The Willows Voice Magazine - Summer 2012

Designed to Flourish

Creating an Environment Where Students Thrive What’s In A Design?

Media Literacy at The Willows Problem Solving = Creative Process = DESIGN

The Power of Problem Solving Building Imagination, One Block at a Time

Limitless Configurations…

Infinite Possibilities

www.thewillows.org

SUMMER 2012 | DESIGN

THE WILLOWS designing designed to theflourish school–ofthe theschool futureof the future

table of contents 1

Message from Lisa Rosenstein Head of School Designed to Flourish — The School of the Future

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Holy Curriculum, Batman!

Program Design at The Willows

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What’s In A Design?

Media Literacy at The Willows

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Problem Solving = Creative Process = Design The Power of Problem Solving

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Designing the School of the Future The Willows Master Plan

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Building Imagination, One Block at a Time Limitless Configurations…

Infinite Possibilities

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Designed to Flourish Sustaining an Environment Where Students Can Thrive

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Express Yourself Designing Curriculum

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The Art of Teaching Designing the Perfect Question

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Alumni Spotlight David Hyman ’01, Design as Storytelling

“

Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works.”

—Steve Jobs

Alumni Updates Class of 2012 Secondary School Acceptances Class of 2008 College Acceptances " Design is where science and art break even."

—Robin Mathew

design

THE WILLOWS

designed to flourish — the school of the future MESSAGE FROM LISA ROSENSTEIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

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Lisa Rosenstein Head of School The Willows Community School

hat enables you to flourish? To have a sense of well-being? Internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, answers these questions in his book, Flourish. He defines the elements of well-being as: 1. Positive emotion (happiness and life satisfaction) 2. Engagement 3. Relationships 4. Meaning 5. Accomplishments He further states that the instilling of these elements is “aided by positive education, in which teachers embed the principles of well-being into what they teach.”

From the Latin, florere (to bloom), the concept of “flourishing”—blooming, prospering or strengthening—drives teachers and administrators as they design and implement The Willows' approach to wellness.

This concept of wellness is embedded in the very fabric of The Willows as we help our students flourish and find meaning in their lives. We are constantly asking, “What does an individual student need to cultivate talents, build strong relationships, feel fulfilled and happy, make smart lifestyle choices, and contribute meaningfully to the world?”

This approach also informs the design of our learning spaces, which is thoughtful and intentional, and reflects our deepest beliefs about learning and education. As Steve Jobs said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” How does The Willows work? We work dynamically, centered on the principles of intellectual rigor, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity. As a team, we reflect on and refine curriculum to best engage our students, enabling them to flourish.

At its heart, The Willows is always striving to be “the school of the future.” In a New York Times article entitled, “What You Really Need To Know,” author Lawrence Summers offers some suggestions for how the educational system should change “to reflect the structure of society and what we now understand about how we learn.”

According to Summers’ checklist, we are succeeding. The Willows is already deeply committed to the key processes for 21st-century learning: analyzing instead of memorizing; learning to collaborate as well as lead; giving students active opportunities to apply their knowledge; and integrating technology as a tool for learning.

As The Willows moves forward with the design of our campus, we will continue to accomplish our educational goal: to help each student to soar and flourish, now and in the future.

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Holy Curriculum, Batman!

Program Design at The Willows

The amazing feats of superheroes capture our imagination and tap into our fantasies of having that one superpower that could change our lives—or change the world.

Our Developmental Kindergarten (DK) teachers harness this fascination in a unit that unites science, math, language arts, technology, and service learning and speaks to all learning styles.

An Emergent Program

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The superhero unit is a concrete example of how program design evolves at The Willows, as a magic combination of research, reflection, collaboration–and inspiration from the students.

Willows teacher Andrea Passarella recalls the genesis of the unit: “I was considering what was most meaningful to our DK students while reflecting on our existing curriculum. In designing the spring unit, I thought about our students’ cognitive developmental stages and interests, and felt superheroes would fit perfectly from a social/emotional and skill development standpoint.

A superhero represents empowerment for the students, taps

into their imagination, and incorporates the power of play in their learning. The children become what they dream, but also extract meaning from and contribute to the world around them.”

