Introduction

In September, 1999, the Missouri Accelerated Schools Project UM-St. Louis Center convened a team of professionals to design a Powerful Learning Center in the Social Studies. The Center, when complete, will be one of several Powerful Learning Centers initiated by the Missouri Accelerated Schools Project.

The Design team, for the Powerful Learning Center to address the social studies, included local school district social studies teachers, coordinators and supervisors, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education social studies and Accelerated Schools personnel, University of Missouri-St. Louis social studies program administrators and the Missouri Council for the Social Studies president, Dr. Ray Wicks and immediate past president, Mrs. Joyce Munden.  The teams’ job was to design a ‘Center’ that would increase student learning in the social studies.

The Missouri Accelerated Schools Project

The Missouri Accelerated Schools Project is a project of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) initiated in 1988 and coordinated by Mrs. Joan Solomon.  It is an official Satellite Center of the National Center for the Accelerated Schools Project.  It is also a network of schools that commit themselves to a philosophy and a process for and increasing parent and community involvement. The philosophy and process are implemented in schools by the principal, school staff, parents, students, district office personnel and community members with assistance from DESE and staff working in the six Missouri Accelerated Schools Centers housed in universities throughout the state.

The Accelerated Schools philosophy is a way of thinking about children and learning. It is the belief that all children have gifts and talents and that powerful learning experiences can be provided for them that build on their talents. The philosophy is based on three principles: Unity of Purpose, Empowerment with Responsibility and Building on Strengths.  The five-step Accelerated Schools process is a way to make effective changes in schools that lead to improved student achievement (powerful learning) and parental involvement: 1) Forging a Vision, 2) Taking Stock, 3) Establishing Priorities, 4) Creating Governance Structures and 5) Embedding Inquiry.

More About Powerful Learning in Accelerated Schools

In Accelerated schools, the principal, school staff, parents, students, district office personnel and community members work together to create powerful learning experiences for all of their children. Powerful Learning experiences in classrooms and school-wide result in teaching and learning for all students that build on their strengths. The development of these experiences is based on inquiry (an Accelerated Schools Process) into curricular and instructional practices and involves

‘coordinated decisions about what  we hope students will learn, how  we create these learning opportunities and how we can draw upon the environment to provide a powerful learning context.’
(What is Powerful Learning, National Center for the Accelerated Schools Project, 1996).

In making decisions about powerful learning the following constructivist-based components are also considered:
Authentic: Students can relate what they are experiencing in the classroom to real issues and situations.  Lessons are relevant to the learner, have recognizable goals and build connections to the real world.
Interactive: Students have opportunities for interacting through collaborating with others, working together toward a common purpose and sharing their expertise and knowledge.
Learner-Centered: Students’ experiences and interests help shape the direction and content of lessons.
Inclusive: All students (including those who may be less vocal or perceived as not smart) are given equal access to learning and are encouraged to draw on each others’ expertise.
Continuous: Students are able to apply existing knowledge to what they have already learned and make connections between different subject areas.

Powerful Learning in the Social Studies

Social Studies professionals also have a vision of powerful learning. Their vision is expressed in terms of the learning and teaching that help to accomplish the citizen education goals (social understanding and civic efficacy) that drive the social studies. The National Council for the Social Studies position is that teaching and learning are powerful when they are

•  meaningful in how content is presented to students and how it is developed through activities.
•  integrative through time, across locations and cultures and within the context of applying knowledge.
•  value-based, that is, the ethical dimensions of topics are considered, address controversial issues and provide an arena for development of concern for the common good and application of social values
• challenging and provide opportunities for reflective discussion, for  collaborative work and for deep understanding of the meanings and implications of content.
• active and emphasize authentic activities that call for using content for life applications.


Information about Missouri Accelerated Schools, about the philosophy of powerful learning in Accelerated Schools and the position of the National Council for the Social Studies as it regards powerful teaching and learning in the Social Studies, provides several clear connections:

• Accelerated Schools and Social Studies Professionals want children to succeed with the ultimate goal of becoming productive citizens.
• Both believe that powerful learning experiences can assist children in achieving that success.
• Both have compatible criteria for making learning (and teaching) powerful so that the success can occur.

The Design Team delineated a number of tasks which will lead to the accomplishment of the goal of designing a ‘Center’ that would increase student learning in the social studies. The tasks include
1) Identifying potential human, site and material resources
2) Inviting the identified resources to be partners with the ‘Center’
3) Developing ways to inform and provide ‘Center’ services to Accelerated Schools teachers and other social studies professionals
4) Developing procedures for assessing needs and evaluating service provided
5) Convening an Advisory Committee to ensure that the Center is addressing the needs of its target population and meeting its goal.

Implementation of the tasks outlined by the Design Team is progressing. The formal announcement of the Powerful Learning ‘Center’ for the Social Studies was October 7, 2000. For additional information on the Powerful Learning Center in the Social Studies, please contact.

   Clarence J. Siebert
   School Resource Specialist
   Missouri Accelerated Schools Project
   UM-St. Louis Center
   8225 Florissant
   St. Louis, Missouri 63121
   (314) 516-6869
   (314) 516-6844 (FAX)

Informational Sources Used In This Article

Hopfenberg, Wendy S. (et al.). (1993). The Accelerated Schools Resource Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

"What is Powerful Learning", Powerful Learning Framework, (1996):1-12. National Center for the Accelerated Schools Project.

 "A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Social Understanding and Civic Efficacy," Social Education 57, no. 5 (September 1993): 213-223. National Council for the Social Studies.