Best Practice High School Essay

At the Best Practice High School, in Chicago, the main three factors that make up the learning beliefs are learning is challenging, learning is collaborative, and learning is authentic. It is all about giving the students the voice and choice by making these factors come to life in the classroom atmosphere. This school bases their standards off of what education, learning, and teaching should be like. It is about gathering all the ideas of these standards and applying them to the classroom. I feel this is what kids in the poor communities need someone to help them think about the possibilities and choices for their life, instead of falling prey to the circumstances forced upon them due to the poor economic stability of their neighborhoods. The kids have to know how to make these crucial choice or they won't have the will power to do it themselves, so by teaching them the best practices of life it will help the students use critical thinking throughout the rest of their lives.

The three factors are implemented by teachers giving the students a project where they can work together which in turn helps them in using their basic authentic skills. That is what authentic learning is all about applying it to meaningful and relevant life situation like something as simple as buying a house. By teachers having the students work together for a writing assignment, usually done by ones self, is having the kids be collaborative by suggesting ideas on improving a students writing. Some kids may get anxious or nervous when writing assignments by themselves, so working together is a way of taking the pressure off so it can become more fun. By learning this way the kids learn in the moment by challenging each other through constructive teamwork, and creating an atmosphere of wanting to take their education to the next level. In order for the students to maintain this level of comfort in working together the use of a "block schedule" is very beneficial to their learning, because it gives the kids the time needed to get engaged in a subject like science so they can finish their labs and also reflect on what they've done; and when a student sees that they can apply it through hands on experience it will help them retain that knowledge better for years to come.

The best practice book was created to show an example of the standards needed for poor schools and what it should look like, and the best practice high school is the proof that these factors really work. The three factors authentic, collaborative, and challenge were chosen because it increases an active learning and listening setting, which are the foundational standards of the best practice. The school system trains kids to follow the rules and not question authority, which doesn't teach them about participating in a democratic society. These factors not only give the students the voice to determine what they want to discuss in the classroom but also what they will