The 2012 superheroes range from environmental to scientific heroes like: • Sparkly Rose “If roses are dying, I’ll make them come alive.”

• Rain Girl “I make it rain.”

• Missile Launch “I shoot missiles from a ring.”

• Taste Bud Girl “I would fly to school and bring a backpack full of veggies!”

Integrated Curriculum The DK teachers weave math, science, and language arts explorations into the program to create an integrated thematic unit.

Science Using the concept of “super powers” as a catalyst, students explore the five senses and similarities and difference through hands-on experiments, such as taste and smell tests, listening challenges, and “touch boxes” where children describe different textures. DK students then use this information to formulate their own superhero identities, choosing one of the senses as their special super power.

Math Now, it’s time for the all-important job of designing the superhero suits. Students create their own emblems, exploring shapes and patterns through a geometry mini-unit.

Language Arts How do you tell the story of a superhero?

With a comic strip, of course! The combination of words and pictures is a perfect medium for DK children just beginning their journey into reading and writing. Students love this format for sharing their own adventures, and teachers find the comic strip a perfect way to focus on the beginning, middle and end of a story.

One exciting addition this year: tabletop filmmaking, which incorporates language arts skill development. DK students collaborated with their eighth grade buddies to create short films featuring their superheroes, using a new format that involves an iPad mounted on a tripod, which aims the camera eye at a flat surface. The surface became their “stage” to create sets and two-dimensional puppets for stopmotion animation projects.

Superhero Service Learning While superheroes may be the “stuff of myth,” the DK superhero unit connects the children to the real world. They discover superheroes within The Willows’ community—community helpers like our custodial staff—as well as Culver City “superheroes” like the Culver City Fire Department.

The children learned first-hand how to be a superhero to those

in need, by collecting toys and taking a field trip to the fire department to deliver the toys for distribution.

DK’s service continued on campus. After sending email requests to other classes seeking ways to help, the interactive whiteboard in the DK classroom became Command Central for Superhero Service! Despite the lack of telephone booths at The Willows, the DK children transformed into their superhero identities, springing into action to help their community.

“From recycling to parking the bikes on the yard,” explains Lower School Director Terri Baird. “The DK superheroes were empowered! This part of the unit is such a meaningful way for the DK children to become more enmeshed in the Willows community,” she adds, “and a way for them to realize that they have the power to change the world.”

When inspiration strikes, Willows teachers are also empowered: there is always room for change, while still achieving the goals of strengthening problem solving and critical thinking skills. At every grade level, thematic units are enhanced each year—and the superhero unit is no exception. DK teacher Bea Herrera explains, “We’re constantly reflecting, refining, and revising to ensure that the unit is a perfect fit for the specific students.”

To view a DK superhero tabletop video created by DK students and their eighth grade buddies scan the QR code or visit http://www.thewillows.org/our-program/ our-voice-and-focus/media-gallery-dk-animations/ index.aspx?view=revision

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THE WILLOWS designing designed to theflourish school–ofthe theschool futureof the future

Media Literacy at The Willows

What’s In A

Design?

Consumerism recently exploded all over the walls of the art room, with magazine ads suspended from the ceiling, grocery bags from Trader Joes, FedEx boxes, napkins from Subway. Why? It was an art installation carefully designed to launch a school-wide exploration of advertising, communication and design.

Art teachers Susannah Funnell, Kristy Waidner, and Andrea Passarella created this in-depth advertising unit with two major goals in mind: to introduce students at every grade level to the key elements of design and to help students build media literacy skills.

“We’re surrounded by advertising,” says Susannah, “on billboards, in magazines, even airplane banners at the beach.

We wanted the students to look closely at these images and begin to understand the power of signs and symbols and how they permeate our lives.”

According to the Media Awareness Network, “on average, we see 3,000 ads per day. At the gas pumps, in the movie theatre, in a washroom stall, during sporting events— advertising is impossible to avoid.” Statistics like this emphasize the need to build critical thinking and media literacy skills so our students are looking at the world around them from a more informed perspective.

