Curriculum
Dana Hall’s curriculum helps students expand their horizons, master complex concepts, and share their amazing gifts with the world.
Our challenging, interdisciplinary curriculum nourishes students’ curiosity, strengthens their intellect, and celebrates several of our core beliefs:
- Learning rarely happens in a straight line. It can be messy, or even chaotic.
- There are times when failure can teach as much (or more) than success.
- Our students excel academically because we know them inside and out, and appreciate them for who they are.
What does this have to do with fractals, French literature, algebra, and the African diaspora? Everything. The Dana Hall curriculum is:
Vigorous – Students in our Middle and Upper Schools benefit from a lively learning environment led by teachers who are talented, dedicated, and smart.
Collaborative – Much of our classroom work is team based, which gives students the opportunity to learn from—and work with—students with different perspectives and strengths.
Relevant – Science students analyze the effects of climate change. Students in an African studies class learn about efforts to rename a square in Boston after the ancient North African region of Nubia. A course in neuroscience leads to a capstone project focused on the origins of mental illness. Students discover how their coursework relates to the world around them, and how they can use what they learn to make the world better, healthier, and more equitable.
Adaptive – Dana Hall has long been on the forefront of educational technology. Our teachers stay up to date about new applications and teaching practices that reflect how the current generation learns best.
Empowering – Our faculty members invest considerable time in really getting to know students; as a result, students express their ideas with confidence, listen respectfully to others, and advocate for themselves effectively. That’s why Dana Hall students excel—and stretch themselves—in every subject, including traditionally male-dominated areas like math and science.
From their first day at the Middle School through graduation, students benefit from this dynamic, exuberant learning environment, which promotes positive habits of mind that serve them well in college and beyond.