September 6, 2019

 

Dear families,

 

What a wonderful week in the Lower School! We completed our first fire drill, and the Lower School faculty, staff, and students did an amazing job! I have also enjoyed visiting classrooms and observing the teachers and students engaged in learning this week.

 

 

We can all remember those classes in which we heard a teacher drone on about people, places, or things of no immediate interest or concern to us. In situations like this, perhaps we daydream, doodle, sleep, or allow our minds to wander to interesting thoughts. What we don’t do is engage with the material being explained or presented…or learn.

 

Active learning occurs when you are engaged and a part of the learning process. It involves opportunities for interactions among and between the teacher and other students and the instructional materials so that learning takes place.

 

When you think of active learning, it is best understood as learning by doing. The learner takes active ownership of their learning and feels proactive about their role within the process. The National Training Laboratories’ studies of teaching strategies resulted in the Learning Pyramid (pictured at the right). It reflects the retention rate for a variety of teaching methods. 

 

Within the pyramid, there is a place for each approach within a classroom setting. The question comes when a teacher uses lecture and reading as the primary tools to teach and engage students. It is critical to teach students so that the learned information will be retained and transferable within a variety of learning situations. Active learning automatically mandates the creation of a student-centered classroom rather than a teacher-centered classroom.

 

At the Lower School, the faculty carefully plan and deliver lessons so that students are active and engaged participants in the learning. The next time that you are in the Lower School, take a look around…active learning is everywhere!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Angie Crabtree

Lower School Principal