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In their art classes, Willows students used the advertising installation as a still life. Student drawings were then compared to the work of Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres García. Torres García’s work incorporates many images inspired by ancient art, such as Mayan glyphs, so students explored symbolic art as an ancient tradition. “We discussed the power of a seemingly simple image, what makes it effective and memorable,” says Susannah. “It was a natural transition to look at the iconic images in the students’ world today, from the Nike swoosh to the writing on a Coke bottle.”

One thing that makes The Willows’ art program unique is how an “umbrella” theme—in this case, advertising and design— becomes a shared experience for students across the grades.

From DK through 8th grade, Kristy and Susannah created developmentally appropriate projects related to advertising. graders used the Mayan glyphs as inspiration • Stoecond create their own name glyphs illustrating their personal interests. ourth graders explored the work of Roy Lichtenstein, • Fusing digital photos and Comic Life software, and then incorporated California state symbols into posters advertising California. graders studied Andy Warhol’s advertising roots and • Fifth created their own Pop Art boxes, inspired by Warhol’s artwork.

Logos, branding, and design fascinated the Middle School.

“Adolescents are immersed in our consumer culture,” says Susannah, “so this unit felt immediately relevant to them.”

graders were given the option to create “personal • Seventh logos,” with eye-opening results. Seventh grader Leonard M. created a logo for himself that integrated a leopard and a donut, meant to show the contrast between the ‘beast within’ and the sweetness of his other side. graders explored the work of photographer and • Eighth graphic designer Barbara Kruger in photography class, and then selected and shot images reflecting their personal characteristics and interests. Inspired by philosopher René Descartes’ quotation, “I think therefore, I am,” students used Photoshop to edit images and add text, so their final products echoed Kruger’s work.

This unit broadened student understanding of advertising, changed the way students viewed their environment, and prompted them to question and analyze the advertising in their own lives. When asked to determine the longest period when they had not seen a single advertisement, the students had a revealing answer: “When we’re asleep!”

design

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Clockwize from top right: 5th grade Pop Art boxes inspired by Andy Warhol; 8th grade project exploring the work of Barbara Kruger; 8th grade social cause t-shirts; 4th grade California posters; 7th grade Getty Museum logos and 2nd grade Mayan pot.

“Adolescents are immersed in our consumer culture, so this unit felt immediately relevant to them.”

—Susannah Funnell, Art Teacher

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THE WILLOWS designed to flourish – the school of the future

Problem Solving = Creative Process = Design

The ingr edie 1,250 nts: squa re fe 125 m et of emp boun iddle sc h ty sp dles ace s cre oolers ativi t y The miss Des i ign on: the p erfec t lib rary /me dia c ente r

the power of problem solving

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t’s an exciting challenge currently being addressed by The Willows and the architectural firm of Pfau Long, as they develop a master plan to enhance our campus— but it’s also the challenge that was presented to The Willows’ middle schoolers this winter as part of their hands-on science explorations.

During Intersession, the annual period between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, students focus on a single theme across disciplines, in mixed-age groups. This year’s theme was “Power”—and as part of their science studies, students investigated the concept of power as it relates to light, sound, and architecture.

Middle School Director and science teacher Doug Klier explains the project: “We asked the students to think about the power of good design and imagine The Willows of the future, with a redesigned library and media center on the site of our current multipurpose room. Students collaborated in small groups to rethink the space and offer informed solutions to possible problems.”

Sixth and seventh graders approached the problem from the perspective of light, while the eighth graders focused on sound design.

After studying and understanding the principles of light and sound, the students applied their knowledge to the task of transforming the multi-purpose room.

Step One: INTERVIEWS The students

interviewed professionals in the fields of sound and light and also interviewed in-house experts like music teacher Greg Blum, who has made modifications to The Willows’ music rooms, and librarian Cathy Leverkus, who offered suggestions on how to address sound and light problems in a library setting.

Step Two: EXPERIMENTS Teachers worked

with students to gather quantifiable data that they could analyze and apply as they developed their designs. In sixth and seventh grade, students used light meters to create “light maps” of the space, while eighth graders looked at different types of fabrics and other materials to compare their ability to muffle sound.

