Taking the Plunge: The Deep Dive at Peck

TAKING A “DEEP DIVE” IS A nautical term that has been floating around for centuries. It is only within the last several decades, though, that it has entered the lexicon in a more terrestrial fashion. Today, most people commonly think of a deep dive as a chance to explore something meaningful in-depth (but on land), using research, exploration, investigation, curiosity, and creativity.

At The Peck School, professional development is more than just a box to check. As a result of the 2015 Strategic Plan, Peck has made faculty growth and development an institutional priority. A faculty committee under the direction of Chris Weaver, Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development, has redefined the process of professional reflection and growth.

In addition to the annual professional development goals set forth by the school, teachers embark on a more comprehensive journey starting in their third year at Peck (and continuing every four years after that) when they plunge into a Deep Dive. The process typifies Peck’s dynamic teaching and learning culture.

When they take their Deep Dive, faculty members propose a yearlong course of study and engagement. Ideally, their Deep Dive will bring an aspect of transformation to Peck’s teaching and learning plan. They work with Weaver to vet their plan and refine their goals, ambitions, and final product as the year plays out. They often stretch outside their comfort zones and their evolving work process serves as an inspiring example for Peck students who are taught to “fail forward” and learn from mistakes.

All Hands on Deck

FOR KINDERGARTEN TEACHER KRISTIN YOUNG, her Deep Dive is very hands on.

After researching and reading about American Sign Language (ASL), Young learned that many students thrive in multiple areas when taught ASL. She embarked on a journey to first teach herself sign language and then increasingly teach and incorporate ASL in the daily aspects of her classroom. Young felt that her students would embrace the physicality and pictorial expression of ASL and that it could have cognitive benefits as well.

ASL uses eyes, bodies, faces, hands, and emotions to express. Using ASL boosts self-confidence and self-esteem. It helps with expressing emotions and helps with expressive and receptive language skills.

Sign language also requires focus. When Young is showing students how to form letters with her hands, they need to look and pay attention. Signing incorporates a multisensory approach to learning. Students are always active participants in the process.

As Young explained: “Our essential question in Kindergarten is ‘How do we learn?’ We all learn differently. What better way to teach the Kindergarten this than through sign language?”

“I feel strongly that my deep dive will benefit our Kindergarten program because a child’s vocabulary and literacy skills are just emerging. So why not teach such hungry minds another language?” Young explained. “My students are so excited and feel extremely proud when they are able to speak without using their voices. I am so proud of my students for learning ASL—I truly believe that I am creating a more empathic community of learners.”

Braving Creative Waters

AS SECOND GRADE TEACHER SASHA SCHREINER DESCRIBES IT: “You have to go into a Deep Dive expecting obstacles along the way. You have this great idea about what you want to focus on, but as the Dive plays out you have the freedom to shift or modify what you are interested in developing. Your Deep Dive may or may not end up with a finished product, but the process will most certainly be enriching for yourself and Peck. For me, there were a lot of unknowns when I started the process, and aspects of my plan changed. I never felt defeated, but I did feel a little bit lost early in the process and that’s OK.”

Schreiner set out to explore ways in which she could enrich Peck’s second-grade creative writing curriculum with research-based tactics that encourage students to become more prolific and creative in their writing—as opposed to being reactive to writing prompts and prescriptive assignments.

She started with an analysis of the curriculum at other schools, consulting with former colleagues and master teachers, and soon found a myriad of methods to approach creative writing. This exploration ultimately led her to the work of Jennifer Serravallo, a former Staff Developer at Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, and a prolific writer on methods for inspiring children to write authentically.

With this new focus, she settled upon the idea of using “mentor texts”—pieces of literature that both teacher and student can return to and reread for many different purposes. Mentor texts are both studied and imitated, and encourage students to try different strategies and to take risks. She is now piloting the use of picture books and chapter books to develop specific skills with the hope that students will become more daring and creative writers.

“Writing requires a lot of bravery,” said Schreiner. “Everybody thinks of writing as free-form and creative, but it’s actually a really brave skill. It’s very hard to put yourself out there. When we ask students to be creative, we are asking for something different than being informational. We are asking them to go beyond the factual nature of something.”

Turning Art into an Anchor

SCOTT BEIL, UPPER SCHOOL ART TEACHER, is working to bring the myriad resources, museums, and art history at our disposal in the tri-state area into a central database so teachers of all disciplines can utilize art as a prompt for learning in any subject area.

“I’ve always viewed teaching art as a multi-faceted role,” explained Beil. “One component is to find ways to make art more of a classroom presence across the curriculum and to help infuse some creativity and some art history to enhance what’s being taught in other disciplines.”

Beil is pulling his Deep Dive thesis from some of his past professional development experiences in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum. His project is entitled “Connecting Collections” and he seeks to build a digital bridge between the museum and the classroom. His goal involves visiting local museums and working with Peck’s Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development Chris Weaver as well as with individual teachers to find touchpoints where works of art could benefit their specific curriculum.

During the summer, Beil will create the database and organize works by museum so if a class is studying, for example, ancient cultures in fifth-grade history, they can locate a list of complementary works for in-class viewing and discussion (or, better yet, go visit them in person).

“Deep Dives typically are a yearlong exercise, but for me, I see this as a pilot and something that can continue to grow. I love the idea of generating excitement amongst our students for art and its importance in the regular curriculum,” said Beil.

“Peck sees teacher development as an active experience, and it’s a personal one. The Deep Dive is so exciting because it shows how invested the school is in fostering a culture of lifelong learners. If faculty are taking on a challenge, or making a stretch, it benefits the whole community. This is something really unique to Peck that I haven’t seen in other schools—and it’s awesome.”

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