LOWER SCHOOL
PLAY, CREATE, ENGAGE REIMAGINING LEARNING IN LOWER SCHOOL By Randal Rauscher Rhodus '97, Head of Lower School When asked about what is new and innovative in the Lower School this year, my answer is “EVERYTHING!” From individual green supply kits and iPads for every Lower School student to our very own nurse (Hockaday alumna Chi Chi Acho ‘02) dedicated to caring for Lower School students and faculty to lunch served in our building, everything is new! A lot of thought and time have gone into faculty professional development and creative approaches to teaching and learning in order to meet new requirements such as “distance learning” or “social distancing,” practices that had no precedents in elementary schools across the country and world. In spite of the limited research on best practices for distance or hybrid learning in elementary schools, all Lower School teachers participated in a two-week professional development course this summer, “The Art and Science of Blended Learning,” led by Independent School Management. During this course, our teachers learned specific strategies for making the learning experience more connected, social, meaningful, authentic, and relevant for our students, regardless
of whether they are learning from home, at school, or through a combination of the two at any point during the school year. We were also reminded that elements of great, engaging, and effective teaching remain the same regardless of where a student learns. One of our biggest challenges over the summer was designing a schedule that supported learning and teaching at the various developmental levels of Lower School students. The schedule also needed to be viable during periods of 100% distance learning or when we concurrently had students learning on campus as well as students learning from home. Replacing the previous six-day rotation schedule with our new Monday-Friday schedule has facilitated making both learning environments effective and has created a more seamless transition for students moving back to campus after distance learning.
During the summer, Lower School faculty members attended professional development workshops to learn new skills around bringing creativity and engagement to in person and distance learning.
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H O C K A D AY M A G A Z I N E