Step Three: MODELS Armed with data and

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plenty of opinions, each team of students built a 3D scale model to illustrate an ideal layout—a great opportunity to use math skills in a real-world context.

Step Four: CONCLUSIONS As is the case

with any team of designers and architects, the moment of truth occurs when you are required to make a convincing argument for your design. The students wrote formal proposals for detailing how their 3D models could work.

Groups agreed on a few major principles.

When designing for sound, the area should be carpeted to muffle noise. Art on the walls is key—not just to make the space welcoming, but also to reduce the large, flat surfaces, which can exacerbate echoes.

And a surprising conclusion: the library should include beanbag chairs. “It turns out that beanbag chairs do a great job of mitigating sound problems,” says Doug.

“But also, middle schoolers really, really like beanbag chairs!”

For Head of School Lisa Rosenstein, the project exemplified the way that Intersession allows teachers to embrace creative approaches to problem solving beyond the bounds of the regular curriculum.

Perhaps even more importantly, this project brought our middle school students into the master planning process as stakeholders. “Our students are fully invested in The Willows,” she says.

“This is their place—so it makes perfect sense that they should feel part of the process as we plan for exciting changes on our campus.”

“This is their place—so it makes perfect sense that they should feel part of the process as we plan for exciting changes on our campus.”

—Lisa Rosenstein

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Designing the School of the Future

THE WILLOWS CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

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The ideal school “is designed to reflect an educational process that is nonlinear and encourages personal expression.”

—Eric Lloyd Wright, Architect

Start Something Wonderful CREATING THE PHYSICAL SPACE THAT ENHANCES OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

“The culture of learning in programs that excel at educating for innovation emphasize what I call the three P’s—play, passion and purpose,” writes Lawrence Summers in The Wall Street Journal article entitled Educating the Next Steve Jobs. We are creating exactly this campus that leads each of our students to grow and discover through play, find their passions, and develop a meaningful purpose in life.

We are starting something wonderful but also vital to our educational vision for our students.

A Zest for Literacy and Life Our new Library/Media Center moves to the heart of our campus–a hub for small groups, large groups and the individual.

This dynamic, fluid space houses our Innovations Lab and promotes interdisciplinary learning, intellectual discourse and the sharing of limitless resources and ideas.

• Expansion of books, resources and e-technology • Flexible furniture allowing reconfigurations of environment • Separate, enclosed spaces for individual research and small group work Constructing Knowledge in Classrooms Our students take an active, entrepreneurial role in their learning, and we are redefining our campus to best support the modern initiatives of creativity, collaboration, critical analysis, and intellectual risk-taking. As a result, our students will not only succeed but will soar. Our classrooms will enhance student ability to construct their own knowledge through: • Seminar-style spaces added in all classroom buildings to encourage small group sharing and instruction • Project Lab Space • Natural light and expansion of classroom space The Power of Play, Friendship and Exploration Our yard will transform into a multi-purposed outdoor space that promotes skill development, imaginative play, healthy risk-taking and group participation. The redesigned space also encourages social skills and exchange, peer engagement, confidence, respect and the friendships so necessary for students of all ages.

• An enlarged shaded play area complete with updated play structures providing areas for play and quiet contemplation • Separate sports courts – dedicated to building athletic skills • Outdoor spaces, lunch areas and Middle School "Alley" • Garden expansion to enhance curriculum and environmental awareness Join us as we take the next step and start something wonderful—a true educational center that builds community and fosters wonder, exploration, and learning.

THE WILLOWS designed to flourish – the school of the future

design

THE WILLOWS

Building Imagination, One Block at a Time Limitless Configurations...Infinite Possibilities A seven-foot-tall blue robot sits on The Willows yard. No, wait…the robot has transformed into the Staples Center… now a road…what next?

The Imagination Playground has arrived at The Willows! This exciting kit of life-size, blue foam blocks and parts allows students to build, imagine, create, and figure out how things work through inquiry and exploration.

Designed by architect David Rockwell (Kodak Theatre, Jet Blue Terminal at JFK International Airport, The Imagination Playground in South Street Seaport), the playground offers students endless opportunities to create their own stories, inventions, and environments, while absorbing math, science, architecture, and art concepts—and promoting tremendous teamwork.

