Peck School Blog

CHRIS WEAVER, DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM & FACULTY DEVELOPMENT:  The phrase student-centered learning has been around awhile. Most people understand the idea, at least in a broad sense. Student-centered means shifting the focus of instruction from the teacher to the student – and by doing so, giving students more choice, agency, and ownership.

At its root, the phrase is a reaction to another kind of classroom, one that is usually termed teacher-centered. Here the image is most often of a lecture. The teacher is at the front and shovels the content to the students who eagerly (or not so eagerly) take it in.

On a gut level, these two opposites – student-centered and teacher-centered – are attractive because they are simple and direct; you can grasp them in an instant. They aren’t, however, particularly actionable. You can put students at the front and provide lots of choice, but that doesn’t instantly translate to a rich learning experience.

The other danger of clinging too tightly to these opposing views is that they often put teachers on the defensive. After all, it’s not very pleasant to have your meaningful and important work, in all its daily nuance and complexity, so narrowly reduced.

So what is an actionable approach to student-centered learning? How we can bring teachers into the work in a way that is genuine and meaningful? What are the opportunities to bring students more fully into the process of their own learning? How can we leverage these opportunities to help students become better problem solvers, as well as more agile and independent learners?

Here are three approaches that I’ve found helpful…

DAISY SAVAGE - HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL: When I was growing up, I had to sneak off to a friend’s house to play Barbies because my mother did not think such dolls were proper role models for young girls. Eleanor Roosevelt, Gloria Steinem, Amelia Earhart, those were appropriate role models! At 8-years-old, I wasn’t thinking about that; I just wanted to play dolls.

Now, of course, as an educator and a parent, I have a slightly different perspective. I still think girls and boys should be able to play with dolls, but they should also be able to play with trucks and legos, build robots, seek election to high office, fly to the moon.

We expose children to all sorts of opportunities and tell them that all things are possible, but real live “role models” are also imperative.

We expose children to all sorts of opportunities and tell them that all things are possible, but real live “role models” are also imperative. Girls need a Sally Ride and boys a Jim Henson to understand that the future is available to them no matter their race, gender, or religion.

However, there is another important ingredient. Too often our role models in the headlines reach an almost action hero status; there is an illusion that they are special. How do we help children realistically see themselves in those big shoes? How will they rise to the occasion: how should they act, how should they prepare? What should they be doing now? And what will other people think of their efforts?

DON DIEBOLD, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: When I was a 10-year-old boy, every piece of equipment was carefully laid out and my uniform was clearly organized the night before every game. It should not have been difficult to sleep, but it always was on those nights. Why? I guess I just couldn’t wait for the fun.

Research is showing a significant decline in youth sports participation

Sadly, research is showing a significant decline in youth sports participation. Although there are many factors contributing to this decline, the number one reason cited by youth is that sports are just “not fun.”

Sports are just “not fun.”

How can we, as adults, focus on reinforcing the fun factor in our sports programs?

Amanda Visek*, an exercise science professor at George Washington University, surveyed approximately 150 children, 40 coaches, and 60 parents to identify all of the factors that make sports participation a fun prospect for kids.

She found 81 factors contributing to sports-related happiness. The top three factors were:

• being a good sport
• trying hard, and
• positive coaching.

CHRISTINE WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELING:  Frequently, middle schools are physically attached to a high school or they exist as a stand-alone environment for students in Grades 6 through 8. According to research, however, this model has multiple flaws. A far more successful model is the K-8 paradigm—which I have witnessed successfully implemented at The Peck School.

A far more successful model is the K-8 paradigm

When Peck’s eighth grade class returned at the start of this school year, I was delighted to see how each student matured over the summer months. The magical growth from seventh grade spring to eighth grade fall is transformational. From day one of the new school year, these students embraced both the privileges and the responsibilities of reaching the pinnacle grade at The Peck School.

Where else but in a K-8 environment could the very challenging years of adolescence be positively offset by the opportunity to be role models and leaders for eight other grades of younger students? Our eighth graders are not living in the shadow of older high school students. They are at the top of the ladder, and have finally reached (as one wonderful alumna recently described quite eloquently) “the pot of gold at the end of the Peck rainbow.”

ZAN STRUEBING, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST:  In the 1966 film Alfie, Burt Bacharach contemplates the meaning of life in the lyrics to the title song (in which he writes the question, “What’s it all about, Alfie?”) During the musings of childhood, the angst of adolescence, or the demands of adulthood, I suspect we have all questioned what truly matters in life, and many of us have arrived at a similar conclusion: It’s all about relationships.

I suspect we have all questioned what truly matters in life...

Yet as much as we value our relationships, I suspect we sometimes behave in ways that do not fully honor our connections. We get caught up in schedules, deadlines, earning, winning, and being right.

In the moment, life’s demands and distractions seem inescapable. However, when we pause, step back, and contemplate, we realize that there is truly room to prioritize our relationships. Doing so doesn’t require more time or effort; it just requires a thoughtful approach to connecting and the cultivation of some good habits.

MARK MORTENSEN, ARTS DEPARTMENT CHAIR: A tour of Peck’s campus for prospective parents includes a visit to the woodshop. Nearly all guests express pleasure in seeing that an independent, elementary school offers woodworking classes. Many reminisce of their own experiences in grade-school woodshops.

Nearly all guests express pleasure in seeing that an independent, elementary school offers woodworking classes.

I enjoy sharing with visitors some highlights of Peck’s program. Simple tools and simple projects are introduced in 3rd grade, a Peck student’s first formal exposure to woodworking.

BRUCE SCHWARTZ, ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATOR: For many individuals, technology is a love/hate relationship.

We see the benefits in our personal and professional lives. We appreciate that these tools provide organizational structures, enhanced communications, and real-time exposure to what is happening today. However, we can also become frustrated by how frequently new and updated products and services are released—and uneasy about the impact these tools may have on our society, our relationships, and our ability to think independently.

As an Academic Technology Integrator (i.e., someone who pays special attention to the intersection of teaching, learning, and technology), I get asked a lot of questions.

These questions usually fall into two categories:

1. How can our students ‘keep up’ with the rapid pace of technology in order to be successful in secondary school and beyond, and 2.,

By deploying so much technology in the classroom, are we “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” as we alter teaching methods with new technologies?

CHRISTOPHER STARR, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNITY OUTREACH:

What is a brain without a heart? Not as smart, recent research suggests.

No doubt this is why truly great schools consider character education on an equal par with academic rigor.

But a difficulty arises for schools like The Peck School in Morristown, NJ, whose motto states; “In life, knowledge must be guided by values.” The problem is that knowledge can more easily be measured than character skills such as ethics, resilience, and curiosity.

Like many independent schools, The Peck School is hoping to change this dichotomy by joining a consortium of nearly 100 institutions that will conduct the Mission Skills Assessment (MSA) throughout this fall semester. The assessment has been developed over a period of five years by the Independent School Data Exchange (INDEX) and Education Testing Services (ETS) to scientifically gauge each school’s success rate in promoting six character skills that are labeled “essential” for success in school and life: teamwork, creativity, ethics, resilience, curiosity, and time management.

ANDREW DELINSKY, HEAD OF SCHOOL:  I am fascinated with the concept and practice of leadership and know that one of the greatest gifts and privileges I have at Peck is the opportunity to lead.

One of the greatest gifts and privileges I have at Peck is the opportunity to lead.

I don’t take the responsibility lightly, nor should I – Peck, like all schools, has a special, deep-seeded culture and history that deserves a careful stewardship into the future. It is my responsibility and charge to leave the school better than how I found it, which is what all leaders should strive to do, regardless of who or what they are leading.