BY KAREN LEWIS TAYLOR
Moments of Discovery RAVENSCROFT’S INVESTMENT IN
Training
REDEFINES TEACHING AND LEARNING ACROSS CAMPUS T ’ S N O OV E R STAT E M E N T to suggest Ravenscroft is reimagining education. Propelled by research and a clearer understanding of how children learn today, grounded in healthy social and emotional development, the best practices that infuse Lead From Here, the school’s citizen leadership framework, mark a sea change in education — an approach to teaching and learning that is different from the schools of even a generation ago. “We’ve looked at education through a more contemporary lens,” said Colleen Ramsden, assistant head of school for academic affairs. “The role of the teacher today is to provide opportunities for students to reflect, make meaning and apply learning rather than just regurgitate information.” This approach, known as facilitation, shifts the traditional teacher-centered dynamic to a more studentcentered one, giving students greater responsibility for their learning.
Developing a Mindset
The faculty’s deep dive into facilitation is rooted in the partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) that led to Lead From Here. Recognizing that CCL’s approach to leadership development could transform teaching and learning, Ravenscroft has committed to ongoing training for faculty, designating funds from the Embrace Possibility campaign for professional development. As the school enters the second year of a campus-wide facilitation initiative, teachers are redefining their roles in support of more authentic student learning. “The way students access and gather information has changed. The skills they need to be successful have changed,” Ramsden said. “We need to know students can collaborate and problem solve, that they’re not just looking for an answer — ‘Is this right?’ — but instead asking, ‘What am I going to do if this isn’t right?’”
Lower School teacher Laura Coffey and her students debrief on a Lead From Here activity
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R avenscroft magazine
R eport on Giving 2017
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