Professional development opportunities are essential in the world of education as teachers continue to learn more about evolving best practices and current research. This week, and in the weeks ahead, Early and Lower School teachers are taking time to learn more about Fundations, a new literacy program that we’ll begin implementing next fall. Fundations provides a multimodal approach to the teaching of reading, writing, spelling, and vocabulary, essential components in a strong literacy curriculum. Next week, two teachers will travel off island to visit other independent schools, focusing on science curriculum, STEM teaching spaces, and methodologies for more hands-on science across the grades.
As mentioned in recent notes, the full faculty will engage in a three-hour program on Wednesday, April 9th (mark your calendars: it’s an EARLY PICKUP FOR ALL STUDENTS AT 12:30 PM). We will be working with two incredible presenters, focusing on design as a strategy for enhanced teaching and learning. Why Design? Design, including “backwards design,” is a framework we’ll learn together as we think about curriculum design, classroom set-up, and purposeful planning. Our presenters are Kate Canales and Gray Garmon, professors of design and innovation at The University of Texas Austin. The decisions we make as educators, including classroom setup and routines, are purposefully designed and we’ll share more about our learning with Kate and Gray soon.
Lastly, on Thursday, April 3rd, I hope you’ll join us for coffee and conversation focused on Social Media. In my earlier life when I was first teaching, I also made a series of videos for children and became fascinated with how screens impact children and their choices. Decades later, with training as a Felton Media Literacy Scholar, I have learned a great deal about the effects of media on children and their families. I look forward to sharing some of that knowledge with parents and caregivers, and learning more about how we can partner in our community to set clear limits and boundaries in support of healthy children! We’ll meet between 8:00 - 9:00 in the Great Hall - coffee & breakfast snacks will be provided. Bring your questions and be ready for a lively conversation!
