Assessment-Based Learning
In the Lower School, we operate within an assessment-based belief system. Every moment with the children in the classroom welcomes a wealth of insightful information. The interpretation of a text, a spelling error, a mathematical approach that appears clever or inefficient; these are all revealing and informative for the teacher. This is the information that guides the next mini-lesson, think-aloud, or individual conference. This is your individual child, with his or her individual needs made visible, through the observation of his or her authentic inquiry, projects, and investigations.
The Workshop Model
There are as many educational theories as there are children in our school. One educational belief system is based on what we often call the “empty vessel” theory -- the assumption that the child comes to school without any understanding of the world; he has no experience to offer; and therefore he must have knowledge poured into his head. This kind of instruction is a one-size-fits-all instruction that implies a series of rote activities followed by practice, practice, practice and test, test, test.
Our teachers use a different model -- the workshop model. The workshop model is currently in use throughout the educational world, from Kindergarten through MIT graduate school. In a workshop, the students are presented with an inquiry (e.g., Why was there such a dense population of Eastern European immigrants living on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan in the 1850’s?). Predictions are made and charted by the teacher. The teacher might read an excerpt from a primary document of that time and offer her interpretation, telling the children how and why she is reaching her conclusions. The children, with a variety of texts in-hand, will then break into groups and have a goal: find textual evidence to eventually share with the entire class. While the children are working, the teacher observes them and gathers information. She may pull together a small group who need further instruction or work with children through individual conferences. All the time, the teacher is assessing understanding to create the next teaching point.
Creating Challenges
It is the goal of the Lower School program to challenge all children. We create open-ended assignments that meet each child at his or her place of development. We believe that classroom dialogue develops thinking, vocabulary, and an appreciation of alternative ideas. We believe that rigor should be defined as actively reasoning out problems. Toward that end, we organize our curriculum around “big ideas,” which support further learning and problem solving. We believe children need to be engaged in high-level critical thinking in order for optimum effort to occur.
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