kitchen table math, the sequel: let's not and say we did

Saturday, November 17, 2007

let's not and say we did

Dear Visitors,

As you browse through this site, reading the text and looking at the images of students busy learning and interacting, it should become evident that the Trevor program strives to engage students in activity-based learning. Encountering new information in this environment, students are at the beginning of their journey as life-long learners. The Trevor faculty and administration design programs that keep students moving forward, absorbed in every moment. Whether they are learning about the value of sharing or sharing their interpretations of a Shakespeare sonnet, they are actively discussing, writing, drawing, communicating, asking questions and embracing each new opportunity. At Trevor, teachers ask questions and hesitate to provide easy answers. They design experiences, environments and the means by which students may take ownership of their own knowledge, and answer questions for themselves. Students learn how to learn.

We hope that these pages can shed some light on our very comprehensive and exciting programs.


30,000 bucks a year for activity-based learning.

I think not.


bonus points for technology!

An important element in support of these curricular and learning goals is the presence of sophisticated technology....With growing awareness of the educational power of the Internet and information technology, teachers are incorporating more of its content into their curriculum in every subject area. Every High School faculty member has a laptop computer, thus enabling students and teachers to broaden their communications beyond the classroom and Common Room.

Trevor Day School


High-Tech Heretic by Clifford Stoll

5 comments:

le radical galoisien said...

Although, learning how to learn is part of the IB theory of knowledge / epistemology thing as I recall.

Anonymous said...

That is one reason to distrust vouchers as the answer to the problems of schools: lots of people will get suckered by sales pitches like that one, and ultimately will make their decisions on schools not based on any sound reasoning but upon the same glittering generalities and nonsense that hoodwinks them on any other purchase or choice. The sticker price alone will do it--it can't be bad if it costs that much! Can't say it doesn't work--Bose has had a lot of success selling speakers this way.

I bet this school has a waiting list, too.

SteveH said...

"That is one reason to distrust vouchers as the answer to the problems of schools: ..."


The problem is that if parents don't decide, then who gets to decide? I wouldn't send my son to this school, but I know that private schools listen to parents more than public schools. They might try harder. With choice, there just might be a Core-Knowledge-type school in my area that uses Singapore Math. That won't happen without choice.

With choice, parents will eventually figure it out. Choice is no guarantee, but choice has to be better than no choice.

Catherine Johnson said...

That is one reason to distrust vouchers as the answer to the problems of schools: lots of people will get suckered by sales pitches like that one

There's an interesting article in...Policy Review?

Apparently most private schools grew out of the progressive ed tradition.

(Not sure whether the author was talking about most private schools in Manhattan/Northeast...)

I don't know what to think about vouchers as a "solution" -- I support vouchers, but can't predict.

I "vote" with Steve's take -- although I don't have the sense that private schools here, where it's a seller's market, listen to parents.

The amount of tutoring going on is evidence of that IMO.

Catherine Johnson said...

Funny thing about Trevor. It has a reputation as being less intense and overwhelming than schools like Dalton.

Could be true.

I think a lot of us are used to a fairly punitive form of constructivism in public schools.

Maybe in a 30K private school you have child-friendly constructivism.

Don't know.