WHITEFIELD’S UPDATED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FRAMEWORK

by Alyson Taylor

here and how does learning best take place? Over the last several years, as Whitefield faculty and staff grappled with the educational upheaval created by COVID-19, many of our traditional trips and experiences had to be canceled or significantly modified. These interruptions allowed us to pause and re-evaluate: what is the purpose of grade-level trips? What experiential learning opportunities do we offer, and why? If we seek to educate the “whole student,” provide opportunities for students to learn through experience, and strive for alignment and consistency across grade levels, how can we best intentionally structure our efforts? Whitefield’s new framework for experiential learning spans all grades from PreK to 12th grade, incorporating the hands-on experiences of J-Term in the Upper School, building in dedicated grade-specific trips and retreats for 5th through 12th grade, and introducing new capstone projects in the Lower School.

The student experience in the Lower School has always included many opportunities for hands-on learning and discovery. Through the new grade-level capstone projects, students will engage with one overarching real-world topic of study throughout the year. All components of the curriculum build into the topic, including math, reading, science, social studies, faith integration, and a thematic field trip. From “PreK Pizzaiolis” to 3rd grade spelunking, Lower School capstone projects are a meaningful way for students to engage in experiential learning!

In the past, Middle School grade-level trips were reserved for 5th grade Space Camp and the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip. Now, each grade has a retreat designed to bolster the students spiritually or academically and provide students and advisors a space to grow deeper relationships and class cohesion. The structure of 5th and 6th grade has also changed slightly to reflect the similarities of these two young groups of learners.

In the Upper School, grade levels also engage in class experiences, from spiritual retreats to service projects.

January Term (J-Term) provides Upper School students a week-long deep dive into the experiential study as students use the first week in January to explore academic and non-academic topics of interest and nourish their passion for learning. A walk around campus during J-Term may find students practicing fly-fishing in the Quad, developing their grilling skills by smoking meats, studying the symbolism in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and more!

These updates to the Whitefield experience speak to what we believe as educators: that we teach the “whole student,” designed in the image of God, intentionally building up an academic foundation by providing opportunities for students to gain understanding and wisdom at a deeper level through experiential learning.