**Important**

At this time Kindezi is NOT seeking new applications for teachers for the 2010-2011 school year.

**Important**

Imagine the possibilities in teaching at a public charter school with only six students per class.

How will it change the way you instruct and assess? The growth you see in your students? Your job satisfaction?
 
The Kindezi School is founded on the belief that reducing class sizes to just six students can revolutionize the way we teach and help students realize their full potential for academic and emotional growth. We are the first public charter school in the nation to envision such radical school reform. Our Founding Board is searching for teachers who are inspired to instruct students based on their individual needs, develop strong relationships with each student and parent, and assume demanding leadership roles in the school.
 
Kindezi teachers will root their instruction in an approach that incorporates the following three elements:
 
Socratic tutorial method
Socratic tutorial is a proven method of instructing in which the teacher uses questioning and scaffolding, when possible, to support students in overcoming obstacles or learning new skills without being told the answer directly. Socratic tutorial is highly interactive and allows teachers and students to meaningfully engage with one another. In addition, teachers utilizing the Socratic tutorial method support the students in reaching solutions themselves, thereby encouraging children to learn more independently.

FIGURE 1: Compares students who were tutored one-to-one in groups of two or three students at a time to students taught via whole-group instruction 30 students at a time. Note: from Bloom, B.S. (1984) “The 2 Sigma Problem: The search for methods of group instruction as effective as one-to-one tutoring.” Educational Researcher 13(6): p. 4-16  
 

Prominent educational theorist Benjamin Bloom identified the “2 Sigma Problem” in a study that found that 1:1 tutored students performed two standard deviations above the norm of students learning in a 30:1 classroom environment.  
 
 
Differentiation via project-based learning
Part of the purpose of reducing the class to a family-sized group is to allow teachers to make a fundamental transition from thinking of children as members of a group to thinking about children as unique individuals.  In a class of just six students, a teacher can provide a unique learning experience for each student that is tailored to the special needs and rights of each. Utilizing the project approach, teachers will address the Georgia Performance Standards by incorporating meaningful, authentic learning opportunities as students work both individually and in small groups.  
 
 
Arts integration
Arts integration is becoming widely practiced nationally, yielding promising results in terms of student achievement and satisfaction.  As Kindezi teachers develop, they will integrate visual and performing arts as well as technology and multimedia into the core subjects on a daily basis.