BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer
RED BANK — Teachers in the borough’s school district don’t get the summers off.
Once again, borough teachers will participate in a variety of workshops over the summer, which will prepare them for upcoming challenges and keep them up-to-date with programs already in progress.
There are three new workshops added to the lineup this year, including a Collins writing workshop, in which participants will learn five types of writing and thinking skills.
“The best way for children to develop writing skills,” said Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Keshish at a press meeting at the Board of Education building last week, “is to write.”
Keshish said teachers will learn how to assign different kinds of short writing assignments to their students, so that critiquing a student’s writing level is easier.
A program called Alternative Assessments will guide teachers in how to assess student learning in ways different from the usual standardized tests.
“This has been most successful in the area of special education,” said Superintendent Dr. John Krewer, “but we will use it in all our classes.”
Using this method, Krewer said, children who don’t necessarily test well can still be assessed fairly and taught testing skills.
Teacher mentors will receive special training on critical thinking, which will help them during the two-year mentoring of new teachers.
“We want teachers to be reflective on their own behavior,” said Krewer, “being able to identify their own strengths and weaknesses. This program will teach mentors how to frame open-ended questions to help them do that.”
Administrators and teachers will have a new twist to their orientation this year: a scavenger hunt, which will lead them throughout the town as they pick up clues at each stop, according to Krewer.
There are also some new elements to workshops that teachers have taken previously, such as the annual curriculum workshop, which this year will focus on social studies.
In past years, according to Keshish, the workshop, which aligns curriculum with the newest New Jersey Core Curriculum Content standards, has focused on math, language arts literacy and science.
“What’s intriguing about the social studies component,” said Keshish, “is that the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content is not specific to content, but it is specific to concepts.”
Keshish said that when aligning the curriculum, the district contacts teachers at Red Bank Regional High School to find out what is expected of students when they enter the high school.
“We write our curriculum grade eight to kindergarten,” she said, “but we deliver it ‘K’ to eight. The process to us is as important as the product.”
Parents are also getting a lesson, with teachers putting together the annual “You Are Your Child’s First Teacher” handbook, which this year will focus on science.
The handbook helps parents of kindergarten students teach their children at home, preparing them for what they will learn when they become students.
“This has gotten a great review from the community,” said Krewer.
The handbook is printed in both English and Spanish and is filled with information for parents about what their children will be learning, as well as art by the students.
Teachers also will continue to receive training in Effective Schools, a program that was implemented three years ago to address every aspect of the school to make the environment the most conducive to learning.
To learn more about the workshops, or if teachers from other districts would like to attend, visit the district Web site at rbb.k12.nj.us.