“Block building has been an integral part of The Willows since day one,” explains Lisa Rosenstein. “Blocks help children develop necessary skills at every age, whether it’s our youngest students constructing their dream houses, our fifth graders recreating Plimoth Plantation as part of their study of American history, or our middle schoolers designing sophisticated Rube Goldberg machines in their physics classes.

Children are at their most creative in hands-on environments.”

The merits of block play have long been valued by educators. Now, with current scientific studies supporting a greater emphasis on the importance of play, blocks are being implemented around the world to help build 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.

In the February 2012 issue of the UK’s Junior magazine, David Rockwell states that he designed the Imagination Playground to

inspire the kind of unstructured free play that children thrive on: “Watching my children, I was struck by how they always liked to turn things topsy-turvy, to make up their own rules…I asked myself, ‘Why do playgrounds have to be so linear?... I wondered how they could be more interactive and child-directed.”

The Imagination Playground is an exciting extension of our current block program that promotes skill development and supports imaginative play. Children build language skills and apply the fundamental understanding of math and physics, while reaping all the benefits of free play.

Kindergarten teacher Brent Weiss reports that teachers are integrating the Imagination Playground with their curriculum, noting that the playground encourages healthy risk taking and group participation—evidenced by our eighth graders and their DK/K buddies during a recent building session.

OVERHEARD:

“ Let’s connect all of our ideas together!” “ Let’s make a pathway to the sports court . . . it’s a road.” “ Here are seats for our theater… let’s start the show!”

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THE WILLOWS designed to flourish – the school of the future

Sustaining an Environment Where Students Thrive

flourish

Designed to

At The Willows, intellectual challenge and achievement go hand-in-hand with an emphasis on student well-being and character development.

How do we create an environment that helps our students grow, thrive and flourish?

Through a broad set of units and projects that encompass communication skills, nutrition,

conflict and stress management, and physical, social and emotional development.

C

“I REALLY LIKE THAT IN OUR LIFE SKILLS CLASSES, OUR TEACHERS AND CLASSMATES SURROUND US WITH AN ENVIRONMENT THAT MAKES US FEEL COMFORTABLE TO ASK OR COMMENT ABOUT ANYTHING WITHOUT FEELING EMBARRASSED OR RELUCTANT.” –ELIZA W. ’12

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ommunication skills are ingrained in all that students do from the Developmental Kindergarten Friendship Tree, where acts of kindness are recorded on leaves, to the Lower School, where students attend class meetings to address issues and practice conflict resolution through role-play, shared experiences and games.

In the Middle School students participate in Advisory, meeting in small groups with one teacher throughout the year.

“As a small school, we are able to look at situations individually, spend time with students, and foster understanding and tolerance. Students learn to resolve conflicts by considering the viewpoints of all involved and appropriately advocating for themselves,” points out Lower School Director Terri Baird. “We want all our students to be part of a cooperative community."

Middle school students also meet regularly for Life Skills classes in singlesex groups by grade level. This structured program is geared to each group’s developmental stage, with courses running the gamut from daily etiquette and peer interactions, to human development and sex education, to practical skills like balancing a checkbook.

“During Advisory and Life Skills, students talk about issues as they arise,” says Middle School Director Doug Klier.

“We stay current on how they’re doing, from friendships to feelings about homework.” Each year, middle schoolers participate in a survey on homework and stress, which helps teachers gauge how students are responding to their workload.

Growing a Healthy Outlook The Willows’ gardening curriculum is integral to our wellness approach, as students in grades DK through five plant, cultivate, and grow their own food while making meaningful connections to nutrition and their bodies. A major part of the garden experience is encouraging healthy and nutritious eating. The recipes children make in their gardening classes are also available online for use at home.

The focus on healthy bodies—and healthy body image—continues as children grow, with activities, workshops, and special speakers. This year, third and fourth grade girls took part in a “No Body Bashing” workshop with Bridget Loves, founder and executive director of Fed Up, Inc. The Middle School welcomed back body image and self-esteem workshop leader and author Elizabeth Berkeley, who works with teen girls on body image issues and other facets of teen life. Starting in

THE WILLOWS PARENT EDUCATIONdesignUPDATE

On September 10, 2012, Jonathan Kozol, renowned educator, author and activist, will speak at The Willows to parents and our extended community.

