Posts Tagged ‘experiential learning’
School Fit: A Teacher’s Reflection
Can a school really make a dramatic difference to a student? I began my classroom teaching career at another independent private school in the region, which was in many ways the diametric opposite of The Sycamore School. Their respective approaches to education and student support diverged from the start. Early Emphasis on AP Classes The first school I taught at was founded on the idea that American schools failed to challenge their students. Their solution was simple: lots of AP classes as early as possible and challenging curricula, even at the middle school level. Sixth graders tackle “Julius Caesar” while “Macbeth” is slated for 7th graders. Students are pushed from 5th grade onward to focus on tests and grades almost exclusively. Starting in 6th and 7th grade, students take a test halfway through the year and another at the end. Each test counts 50% of that semester’s grade. The pressure…
Read MoreField Trip to the National Museum of the American Indian
One of the world’s great museum centers is minutes away from The Sycamore School in the Smithsonian network that sprawls across a dozen blocks on the Mall and offers students a window into great history, science, and art from our past. The MS2 and MS3 cohorts brought their “Pre-Columbian Americas” unit on Native American cultures to life with a field trip to the National Museum of the American Indian. It also gave them insight into how the growing USA relentlessly pushed aside Native Americans. NMAI has changed over the years, shifting from tribe-based exhibitions to thematic displays such as the history of treaties between the states or the US government and various tribes. Students were assigned one treaty to research in detail, spanning the late 1600s until 1854. They looked at each side’s expectations and goals, what the parties agreed to, and how that treaty was honored or not in…
Read MoreThe Educational Value of Field Trips
Part of our personalized experiential learning approach at The Sycamore School (TSS) is connecting learning to our larger world, and one of the ways we do this is by regularly taking students on field trips. We call Fridays our community-based learning day — students go on field trips related to what they’re studying, participate in community service outings, and welcome guest speakers. They also engage in extension activities such as science labs and career days. This year, our youngest middle school cohorts studied ecosystems and natural disasters. As part of this experience class, students went to Lacey Woods to investigate and learn how to identify local flora and fauna. They also visited a virtual aquarium to explore underwater ecosystems and food webs. This experience helped them make real-life connections to the concepts they discussed in class. Our youngest cohorts also participated in a soil investigation lab. They collected soil samples…
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