Putnam County Community Cares Supports Local Families

Kieran Stack

A retired educator with more than three decades of administrative experience, Kieran Stack most recently oversaw more than 1,200 students and 120 staff members as assistant principal of Brewster High School in Brewster, New York. As a way to give students hands-on experiences in the community, Kieran Stack led several student projects in cooperation with Putnam County Community Cares.

Established in 2007, Community Cares provides resources for families of school-age children with a parent diagnosed with cancer or another critical illness. Community Cares recognizes that after a cancer diagnosis, well-meaning community members want to help, but often do not know how.

Relying on the generosity of community sponsors who offer services at discounted rates, the non-profit organization provides meals for families from local restaurants, as well as laundry and housecleaning services. All are provided free of charge to families and are funded by donations from individuals and businesses in the local community. Community Cares is a facilitator and does not actually prepare meals or perform cleaning services but obtains them for its client families.

Tips for Optimizing Lecture Based Education

Lecture
Image: edutopia.com

Kieran Stack recently concluded a 22-year tenure as assistant principal of the Brewster Central School District in Brewster, New York. Kieran Stack focused on various education initiatives over the course of his career, including making presentations on the value of moving away from lecture-based teaching.

The lecture format is one of the most commonly used in the field of education, despite debates regarding its effectiveness. While there are several ways for educators to optimize an academic lecture, there are a few inherent drawbacks to the form. Chief among these issues is the fact that studies have shown students struggle to maintain focus following 10 to 15 minutes of uninterrupted monologuing. Considering classes generally last between one and several hours, educators should reconsider delivering lectures for the duration of class time.

With this in mind, educators can enhance their lectures by including active breaks every 10 to 15 minutes. These breaks provide educators with an opportunity to evaluate student learning when students interact with each other in pairs or small groups. Additionally, pausing lectures allows students to review notes and ask questions.

There are several additional ways to optimize lecture-based classes. Educators should begin class by providing an overriding framework for the lecture, which should consist of a limited focus of three to five main points. This allows students to focus on the central thesis of the lecture. This framework can be supported by a variety of handouts that further highlight the most important aspects of the lecture.

Finally, student engagement is paramount to any style of teaching. Lectures should be rooted in ideas and concepts students are already familiar with related to important ideas to the student’s everyday lives. In addition to asking questions, students need enough class time to present their own ideas and examples relevant to the conversation.

The Promise of Peer Mediation in Schools

Kieran Stack

As the former assistant principal of a high school and middle school in New York, Kieran Stack directed public education in a diverse community. In this role, Kieran Stack dealt with disciplinary problems by using teams of peer mediators.

Peer mediation is a negotiation-based method of conflict resolution. At least 5,000 peer mediation groups around the country serve to improve student-teacher-parental communication and curb violence and vandalism. They model listening, problem solving, and critical thinking skills and motivate an appreciation of peaceful problem resolution, justice, and citizenship.

The mediator first asks students to write down problems and set an agenda that describes the details of the dispute. Then, the disputants each tell their version of the story, bringing out all their feelings and the reasons for the conflict. The mediator’s questions reveal the positions of all sides.

Afterward, the mediator asks students to provide solutions, taking note of the ones that all parties agree on. If no answers arise, everyone repeats the earlier processes, and sometimes the mediator meets with individuals privately to help things along.

Once solutions appear, the mediator asks all sides to endorse a contract, setting out the approved solutions. Follow-ups are conducted to assure adherence to the contract.

Although results are hard to measure, teachers and administrators feel peer mediation works. Some studies have shown significant reductions in fighting and suspensions, and students trained as mediators report improved academic skills and self-esteem.