On January 15, 2013, Michael Thompson, Ph.D., celebrated psychologist, parenting expert and author of the New York Times bestseller Raising Cain, will speak to parents and our extended community and conduct workshops with teachers and students.

To read more about Michael Thompson scan the QR code or visit www.michaelthompson-phd.com

fifth grade, all Willows students also take part in drug and alcohol awareness classes, to equip them to make informed choices as they move into secondary school and beyond.

Not Your Parents’ P.E. The main goals of physical education (P.E.) at The Willows: to make physical activity fun and to help students find intrinsic, sustainable activities to enjoy outside school. To this end, the P.E. program incorporates some non-traditional activities, including one 50-minute yoga class per week and an option for dance classes.

“Yoga is beneficial for all the students,” states Marc Weiss, Director of Athletics.

“The focus on stretching, breathing techniques, and stress management are skills students can apply to other sports and activities throughout their lives.”

Skills clinics during P.E. classes also contribute to our dynamic interscholastic athletics program, with nearly 80% student participation in grades four through eight.

“Our focus is on skill building, hard work and team spirit,” adds Marc.

We’re All in this Together Perhaps the greatest strength of our wellness focus is how it unites all members of the community—students, teachers, and parents.

“The home-school connection is essential,” says Head of School Lisa Rosenstein.

“We want to ensure that parents have the necessary tools to support wellness at home.”

Which is why The Willows’ stimulating Parent Education Program is vital. Each year, parenting and educational experts offer useful perspectives addressing the challenges of raising healthy children. This year renowned educator Alfie Kohn inspired The Willows community with his incisive messages on competition and rewards and parenting in an achievement-crazy culture.

With social and emotional well-being central to our educational program, Lisa Rosenstein is aware that the key to its future success is in being nimble—always refining our approach and responding appropriately to issues and trends that inevitably arise.

“The keys to the process are communication, creativity, and flexibility,” Lisa says. “Our teachers are constantly working together to think outside the box and create experiences that engage our students and promote wellness. In the words of Dr. Martin Seligman, ‘Where individuals flourish, health, productivity, and peace follow.’

The Willows is committed to creating an environment that does exactly this.”

Lauri Kranz, Gardening Teacher, working with students

Our Own “Edible Garden Fairy Godmother”

Willows gardening specialist Lauri Kranz has built a thriving business as an edible garden consultant, advising schools and helping homeowners transform their gardens. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, she was described as the “fairy godmother” of edible gardens.

To read the Lauri Kranz LA Times article scan the QR code or visit http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2012/04/ lauri-kranz.html Lauri's Website http://www.ediblegardensla.com/

For more details on: Elizabeth Berkeley http://www.ask-elizabeth.com/ Bridget Loves http://fedupinc.org/ Dr. Martin Seligman http://www.authentichappiness.sas. upenn.edu To view Willows Dance Troupe photos scan the QR code or visit: http://www.thewillows.org/ourprogram/the-arts/index.aspx

THE WILLOWS designed to flourish – the school of the future

How do you make the magic happen in the classroom?

Here, some of our faculty members reflect on what it’s like designing curriculum at The Willows.

Teachers seated left to right: Brian Tousey, Doug Klier, Elizabeth Stocksdale and Cathy Leverkus.

Express Yourself:

Designing Curriculum ELIZABETH STOCKSDALE

Third Grade Teacher

The constant collaboration among my colleagues and my professional development experiences makes designing math curriculum an inspiring process. We’re constantly creating new math lessons to meet our students’ needs. We’ve been using the principles of Cognitively Guided Instruction as a guide, and as a result our lessons put the focus on students—where they’re at and how to improve their problem solving skills—rather than on completing a textbook page by page.

CATHY LEVERKUS

Director of Library and Information Services

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I love working with the classroom teachers to develop programs to teach research skills, which we call the I-Search. Through the I-Search process, students learn to ask thoughtprovoking questions, search for answers, assess the quality of an Internet, database, eBook or other resource, and synthesize their own opinions and facts into a meaningful answer.

