Continually learning and stretching their own understanding, Dana Hall teachers make the most of the School's extensive professional development, summer travel, and sabbatical programs.
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Creating Strategic Learners |
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Learning Specialist Sarah Eslick attended a two-day Learning Differences Conference titled Reframing Differentiated Instruction: Executive Function, Motivation and Engagement, sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Research Institute for Learning and Development. "I chose to attend seminars that focused on executive functioning strategies," says Eslick. "I believe that helping our students become more strategic learners is one of the most effective ways we can prepare them for success in their current course work, college, in the work place, and even in their personal lives." Eslick learned how important it is for direct strategy instruction to be woven into assignments across the curriculum. "I came away with specific techniques to share with my colleagues," continued Eslick, "and to use in my one-to-one work with Middle School students."
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 Sixth-grade science and social studies teacher Victor D’Ambrosio took part in an all-day workshop on the building of solar cars, hosted by the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST). The participants worked with saws, soldering irons, and solar panels, as well as simple materials found in any hardware store. “True to the science-inquiry process, our instructors laid out the materials, showed us an example of a solar car, and then turned us loose to decide how best to design and construct one of our own,” says D’Ambrosio. “There was no plan to work from, or even a set of directions. We worked together in pairs and small groups, and our instructors gave us encouragement and answered questions. By mid-afternoon we were in the parking lot, conducting test runs and running races with our solar cars. It was very valuable for me to experience the inquiry method in the same way that I ask my sixth grade students to experience it. I felt some of the anxiety and confusion some of them may feel at the beginning of a project. But I soon caught on, and I enjoyed the chance to think for myself and work with my peers. I was engaged every step of the way, and at the end, I had the satisfaction of putting my own design to the test.”
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