinds of problems and decisions they will likely encounter after they graduate.
Cole County R-5 administration and faculty plan to revise and develop their curriculum to assure it is aligned with the new standards. Eugene Elementary School Principal Teresa Messersmith said the Show-Me Conference had many sessions and ideas from fellow educators she and her faculty hope to implement in the curriculum.
Messersmith said several elementary teachers attended a Leader in Me session and plan to take some of the ideas South Callaway schools are implementing and use them to help promote citizenship and leadership qualities in students, as well as strengthen student-led activities and programs at Cole R-5 Elementary.
Project Based Learning (PBL), which promotes critical thinking and collaboration, is another idea Messermith hopes to implement at the elementary school.
"It engages students in the standards. PBL asks a question or poses a problem that each student can answer. It allows students to investigate issues and topics addressing real-world problems while integrating subjects across the curriculum," she said. "I am going to encourage each grade level to do at least one Project Based Learning unit this school year."
Messersmith said elementary teachers will also help students set individual goals to improve their reading and math skills this year. Students will first set realistic goals, then develop a step-by-step action plan to help them attain their goals. The students will then be asked to reflect on their progression toward reaching their goals.
"The process of setting goals allows students to choose where they want to go in school and what they want to achieve," she said. "By knowing what they want to achieve, they know what they have to concentrate on and improve. Goal setting gives students long-term vision and short-term motivation."