Interdisciplinary Learning and Leading at Castilleja

At Castilleja, intellectually curious and engaged students learn to think critically, contribute responsibly, lead boldly, and thrive physically, socially, and emotionally. Our intentional and robust academic program allows students to engage deeply in ageappropriate and complex interdisciplinary problem-solving. Grounded in a culture of care, our program responds to girls’ evolving needs and individual interests, preparing them to explore both independently and collaboratively. Through varied experiences within and beyond the Circle, students develop global competence, active citizenship, and ethical leadership. A Castilleja education prepares students to seize the moment as they develop skills for the future.

“What’s Possible?” Castilleja’s Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan

The first key goal outlined in the Student Experience section of our most recent strategic planning process asserts that in the next five to seven years, we must integrate emerging fields of knowledge with learning experiences inside and outside the classroom.

One concrete way to achieve this goal is to bring the hard work we have been doing to identify Interdisciplinary Contents Areas (ICAs) to the forefront of our programming. This shift will provide a framework for learning that empowers girls to engage meaningfully in real-world challenges.

Over recent years, we have refined our priorities and defined the ICAs. We believe these seven themes are essential to an understanding of our present world and the future world we aspire toward. These ideas are far reaching and present interconnected challenges and opportunities to the next generation of women leaders.

Interdisciplinary Content Areas

• Design and Innovation: A creative, iterative process to answer a question or solve a problem.

• Emerging Technologies: New or evolving applications of technology with the potential to bring about significant economic and/or social change.

• Environmental Sustainability: Development to meet current needs while safeguarding resources for future generations.

• Global Systems: Identities* and institutions that shape and are shaped by social infrastructure, resource allocation, and cultural values. *Such as: geographic, political, legal, economic, and cultural.

• Social Justice: An examination of equity, access, participation, and rights within an institution or society.

• Truth and Beauty: The pursuit of knowledge and understanding; an awakening to delight in creation and immersion.

• Women in the World: A focus on women’s contributions and experiences and the contexts in which these occur.

Exploring ICAs through Experiential Learning

The importance of real-world engagement in the learning cycle of students has been traced for generations and is based on John Dewey’s assertion that learning must be grounded in experience, Kurt Lewin’s ideas of the importance of active learning, and Jean Piaget’s emphasis on the interaction between person and environment on intelligence. All of these thinkers have contributed to David Kolb’s Learning Cycle, which is the foundation for the design of our Wednesday Experiential Learning program:

We are excited about this model because its steps—Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, and Abstract Conceptualization, and Planning Active Experimentation—are connected and create a powerful complement to our longstanding Learning and Leading Competencies—Problem Strategizing, Curiosity, Purposeful Reflection, Embracing Ambiguity, Empathy, and Collaboration.

Wednesday Afternoon

Because we are aware that all students—and girls in particular—learn and lead best when they can integrate new information and skills through experiences, every five-day week throughout the school year, Wednesday afternoons will be dedicated to creating opportunities for students to apply their learning through hands-on challenges and engagement. We are excited for this pedagogical shift because we know that these experiences actively prepare our students for leadership and success at Castilleja and beyond. Our new schedule on Wednesdays will include opportunities for deep-dive learning and leading through:

• Design Thinking and Making

• Community Partnerships and Advocacy

• Exploration of Identity and Afﬁnity

• Hands-On Learning On and Off Campus

By graduation, Castilleja students will have gained knowledge and perspective on the complexities of these core areas through exploration, research, and engagement. We will do so by leveraging local, national, and global partnerships and the cultural and environmental richness of the Bay Area. This knowledge and these skills will prepare them for lifelong learning and sustained positive experiences as leaders. To view this document online, please visit: www.castilleja.org/interdisciplinary-learning

Concrete Experience Reﬂective Observation Abstract Conceptualization Planning Active Experimentation Assimilating Diverging Converging Accomodating

“All-girls learning environments capitalize on girls’ unique learning styles…and engage students in activities that prepare them for life beyond the classroom.”

—International Coalition of Girls’ Schools

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Why has Castilleja decided to prioritize ICAs?

When girls engage in meaningful real-world challenges, they have the opportunity to think about those challenges across disciplines in a way that is not possible in a traditional classroom setting. Effective leadership is a responsive skill, and requires an ability to see the big picture. ICAs are the big picture. They teach creative and essential connections that allow students to fully engage with real-world challenges. ICAs will invite students to actively engage with these skills and apply them inside and outside the classroom

Q: How does Experiential Learning support leadership development?

The parallels between leadership development and Experiential Learning are so close that the components of experiential learning and our Learning and Leading Competencies overlap in significant ways.

Components of Experiential Learning

• Concrete Experience

• Reflective Observation

• Abstract Conceptualization

• Plan/Active Experimentation

Learning and Leading Competencies

• Collaboration

• Purposeful Reflection

• Curiosity

• Problem Strategizing

• Embracing Ambiguity

• Empathy

The relationship between the process of hands-on learning through real-world experience is a crucial way to test and consolidate our Learning and Leading Competencies. This engagement also contributes to every student’s individual sense of purpose—which gives meaning to leadership. The skills alone mean nothing without this deeper personal connection to why one becomes a leader in the first place.

Q: How does Experiential Learning outside the classroom deepen what students are learning inside the classroom? Experiential Learning is an approach to curriculum and instruction that not simply complements classroom learning but also deepens it through reflection and personal connection. It reinforces concepts and skills learned in the classroom and provides time and space for students to synthesize their learning through hands-on application. In addition, the personal connections students are able to forge with community partners in local, national, and global settings expands their perception of what’s possible.

Q: Will Experiential Learning Wednesdays dilute the quality of a Castilleja education? `

This pedagogical approach offers powerful experiences for all types of learners by adding texture and dimension to classroom learning. By adapting our schedule, we are able to connect students with professionals in the field, such as activists, scholars, historians, and scientists who leverage interdisciplinary approaches to design for current and future challenges and innovations.