Humanities

Students and teachers in Humanities collaborate to develop critical and empathic responses to relevant issues affecting local and global communities. As they engage with each other and with others outside of the school, the students develop experience in diverse communication strategies that help them both to appreciate diverse perspectives and to communicate their own ideas in compelling ways.

Exploring different technologies and choosing the appropriate tools for the job continues to be a focus as we continue to explore the learning advantages in the one-to-one laptop program. Weblogs, documentaries and podcasting are valuable tools for students to share their work inside and outside of the school.

Connecting with experts has also become a focus in the humanities. Students become more competent learners and more powerful writers, when engaged in a wide variety of experiences, including exposure to experts in the fields being studied; our Writer-in Residence program is an example of connecting with expertise. We believe meaningful learning takes place when students are engaged in intellectually authentic work. Our goal is not only to ensure our students are aware of world issues, but also to empower them to take action on a school, city, country or national level.