The Wooster Teacher Learner Blog

PBL? Genius Hour? No, we are not talking about a Public Television station or a show that you might see on one, but rather, a new(ish) and exciting way for kids to learn. Here at Wooster lots of teachers have been teaching with a PBL (Project Based Learning) approach for many years and our students …

As I transitioned into Wooster and my new role as a Bridge Instructor, one of my initial goals was to better understand how Wooster’s educators plan and then deliver skills-based instruction to students. In light of a shift to mastery-based instruction and planning, and in talking with educators in …

It is not an unfamiliar site at Wooster to see students piling into yellow buses or school vans to visit a variety of cultural institutions. These excursions may include art, natural history, and science museums, as well as local farms, schools, and community businesses. This week we will showcase …

Lower School students were recently asked why they think Wooster School is so special and such a wonderful place in which to learn. They mentioned things like the beautiful campus and the great food. One observation was especially notable. A student said, “we have great teachers here at Wooster; …

The topic this week is all about promoting reading on campus and in our learning environments.

Here are a few things happening around campus:

Humanities I & II Literature Circles

In grades 9 and 10 Humanities students are reading books through Literature Circles. Many traditional teachers…

Teachers enhance how learning becomes a visible activity in the classroom- the visibility helps develop students' capacities as well as their individual and group identities as learners.

Visible classrooms can be identified by five key principles—that learning is:

1. Purposeful
2. Social
3. …
…

One afternoon I was stopped by an upper school student taking a photography class. She wanted to photograph me as one of the faces of Wooster. She took my picture and then simply asked, “What was the best part of your day today?” Without hesitation, I said, “Finishing Yellow Star with my students.” …

This year for me at Wooster has been all about novelty, learning, and bravery. In my four years at Wooster, I have been a Spanish teacher for two years, an Upper School Dean for 2 years, and now, in my fifth year, I have taken on College Guidance, as well as coordinating Equity & Inclusion …

Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. -John Muir

I have always loved the outdoors. As a boy I spent many summers exploring the woods, mountains, and lakes in New Hampshire and Vermont, either with my family or at a boys camp. I love hiking, camping, and swimming in …

Two years ago I took a class at Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English called Reading America that changed the way I look at literature and how I organize my classes at Wooster. Will Nash, my professor, created a learning environment that was decentralized and egalitarian in structure. Each …