The devlopment of a learning sequence in primary language arts and other instructional improvement aids for a non-graded school : an administrative internship at MacDonald Drive Elementary School

Abstract

The purpose of the internship at MacDonald Drive Elementary School was to give the intern an administrative perspective of recent innovations in education. The writer had realized for some time the need for a child-centered approach to teaching and learning, and the notion of nongradedness seemed to meet this need. The writer felt that an adequate administrative perspective on nongradedness could best be obtained if, as an administrative intern, he could relate certain theoretical aspects of nongradedness to real test situations. To help accomplish this goal, the intern included in the objectives for the internship the development of instructional improvement aids. Specifically, the intern became involved in the following tasks:

Developing a learning sequence i n primary language arts Developing diagnostic procedures Developing a curriculum guide Developing an internal recording system In addition to the development of instructional improvement aids, the writer was equally interested in exploring general principles of educational administration. An understanding of the broad areas of educational administration was readily achieved by observing an administrator function in actual school situations, as well as by participating in the actual decision-making process.