www.renzullilearning.com.
Renzulli Learning is a web based program
that is designed to help students achieve by focusing on their strengths, their
interests, and ways they like to express themselves and learn. Several building leaders and teachers
as well as Dr. Mussoline went to University of Connecticut in July of 2010 to
learn about the program. We saw
Renzulli Learning as having potential for the Downingtown Area School District
because it is designed to develop differentiated instructional activities for
children based on teacher input and student learning profiles. Renzulli Learning identifies resources
from a wide array of web based sites that are appropriate to the instructional
and developmental level of children.
Sites have been researched for safety and linked to specific content or
conceptual areas that match PA standards and DASD curricula. If you wish to visit the site, please
go to www.renzullilearning.com. At this site you will notice the site
tour availability. By clicking
on site tour you will see the many options for student learning that
exist after the profile is completed and assignments are set upon teacher
review of the many options. There
are also case studies that speak to the power of this tool.
Currently we have four schools who were
trained in Renzulli Learning. Both
East Ward Elementary School and Downingtown Middle School and DEEP and ACCESS
teachers at the high schools were trained on October 11 in the basics while
Pickering Valley and Brandywine Wallace completed training on November 2. Profile completion is in progress and
teachers are searching topics and sharing assignments with others so they can
begin student use. A follow up training will be held for these same staff
members at the beginning of the new year with a demonstration and site visits
set for the spring for all building leaders who are currently not involved in
the pilot project. Use and
effectiveness are being monitored weekly to determine if Renzulli Learning
yields the potential growth in students that we expect and to determine if further
implementation across other DASD buildings is warranted.
Nancy L. Fuhrman, PhD
Supervisor of Professional Learning, DASD