Peers as Partners in Learning Overview
Heloisa Knott :
[ Florida Inclusion Logo shows, then transitions to Helosia Knott. ] So he was a kid that hated going to school, absolutely hated. And now he absolutely loves it. Not only does he love coming to school, he wants to go to the activities like football games to see all his friends. Now he feel like he belongs in the community and the school and just being part of it, that’s what he wanted all along, he just felt lonely.
Speaker 2 :
[ Transition to a busy highschool hallway with kids walking around. ] Peers as Partners in Learning is a course available to high school students in Florida, developed by the [ Text with ‘Peers as Partners in Learning’ appears above the Florida Inclusion Network Logo. ] Florida Inclusion Network or FIN and the Florida Department of Education. Students with and Without Disabilities benefit from this program. Students with Disabilities receive support in inclusive settings with their same aged peers so that they’re full members of the school community. The peers as Partners in Learning program at Timber Creek High School [ Transition to scenes of students working on schoolwork side by side. ] is called the Peer Inclusion Team, or Pit Crew School throughout Florida have adopted many different names for their programs.
David Gardner :
[ Transition to classroom door being opened, David is then shown teaching his students. ] This program has kind of really reshaped this whole idea and thinking of students with accommodations and being included in classrooms. This though allows students [ Transition to David outside talking to the camera. ] who need accommodations to be on the same level as their peers because it’s another student helping them out.
Lindsey :
[ Transition to Lindsey (a student) outside talking to the camera. ] We sit down and we go through reading problems. We go over the questions, highlight what they need solely, work through every problem, make sure they’re rereading.
Kay Turley :
[ Camera cuts to a pan of Mrs. Turley teaching her class, then transitioning to her talking to the camera. ] And I realized I need to make this its own course and we need to be more formalized in the process. And that’s where with Florida Inclusion Network, we worked on curriculum, we worked on what we could be teaching the students, and it’s just grown from there.
Marc Jackson :
[ Transition to inside of the highschool’s gymnasium, with Marc Jackson the PE teacher. ] I’ve been doing pit crew here for seven years and we have kids who are special like Savannah whose sister’s in here. And [ Camera then cuts to Marc talking to the camera. ] the other night she brought her sister to a football game and all the pit crew kids in the class came to, it was her first game, so they helped her get out of the car and just during the course of the game and Pete who plays, gave her a game ball after the game because he was the MVP of the game.
Lindsey :
[ Camera cuts to Lindsey inside of the gym. ] So my freshman year I was friends with a senior who told me about pit crew, which I had never heard about before. And I was like, oh, that sounds really cool because my younger sister’s disabled. And I was like, that would be really fun to interact with everybody and have a new experience. [ Cut to overview of the gym. ] Well, in middle school she was very secluded, [ Camera cuts back to Lindsey. ] she was very isolated. And here at Timber Creek with the pit crew program, she knows more people than I do. She’s got all kinds of friends. She’s always talking about somebody. And last Friday we went to the football game and everybody on the field was like, oh Jordan, hi, how are you? And it was just crazy to me. I was like, I can’t believe you know this many people.
Carson :
[ Camera cuts to Carson an Alumni talking to students of Timber Creek. ] Initially I didn’t realize what I was going to get out of the program and it wasn’t until I started interacting the [ Transition to Carson talking to the camera. ] students with disabilities that I realized the importance of interacting with everybody.
Aidan :
[ Transition to a classroom full of kids doing schoolwork. ] I’m doing pretty good. I mean, I have a B, so I’m doing well, but it’s better to have somebody helping you. So you have the teacher, then you have a [ Camera cuts to Aidan talking outside to the camera. ] student helping you out as well. So you have two people helping you, but it’s naturally better to have another student because you get to connect with that student.
Leonardo :
[ Camera transitions to Leonardo in the schools highway. ] Pit crew is meant to me. I made friends, I made friends through pit crew. [ Transitons to scenes of Leonardo navigating class. ] And for me, I want to be that person to another person
Lindsey :
[ Camera cuts back to Lindsey outside. ] There on all my friends, they’re my buddies. I see ’em every day. They’re just like any other of my friends here at Timber Creek.
Kay Turley :
[ Transition back to hallway full of students. ] The biggest changes I saw initially in starting the program as an exceptional ed teacher, [ Transition back to Mrs. Turley back outside. ] I was concerned about our students with disabilities. I wanted them to feel supported and successful. What I did not anticipate but has been the most amazing thing of the program is how it impacted and changed the students who joined the pit crew who are part of that.
