Research says the deepest learning comes from reflecting on mistakes that have come up in the process of problem solving.

MISTAKES WELCOME

The upper school honors precalculus classroom discussions are entirely student-led. Students do six rich, exploratory problems for homework, which can often be done in more than one way or might have more than one answer. They then bring their work to the classroom and present it on the board to discuss as a group. If no one is willing to share his or her errors, then everyone misses out on opportunities for learning. To incentivize this behavior, students are encouraged to utilize the class’s marble jar, dropping in a marble each time a mistake is shared. When the jar is full, the class celebrates with a pizza party.

When learning resonates with the students' own values and beliefs, the content is seen as relevant and tied to real-world concerns and projects.

Scratching beneath the surface of the syrian refugee crisis

Seventh grade students in the Global Perspectives course researched the lives of individual Syrian refugees and told their stories using a programming language called Scratch. The project takes users on the journey of a real-life Syrian refugee, the choices they face, as well as the realities of the refugee experience.

The value lies in the well-formulated question rather than on the right answer.

SINGING THE PRAISES OF SINGAPORE MATH

As part of the lower school Singapore Math curriculum, fourth grade teacher Amanda Schirmacher noted that her students love sharing their methods, which she can project on a screen after taking a picture of the method with her tablet. "They are getting more comfortable with their speaking and presentation skills," she said. "It enables them to be confident in sharing their thinking," a skill that will serve them well as they enter middle and high school. "The earlier you find your voice, the better," she said.

In a responsive classroom, the exercise of naming hopes and dreams is critical to feeling personally connected to and engaged in learning.

Hopes and Dreams

Lower school students took the school's theme of action to heart and defined things they hoped to accomplish over the course of the school year.

When students are conscious and proactive about learning, it provokes a more personal response to engaging with the material.

SEEING STARS

The upper school Advanced Acting Company class performed the play “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson during the 2018-19 school year. This true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, whose quest to measure the distance of stars begins at Harvard Observatory and ends up changing our understanding of the universe.

Advanced Acting Company is made up of juniors and seniors who have taken classes in the upper school acting curriculum. The course culminates in a production fully produced and managed by students. With the rehearsal process embedded into class time throughout the semester, it allows the cast and crew to delve deeper into the play, spending more time on script and character analysis, ensemble building and dramaturgy, while also providing students opportunities to oversee behind-the-scenes work like costume and makeup design.

Our students are able to take their own interests outside of school and bring them into the classroom and share their passions with others authentically.

Sugar, Spice and Everything They Impact

Students in the upper school class "Spice: Food, Trade & Culture" took a field trip to the world’s largest Starbucks to study the globalization of companies and to see in action the impact commodities have on society.