We focus on this method throughout a student’s years at The Willows, as they develop the ability to think critically about their own knowledge. A good question is worth a

thousand words. Finding the answer to a good question is priceless.

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THE WILLOWS

BRIAN TOUSEY

Eighth Grade Core Teacher (history and English)

Having taught Core for eleven years, I find that designing a curriculum

where English and history components complement one another is not just the best way, it is the only way. For example, linking a study of Of Mice and Men to a unit on the Great Depression helps students achieve a more nuanced picture of the time period, and offers me several different angles from which to approach the information. The concept behind Core allows so much creativity and flexibility as a teacher.

DOUG KLIER

Middle School Director and Eighth Grade Science Teacher

A hands-on approach is a natural fit for learning in the sciences: scientists learn by doing. When I created a hands-on activity to demonstrate active and passive transport in cell membranes, I realized that much of the fun and learning came not just from manipulating a model, but from designing the model itself. Asking students to

go beyond manipulating and observing, to include planning and constructing, builds critical thinking as well as creativity. The result is an activity that is not only hands-on, but "minds-on."

Second grade portraits of The Willows faculty based on the murals of workers by the artist Diego Rivera.

To read The Willows Professional Education brochure scan this QR code or visit The Willows Website Publication Page @ http://www.thewillows.org/about-us/publications

The Art of teaching

DESIGNING THE PERFECT QUESTION What makes a good question?

That’s a good question! And one that Willows teachers are constantly exploring.

“The questions teachers ask in the classroom play a vital role in promoting learning,” says Lower School teacher Jo Ben Whittenburg. “Questions invite students to participate in learning and share their thinking—and certain kinds of questions foster this process better than others.”

Teacher interest in designing good questions led to an innovative teacher research project this year: 21 teachers recorded their classroom interactions and reviewed the transcripts to analyze the questions they asked in the classroom. In small groups, teachers read over the transcripts, reflected on their teaching, and devised plans for improving their questioning. Jo Ben, who spearheaded the effort, described the group’s process and findings in an article in the Spring 2012 issue of the Faculty Newsletter, a publication of the California Association of Independent Schools.

What did the teachers learn? (another good question!) After reviewing the types of questions asked in the classroom—leading questions, probing questions, and “open” versus “closed” questions, teachers discussed how certain kinds of lessons don’t lend themselves to as many open questions as others.

“I can tell you one teacher question I’m obsessed with,” he adds, “is ‘What makes you say that?’ I’ve found this to be a great tool for getting students to reflect on their own thinking.”

Teacher research is an innovative strategy for improving every student’s experience at The Willows—and an exciting new model for professional development, where “teachers as scientists” can work collaboratively to improve their teaching practice. “We can apply this process to any number of classroom issues worth studying,” Jo Ben says.

“The possibilities are endless.”

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THE WILLOWS designed to flourish – the school of the future

Alumni Spotlight

Q

Q&A with David Hyman ’01: Design as Storytelling Willows alum David Hyman ’01 has taken his passion for art and design to the next level, with a flourishing career in theatrical costume design. Despite his relative youth—he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater from Northwestern in 2009—he is already a busy and sought-after costume designer, with rave reviews and production credits from Soho Rep in New York City and (Gregory Moss’ Orange, Hat & Grace) the Writers’ Theatre (Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing) and Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Christina Anderson’s Man in Love), both based in Chicago.

What brought you to the world of costume design?

David>> I’ve always been interested in visual storytelling, and I came to realize that being able to support the storytelling through an audience’s experience of the character was where I thrived.

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How does the design process work in a theater production?

David>>As a freelancer, I start at the very beginning, by meeting with the director to talk about his or her vision of the show and doing my own research. Then I move on to drawing the costumes, and from there I assemble them myself or work with the production shop and the talented artisans who bring the ideas to life.

How did your experiences at The Willows influence where you are today?