David Gardner :
[ The camera cuts to two students talking at a lunch table. ] It’s one of those things after you are a pit crew student, I just see the maturity [ Transition back to David talking outside. ] level start to rise and they realize they get that connection of what your civic duty is as really a human. And that is to give back. And it’s awesome to see with all varieties of students how [ Camera transitions to students leaving for the day. ] much the program impacts them even later in their life
Ann Kerben :
With the peers As partners and learning program, graduation rates have increased [ Transition to Ann Kerben, a FIN Facilitator talking to the camera outside. ] greatly and behavior referrals have declined. Schools that have chosen this program have seen [ Camera cuts to stduents talking at the bus stop outside of school. ] achievement outcomes for students with and without disabilities.
Kay Turley :
It is hard work. It does take some energy and some forethought and some [ Transition back to Mr.s Turley talking outside. ] organization, but I think it’s been said throughout the day, the benefits far outweigh on any piece that I’ve ever invested energy. I get back a thousand times more than we put into it. And so I think if folks will have the courage to start, they’ll see how it will change them, change the students, and change the school.
Lauren :
[ Camera cuts to Lauren a student of Timber Creek. ] I honestly think personally that I’m a better person because of this class.
Speaker 2 :
[ Transition to a screen that says ‘A special thanks to Orange County public schools, Principal Kelly Paduano, and Kay Turley. Thank you also to the faculty and staff, students, alumni, and parents at Timber Creek High School.’ ] FIN can help schools get the peers as partners in learning programs started. Fin facilitators across the [ The screen then shows text reading, ‘For additional information, visit www.FloridaInclusionNetwork.com. ] state are available for support. [ Camera cuts to the ‘Florida Inclusion Network’ logo. ]
Getting Started with PPL
Speaker 1 :
[ Camera starts on students walking in school hallway. ] Peers as Partners in Learning is a course available to high school students in Florida, developed by the Florida Inclusion Network or FIN and the Florida Department of Education. Students with and Without Disabilities benefit from this program. Students [ Transition to students learning in class. ] with Disabilities receive support in inclusive settings with their same age peers so that they are full members of the school community. [ Transition to teacher handing papers to her students. ] Orange County Public Schools has worked to develop the program into a course that can be offered in any Florida school.
[ Transition to a description of the course on the CPALMS website. ] The course standards are outlined and included on the CPALMS website. [ Transition to teacher’s talking to their supervisor. ] A school should ask for district approval to offer this course prior to starting the program.
[ Camera cuts to a PowerPoint slide. ] Peers as Partners in Learning begins with gathering a team. School, team members might include the administrator, ESC, teacher of record guidance counselor, general education teacher or teachers, instructional coaches, paraprofessionals, support services, services personnel, vocational or elective teachers, and or parents. Having a large team [ Cut to a disabled student is shown being helped onto a bus. ] is not as important as having a committed team. Your FIN facilitator is available to come and help your team get started.
[ Transition to a teacher talking with one of her students. ] The first step for your team is to develop a vision, establish core [ The camera then cuts to a teacher pointing out items on a PowerPoint. ] beliefs and identify a name for the group. Some example names are Peer Inclusion Team or pit Crew, wings and GatorAids.
Dr. Kelly Paduano :
[ Camera cuts to a teacher sitting at her desk. ] As an administrator, as a principal, you’re always looking for programs that are going to impact to all of your students. And so for me, some people ask about the funding and how do you find the funding to do it. And for me, I don’t know how you wouldn’t find the funding because this is a program that’s [ Transition back to students learning in class. ] going to help our general ed students and it’s going to help our ESE students.
Rosemarie Bedesem :
[ Camera cuts to teacher outside of School, showing her name Rosemarie Bedesem. ] Support from your administrator is huge because if you don’t have their buy-in and enthusiasm and their passion for wanting students with and without disabilities [ Transition inside of a school’s hallway, filled with kids. ] to work together and be included in every way, that it’s not going to be successful. And we have been given the support [.Camera cuts back to teacher outside of school. ] to plan to meet, to devise the best way to start an action plan and [ Camera cuts to inside of a classroom, where a woman is teaching. ] then follow up for measurement and for growth.
Dr. Kelly Paduano :
[ Camera transitions to a teacher sitting at her desk, showing her name Dr. Keylly Paduano. ] So that happens first when the budget comes out, making sure that I have the allocation or allocations there for pit crew that I need to have, and then making sure that [ Camera transitions to kids outside of class. ] I give the resources to pit crew that is needed and to the teachers
Rosemarie Bedesem :
Starting. It’s really [ Camera transitions back to the teacher outside. ] a big task because it’s a lot of, you have a lot of information, a lot of background knowledge, and you understand the premise, but getting the pieces in motion is difficult. There’s a lot of moving parts. So truly you need support from somebody who knows what they’re doing, and especially from FIN.
