Intensives

Brady Wheatley Upper School Division Head

This year, Think Outside took on a whole new meaning in the Upper School. When designing a schedule to work within pandemic recommendations, we looked at research not just around air droplets and ventilation, but also around best practices in education. We seized the opportunity to create a truly unique schedule with “modified intensives” in which students engage with fewer courses at a time more intensely. While we are eager to let go of many elements of this year’s schedule, the inspiration from modified intensives will remain with us as we continue to prepare students for rigorous course work and careers ahead. Students and teachers noticed more meaningful homework as time was divided between 2-3 subjects each night rather than 6, and the depth of understanding was prioritized over speed. While research points to this trend, feeling this ourselves in the midst of a pandemic has been inspiring.

Student input was important, and through an anonymous survey we gathered responses to help us understand the effectiveness of intensives. Two read:

I really like the intensive model. With a normal schedule, it can be a little jarring to have to switch your brain from STEM mode back to language to art and back again so frequently throughout the day,so it’s easier to get into a workflow.”

For next year, the schedule will be more balanced with a greater sense of “normalcy” while maintaining an intensive model in which students focus on 3-4 courses at a time. This structural shift allows us to live into inquiry based learning more fully and to continue to Think Outside.

OWLs

Used as camera, speaker and microphone to conduct remote classes.