Summer Institute 2007-Start Planning Now          

The 2007 Institute will take place June 24-29 and July 22-27, 2007

The 2006 Summer Institute was a great success. The number of attendees rose 35% and the number of states represented doubled over last year. We will let the participants speak for themselves…

“I absolutely loved the entire week. Great information, excellent teachers and wonderful colleagues and beautiful scenery – how could I ask for more? I am so excited about my upcoming school year: so are my students – they just don’t know how wonderful their new learning system will be!”

“I am completely delighted with the experience from the materials to our stay. This has been the best educational learning experience of my career.”

“I feel that this philosophy will help me change the focus for my students and myself and will be a solution to what I’ve been witnessing in my classes. I need to examine my system to improve student’s learning.”

Districts find that sending a team helps them get the most out of the planning time. Register early and save $100.00 per participant. For more information click here

In response to participant requests, the GATEWAY TO MASTERY^® Directory is now available. This participant run resource will function like a searchable electronic phone book where teachers and administrators can connect with others across the country implementing the GATEWAY TO MASTERY^® philosophy. This resource will be accessible through the Tool-Kits and available only to only those who have participated in one of our workshops. We hope that the directory will support practitioners that have thought “If I could just talk to someone else who is trying these concepts in my subject area”; or wondered “Someone else must have done this before.” Access became available on October 24^th 2006.

Elementary Spelling

In the Mayfield City School District, the entire 3^rd grade has now begun to use Learning Checks™ for spelling instead of their regular spelling lists. The spelling grade now comes through accurate word use in writing. When a third grader was asked about how she felt doing spelling the Knowledge Mastery™ way, she said, “Before, we only had to know the words on Friday. Now we have to now them all the time.”

Special Needs

In a special needs class, the teacher reports the Knowledge Map™ serves as a “guide to make planning day to day much easier.”  In addition the students are “nuts about the Learning Checks™”. They like being able to say, “I should have thought of it!” when they miss one. Their fear of not knowing has been removed and the motivation to learn has been unlocked.  The teacher says, “The Knowledge Map is a straight forward way to some help students.”                                                                      

Gifted Intervention Classes

In a gifted intervention class, the teacher used the Five Whys to help the students set their aims/goals for the class. The process took students deeper into the reasons why they were in school and expanded their purposes “out of the classroom and into their lives.”

Other Classes

-In one class, the use of the Academic Life History brought out the main influences on the students’ attitudes toward school. The influences had nothing do with their subjects, the curriculum, the workload or even their peers. Instead, it mostly involved the teacher’s behavior and the lack of consistent enforcement of the rules. It was eye opening to everyone in       the classroom.

-One teacher took the time the first week of school to develop core values with her class. After they all agreed to the values, the teacher began referring to the core values on a regular basis. When a student behaved in a way inconsistent with the values, she would ask them “What core value did you break?” to help them understand where they went wrong. Now, the students are holding each other accountable to the core values asking each other what values were broken when misbehavior happens. The classroom is becoming a values based classroom where students are asking “What kind of person do I want to be?” and “What kind of classroom do we want to have?” rather than “What do they want me to do, and what will happen to me if I don’t do it?”

If you are currently practicing any discipline of GATEWAY TO MASTERY^®, please send your success stories, so we may share them in upcoming editions. Click here to send us your story

Places we will be working this Fall and early Winter

1.      Dallas, Texas – NQEC 2006

2.      Mayfield, Ohio

3.      San Carlos Island, FL – MSSA Conference

4.      Leander, Texas

5.      Cleveland, Ohio – Ohio Middle School Conference in February

To add your organization to our schedule, call us at 1-866-630-6995.

Thank you for your interest,

Jacquie and Jeff Burgard

Improvement Facilitators

J.J. Burgard & Associates

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