BrewsterConnections(PDF) - Brewster Academy

Conference Affirms
Direction of
Brewster Program
By Marcia Eldredge
Through the generous support of Brewster’s professional
take steps to nurture creativity in their students. Brewster’s project-based
development program, Dean of Studies Peter Hess attended learning initiative, in which students have the freedom to explore topics
the Learning & the Brain Conference in Boston in November. of their choice and develop creative, useful solutions to problems, speaks
The conference brought together teachers, school administrators,
directly to how Brewster is cultivating this concept.
psychologists, and clinicians from around the world to hear researchers
share their latest discoveries in neuroscience and their implications for Robert Swartz, Ph.D., director of the National Center for Teaching
teaching, interventions, and curriculum.
Thinking, discussed the value in decentralizing the classroom into small
groups and the importance of teaching students how to work well
The conference’s title, “Preparing 21st Century Minds: Using Brain
in groups. Brewster has been committed to the concept of teamwork
Research to Enhance Cognitive Skills for the Future,” was what piqued and collaboration for nearly two decades, and the school curriculum’s
Hess’s interest. Brewster works hard to ensure that its academic program intentional cooperative learning practices accomplish this objective
prepares students for the world in which they will learn and live, and extremely well.
Hess was curious to see if the information
presented at the conference would affirm that
Suzy Cox, Ph.D, researcher on the impact
Brewster’s program is current in proven best
practices in teaching and learning for student
success.
Several ideas shared at the conference had
direct connections to how Brewster has evolved
in recent years. For example, Charles K. Fadel,
co-author of 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life
The conference affirmed that
Brewster’s curriculum is current in
proven best practices in teaching
and learning for student success.
of technology in education, advocated for
schools to adopt certain technology tools that
will help support the “Five Minds for the
Future” advocated by author Howard Gardner.
She touted the value in taking advantage of
technological resources as a way to engage
students more deeply in a variety of higher
order thinking skills. Some of the tools that she
in Our Times (2009) called for schools to rethink what is taught around promoted were tools that engaged students in the gathering and analysis
three dimensions – knowledge, skills, and character – and to achieve a of real time data, podcasting, website creation, blogging, and media
“balance between direct instruction and projects.” Brewster has recently creation. These tools have been a part of Brewster’s technology repertoire
revised its curriculum to find the appropriate balance between content for many years so, again, this affirmed the relevancy and importance of
coverage in different disciplines and the application of that knowledge Brewster’s curriculum.
through its project-based learning initiative. Fadel’s words confirmed that
Brewster is on the right track with these types of revisions.
The above is just a sample of the direct connections to the Brewster
program that Hess found as he listened to the various experts. The
Harvard researcher Shelley Carson, Ph.D., spoke of the important role conference was very stimulating and extremely affirming that Brewster
that creativity will play in the 21 st century and how vital it is that schools is absolutely on the right track with where it is headed in its efforts to
provide the best possible education for its students, Hess commented.
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