David>>My experience at The Willows was very hands-on and all about being an analytical thinker. A huge part of my Willows education was thinking on my feet, engaging with ideas, and creating things—and that is essentially what I do now. For my work in theater and costume design, there’s the analysis and literary elements as well as the process of producing and contributing something creative. All those skills were in play for me at The Willows.

David today

David at The Willows

To view additional artwork scan the QR code or go to The Willows Website Alumni Art Gallery or visit David’s website: http:// www.davidbhyman.com/

Laura DeNardo

The Willows Class THE WILLOWS of 2012 Secondary School Acceptances design

Nick Gonda

Alumni Then & Now

The Willows Yearbook 1995-96 Cover designed by Laura De Nardo

Uniting neuroscience and the arts….The art of Laura DeNardo ’99 was recently featured on the cover of the neuroscience journal Neuron. Laura is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Anirvan Ghosh Neuroscience Lab at the University of California, San Diego. Her cover art, depicting a black widow spider superimposed on a synaptic connection, illustrates recent research describing the relationship between ADHD, synapse development in the hippocampus, and receptors for black widow spider venom.

We are proud to share the success of our eighth grade students.

Congratulations to the Class of 2012 as they continue their journey at these schools: Archer School for Girls Brentwood School Campbell Hall Crossroads School Grace Church School New York City Hamilton High School Music Academy Harvard-Westlake LACHSA (Los Angeles County High School for the Arts) Marlborough School Marymount School

Alumni entrepreneur launches new business…

Nick Gonda ’99 started a new business venture, Tugg.com, a web platform that enables individuals to select a feature film and host unique movie events at local theaters. Through Tugg, people are empowered to select a film, screening time, and nearby theater, and then spread the word to their immediate and online community. Once a necessary amount of people commit to attending, the event is confirmed, and Tugg reserves the theater, manages ticketing, and ensures delivery of the film. Tugg is currently working with theaters nationwide, showcasing Tugg’s growing library of hundreds of studio and independent films.

To learn more about tugg.com and Nick Gonda scan the QR code or visit The Willows Website Alumni News @ http://www.thewillows.org/alumni/alumni-news/ To hear an NPR Interview on KPCC 89.3 with Nick Gonda visit goo.gl/4OBFo.

Marcella Lewis ’08 is shown on the right in an original dance she choreographed and performed for college auditions. She recently performed the dance with The Willows Alumni Dance Troupe at this year’s Celebration of Dance. On the left, she dances as a student at The Willows.

To view Alumni Dance Troupe photos scan this QR code or visit http://www.thewillows.org/gallery/index. aspx?ModuleID=51

Milken Community School New Roads School Notre Dame School Oakwood School Pacific Hills School St. John Bosco High School Vistamar School Wildwood School Windward School

The Willows Class of 2008 College Acceptances Congratulations to the alumni from the Class of 2008 on their college acceptances: Bard College Bates College Boston College Boston University Brandeis University Brown University California State University, Northridge Carnegie-Mellon University Columbia College

Giana Tansman ’07 shown here in a Willows fifth grade art class, is the Advertising/Marketing Co-Director of the University of California at Berkeley’s fashion magazine Bare and a staff photographer on the Daily Californian, Berkeley’s newspaper. She is a freshman at Berkeley.

Columbia University Emerson College Harvard University Los Angeles Recording School Lewis and Clark College Marymount College Morehouse College New York University Oberlin College Pitzer College

Richard Vishnevsky ’04 graduated from UCLA this spring and will be entering a masters program in marriage and family therapy at USC this fall. Richard returned to The Willows Kindergarten as a volunteer during the 2010 school year to gain experience working with young children to become a research assistant at UCLA’s Language and Cognitive Development Lab. “Even though The Willows has grown so much, certain things remain, especially the sense of community and family,” he says.

Princeton University Reed College Rhode Island School of Design Santa Monica College School of the Art Institute of Chicago Skidmore College State University of New York, Purchase St. John’s College Syracuse University Tufts University Tulane University University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Santa Cruz University of Oregon Vassar College Wesleyan University Yale University

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Celebrating 17 Years of Innovation & Excellence

“ Every child is an artist.

The challenge is to remain an artist after you grow up.” www.thewillows.org

-Pablo Picasso