Diminishing Barriers to Learning
Sneakers, planes, rockets, and boats. Getting from place to place happens with a structured itinerary, whether one is on foot, in the air, in space, or on water. Education, like navigation embraces the planning, collaboration, and knowledge. Early civilizations like the Minoans and Polynesians used the stars, wind, and ocean; Portuguese sailors also used astrolabes, and today’s modern navigators have access to all of those tools and resources, along with an array of digital ones. Despite a multitude of weather conditions, mindsets, and experiences, the navigation from place to place continues. Those of us in the field know that education is a journey that shifts and expands, however the core principles of both navigation and education value the people, tools, starting points and destinations, and the evidence-based practices. Propulsion, momentum, motivation, time, cost, and knowledge are a few variables. Barriers exist, but getting “stuck in the doldrums” is not an option in our educational waters. Navigating the Core Curriculum: RTI Strategies to Support Every Learner invites you to diminish learner barriers with a RTI process that circumnavigates the challenges.
The process need not be a complicated one, when step-by-step approaches are infused-
The key to pedagogically navigable waters includes responsive intervention that fine-tunes and individualizes the instructional practices to reach and teach each and every learner. Navigating the Core Curriculum includes K-12 lessons that offer multitiered systems of supports across the disciplines. The fact that some learners require stronger and more intensive interventions needs to be acknowledged and embraced. The identification of the literacy, mathematics, or behavioral levels begins the journey. The RTI process continues with the responsive instruction, student connections, staff engagements, and collaborative inquiry. Professional integrity to the students and practices propels the journey. The goal is to recognize, capitalize, and expand on each learner’s strengths. This resource offers staff applications that value collective responsibility, creativity, and critical thinking skills to reach students where they are and where they need to go. It takes several oarsmen for a vessel to safely navigate rough waters; some students require the same hands-on approach to stay afloat as they continue on their path to successful destinations.
You are invited to explore more about this publication and scheduling in person professional development at your site by contacting Solution Tree.