Speaker 1 :
[ Camera cuts to inside of room with teachers meeting with each other. ] You can find contact information for your local FIN on our [Camera shows the Florida Inclusion Network site] website at www.floridainclusionnetwork.com. [ Camera shows a slide of Step 2: Clarify the Program. ] Once your team is established and everyone has agreed on the vision and core beliefs, [Camera shows the room full of students meeting once again.] the team can then work toward tailoring the structure of the course for your school’s needs. Your school’s placement data or LRE data can be used as a starting point. [ A group of kids playing games inside of a gym. ] shows the For example. You can begin by identifying the types of supports they would need to participate in general education settings.
[ Multiple scenes of kids participating in classroom activities. ] Another approach is to identify students with disabilities who are struggling with core academic classes or a combination of both. It’s your call once you have clarified the starting focus of your program, spread the word to everyone. [ Transition to next step of program slide. ] Be creative and be sure to allow for input [ Transition to a slide showing ‘Step 3: Market the Program, proceeded by a bulleted list. ] and questions. By now, you should have established the enrollment criteria, registration, timeline, and application process for students to participate in the [ Transition to scenes of teachers meeting to discuss inclusivity. ] course. Once the applications are submitted, they will need to be reviewed, so the team should plan for this as well. This can change over the years, but the process should be clear and easy to follow. Once students are chosen to participate [ Pictures of past participants in the PPL program are shown. ] in the PPL program, FIN can assist with the inclusive scheduling process if needed.
Rosemarie Bedesem :
[ Transition back outside to Rosemarie. ] So, there’s a lot of scheduling in the beginning, getting to know students, getting to know teachers’ needs for the students who are going to be receiving support in the classroom, and then trying to match that up
Speaker 1 :
[ Scenes of kids completing daily activities at school are shown. ] Regardless. The team should identify individual students with disabilities and the subjects in their day that will need to be supported. Then they can be matched with peers for support based on everyone’s schedules. Once an overall schedule has been established, a team member should be in charge of following up with staff who are responsible for entering the student and Master’s schedules into the computer system. As the program gets going, it is important to continue to support implementation through the professional learning communities, opportunities for reflective activities and ongoing communication amongst everyone involved
Dr. Kelly Paduano :
In the summers. We have done some [ Transition to Dr. Paduano sitting at her desk. ] professional development over the years in various different ways, but really it’s something that’s ingrained in the school. It’s something that is part of everything we do. It’s part of our PLC meetings. It’s part of our faculty meetings. It’s part of what happens day to day.
Speaker 1 :
[ Cut to students having lunch at school. ] This has been a brief overview of getting started with the Peers as Partners in Learning program. Many questions will come up as your team works through this process. [ Cut to camera pan of outside of school. ] All of these questions can be answered by contacting [ For additional information, visit www.FloridaInclusionNetwork.com. ] your local FIN facilitator or by [ Camera shows students enjoying lunch at school and completing day to day school activities. ] downloading the peers as partners in learning program planning and curriculum guide from our website. As your school implements the Peers as Partners in Learning program, it’s natural to begin to brainstorm meaningful ways to embed community outreach activities. [ A slideshow shows, a benefit run, a disability banner, and group shot of students participating in coordinating social events. ] Examples include sponsoring a benefit run, implementing school activities for disability awareness, coordinating social events to include more students with disabilities or developing assistance programs in the community. Community outreach ideas are plentiful. [ A banner shows a message ‘A special thanks to Orange County Public Schools, and the administration, faculty, students, and staff at Timber Creek High School. Thanks also goes out to Rosemarie Bedesem of Lake Mary High School.’ ] Just get your program started and you will see the benefits throughout your school and community.
Hernado High School’s P.I.T. Crew
Leechele Booker:
[ Open Principal Booker at her desk. ] So last year we had a presentation by Anne Corbin and she was at one of the principals meeting and she talked about this opportunity for our students to be able to work with peers, to be able to help one another and so I thought it was a great idea. So I came back to Mr. O’Rourke and I said, Mr. O’Rourke, Ann Corbin did this presentation. I really liked to be a part of it where our students would become mentors and they would have mentees and they would help us with our students and help them learn to be servant leaders one to another. So that’s how I started.
