Winter 2012 Partnership Magazine - College of Education Home ...

How has AVID impacted your school, district,
and/or staff?
Since we are still new to the AVID program, any kind of
learning about it is certainly not data-based but is instead
gleaned from observation and change in practice. Sibley East
has viewed the AVID program from day one as an opportunity
to implement best practice in all classrooms, not solely in the
AVID elective classroom. Sibley East’s AVID elective class is for
10th-graders because of our current building alignment; at the
Arlington site, we are a 10-12 campus. Thus, the focus has
been on staff development of best practice techniques that AVID
uses – Cornell notes, WICR [Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration,
Reading], marking the text, Socratic seminars, etc. Each high
school staff member has undergone staff development training
from the AVID Site Team members with the goal of incorporating
AVID skills in all classrooms. This is a gradual process but the
buy-in from Sibley East staff has been sincere, and it is working
it’s way into the daily regimen of students. This will be an
area of continued focus as Sibley East’s overarching goal is to
have the tenets of AVID felt districtwide. Through the first three
months of school as an AVID site, we are very pleased with the
progress thus far.
-Stephen Jones, Superintendent of Sibley East Public Schools
How has tutoring with AVID impacted you and
your learning?
It’s been great to have the opportunity to interact with high
school students and see first-hand how the school system they
are part of impacts the opportunities they perceive and how
they view themselves. AVID has let me practice encouraging
students to help themselves and each other, rather than doing
the instructing myself. It means I can practice using a teacheras-facilitator
rather than teacher-as-instructor model in the
classroom.
-Lydia Peabody, AVID Tutor, Minnesota State Mankato
graduate student
How has AVID impacted the students and/or
school you work with?
Throughout the semester, I have watched the AVID class
develop skills and confidence that were not evident at the start
of the semester. They are beginning to understand how to form
questions that help other students learn, rather than tell them the
answer. They have more confidence presenting in front of their
peers, and are better able to coach themselves to answer their
own questions.
-Lydia Peabody
Winter 2012 Partnership
How did you learn from AVID and how has it
prepared you for college?
One of the key things I learned is perseverance. I learned how
to manage my time, write things down, keep a planner, keep
things organized. Now I have 2 planners, because I’m taking
16 credits, I’m on the track team, involved in many student
activities, and working. AVID pushed me; I knew I could do
more than in high school and it prepared me to be ready for
new challenges.
-Morgan Stampley, Minnesota State Mankato AVID
Ambassador, Freshman
What have you learned about teaching and
learning by helping implement AVID?
Since the program is new, the job of AVID Site Coordinator is
definitely one where I have learned a lot. I have found it to be
a rewarding position as we have had some student successes
in the program. I think the biggest thing I have learned is
about the power of keeping the conversation going about
college and the positive influence that having sustained focus
on such a goal is having already on some of the students.
-Tania Lyon, Mankato West Site Team Coordinator
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