By Marley Seaman
Developed by the Institute for Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, the ideology contends that schools focus on natural aptitude too often. As a result, parents and teachers blame a student's struggles on a lack of intelligence or ability when the student is capable of understanding the material. With additional direction and chances to revise their work, Britto believes, students can, and will, improve.
"Do we tell kids, 'You're smart because you were born smart' or 'because you applied effort'?" Britto asked.
Students who do not perform well are excused where they should be pushed harder, contends Britto, and given extra time to understand their mistakes and improve their work. This is often done through the use of exemplars - examples of good work, showing other students how to better complete an assignment.
"Teachers have to be the kind that tell kids exactly, precisely, how to get to the next level," said Maria Miranda, principal of the Marin School in Bridgeport, Conn., where Britto was assistant superintendent for four years. Britto earned a master's degree in education and a doctorate in administration, planning and social policy at Harvard, where effort-based learning theory is popular.
He spent most of his career in his hometown of Providence, R.I. There he was an elementary and middle school teacher, later becoming an assistant principal and principal of an elementary school. He then served as director and administrator of Advanced Academic Services and the Magnet School Assistance Program.
Miranda stressed the importance that should be placed on student feedback. "The types of comments you make on papers can bring students to the next level."
Britto concurred, saying, "'[Try] harder' is too amorphous. We have to try harder, but specify on what."
Students are expected to use the new three R's - reflect, revise and resubmit - to improve their work. In the effort-based view, because a student's struggles are explained by a lack of effort or understanding, students and teachers are expected to put in extra time to remedy any problems. Britto says that under other educational models, when a students has trouble with a topic, the standard response is to teach them a slate of basic facts and not ask more of them.
"If expectations are not high, the teaching tends to focus on rote memorization and disjointed facts," Britto said.
In Bridgeport, Britto managed one high school and each of the "feeder" schools that sent children to it. He was a major presence in and around the schools. "[Britto], in my opinion, believes in putting children first and being highly visible in the community," said Henry Kelly, Bridgeport's assistant superintendent of elementary education. Kelly remembers Britto emphasizing "active learning," in which teachers encourage the students to work together instead of simply lecturing them.
Britto points to a program called "empowering writers" as one of his signature achievements. Developed by another school, the program taught younger students to write better essays and stories by showing them ways to improve each section. "They break down the pieces of a good essay, and teach the children how to do it," Miranda said. "Then they put it all together."
Britto said he wants to structure the Baldwin administration so that it is more collaborative, to better meet the needs of the students. "We have to break away from the hierarchical model," he said.
In Bridgeport, Miranda recalled, Britto conducted "learning walks," taking administrators to classrooms and highlighting ideas.
"He began a teaching and learning cabinet," Kelly said, "so we could have a better focus on strategic planning."
Comments about this story? MSeaman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