William Healis :
[ Transition to William sitting in his chair. ] When I started, there was only 13 kids in pit crew. Now there’s like 50 something. So more and more people are hearing about it every day and they want to join it and everyone’s like, oh, you’re in pit crew. I tried to get in but I didn’t, didn’t get in. And a lot of people actually like it. And you can see the kids who are being helped turn around and not getting his fights, not doing their homework and doing their classwork and stuff.
Nautica Milton :
[ Camera cuts to Nautica and Madison, sitting at a desk together. ] Well, I learned every day something new because in his class is algebra and it helps me because math is ongoing. It’s just stack on top of stack and they learn different methods now that I didn’t learn back then. And it helps me learn when I’m in pre-calc.
Madison Zaurel :
Yeah, because taking college algebra and my kid, my student is also in algebra one, so it kind of helps what they learning class and then I can reapply it to my class too or see what I can take from my class and apply to them.
Preston Black :
[Transition to Preston (right) and Donovan (left) sitting at a desk together. ] Especially my dad. When I first started this, he said Sometimes the teachers learn just as much as the students, and I’m getting great experience out of this. So that would just help me out along the road.
Rian Rose:
[ Cut to Rian Rose and Alyssa Nixon sitting at a desk together. ] You never know until you try because I mean, yeah, we signed up for this, but a lot of these kids, they were approached and they were told that they’d be a good fit for this and they ended up loving it. After knowing what it was all about.
Preston Black:
[ Transition back to Preston and Donovan. ] It’s great. I come in and usually has a smile on his face the first day I come in, he asked me specifically for my help. So that was just a great start coming in every day wanting my help and just have to help him out. And it’s not hard, but it’s fun at the end.
Donovan Lavin :
You shouldn’t be worried the pick who people will help you when you need it and stuff.
William Healis :
[ Camera transitions to William Healis at his desk. ] When I hear servant leadership, I think of a leader who doesn’t act as if they’re better than everyone else. They go back down to treat ’em as an equal and let them know that not just I’m your leader, do what I say, but I’m with you. Let’s do this kind of deal.
Alyssa Nixon :
[ Transition back to Rose and Alyssa. ] At the beginning of the year, my student, he seemed open to what was going on and he understood why I was there, that I was there to help him. But as the year progressed on and on, I think he didn’t quite understand that I was there and willingly there to help him with whatever he wanted. And it was a huge struggle for the first nine weeks because he didn’t want to accept that help or he wasn’t reviewing whatever I’d give him. And his attitude towards the class slowly, slowly soured. And so I talked to Mr. Burke and Mr. Williams and we all came in here and we talked together. And after that it was a complete attitude change. He came up to me and apologized to me and he was like, I didn’t realize. He was like, I didn’t think that that might’ve hurt your feelings. If I was rejecting what you’re doing, you obviously care about me and you have a heart for this program. So I think getting kids to understand why we’re in here and that we actually care about how they do and inside the classroom and outside the classroom, I think that was what we came to an understanding about. And his attitude completely changed after that.
Marlon Southward :
[ Transtion to Marlon Southward (right) and Ross Stalcup (left) sitting together at a desk. ] No, she asked me did I want Caesar and Will to help me out? And I said yeah, and didn’t really helped. And I bonded really with ’em too. I bond it good with ’em too.
Ross Stalcup :
It’s a very good opportunity to do. It’s a very good program. You meet new people such as Buggy, just chill people and you learn new techniques and stuff. The techniques, new environments that you wouldn’t have had before. You can do. I mean if you do this program, it’s going to set you up for life really.
Brian Williams :
[ Transition to Brian Williams, sitting in his office. ] We see so many programs come and go and fail. And I didn’t know with my other workloads if I could honestly handle it, but I had to step back and look beyond myself. And here’s the difference. It’s not about a program, it’s not about [ Camera cuts to scenes of students working on schoolwork together. ] something being funded, it’s about the kids. I guarantee in every school there are the kids that are willing to serve and there are kids who need to be served. So on both ends of the spectrum, it’s more than the program, the people in the program. So it’s, I think every school can, if we can do it, they can do it. The course code is there, Certainly Hernando High, the volunteer hours are there. The ability’s there, [ Transition back to Brian in his office. ] it’s just stepping up. It’s not about IF you should. It’s about when, and I think the time now, next school year, as soon as you can. Why not every high school? That’s all. I mean, it can happen.
Leechele Booker :
[ Camera cuts to Principal Booker back in her office. ] Out of the 56 students, 99% of those students have a passing grade. 56% of our students have a grade of A or B. Oh, I think I want to have it as long as I’m here. I’ve been at Hernando High School for seven years, so with being in existence in this second year, I can only see it getting bigger and better. [ video fades to black. ]