Decision-making roles lead to learning opportunities
By Laura Adams Stiansen; originally published in the Summer 2022 edition of “Apple Tree Magazine“
You may be wondering how we prepare our middle schoolers for high school and beyond. It starts with the powerful tools of independence, decision-making and choice, self-advocacy, and leadership.
Assembly
Starting in April when it was safer to gather together as a large group, our eighth-graders led a 10-minute morning assembly every school day. Topics discussed included our collection drive for Ukraine, ways to keep the campus clean, recycling and composting, cultural observances and celebrations, and much more. “It’s a way for the middle-school students to come together as a community and bring energy to the start of the day,” says Dean of Student Life and English teacher Gerard Allen, who will be our assistant head of middle school in the fall. The students collaborate and brainstorm content to discuss that affects our community, develop their public speaking skills, and become accustomed to leading presentations.
Service Learning Projects
In their final year at The Elisabeth Morrow School, our eighth-graders each identify and research a need in the school or community and complete a meaningful service project of their choice while fostering personal growth and leadership.
“Service learning is an educational experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection,” says Claire Saal, Morrow House librarian and eighth-grade teacher. “Students focus on the big picture and the difference they can make by taking the focus off themselves and enjoying the impact of their work on those around them.”
Some of the projects this year included our eighth-graders helping with in-school peer math tutoring; leading a cooking class in Chilton House (shown above); working on composting with our gardening instructors; cleaning up the campus and woods with our maintenance crew; setting up technology for assembly every morning; laser-cutting a 4 C’s puzzle for Admissions, and so much more.
Aubrey D., who helped our first-grade class develop a set for their Reader’s Theater, says she chose her service learning project because she “really enjoys theater, especially designing settings.”
“I feel very fulfilled and proud of my work with the children,” Aubrey adds, “and I learned how to work with kids and take the lead without doing everything for them.”
First-grade teacher Annie Hur says, “The students adored Aubrey and loved having her in our classroom. She is funny, engaging, and awesome!”
Leah G., Rachel K., and Anoushka P. worked with our Director of Auxiliary Pro-grams Liza Hards on the Chilton House after-school cooking class.
“Our eighth-graders were patient with our youngest learners as they showed them how to make pizza, cake pops, and cupcakes,” says Hards. “It’s amazing to see Chilton House students look up to our Morrow House students with awe and wonder seeing what they will become one day: leaders of the school.”
Personalized-Learning Time (PLT)
During Personalized Learning Time, or “PLT,” our middle school students are encouraged to create meaningful and personally fulfilling projects, providing choice and independence while developing talents and skills. Many students use this time to work on their service learning projects.
Some of our seventh-grade students worked with Auxiliary Programs Associate Jillian Henthorn to continue developing an outdoor learning space that last year’s graduating class started. In the spring, the students added a hugelkultur (a garden bed from rotten logs and plant debris) to deter water overflow and direct it back into the brook. Henthorn says that the outdoor classroom is a space that many students find to be relaxing and use to take breaks, cool down, reconnect with nature, and reset themselves.
“Turning part of our enchanted forest into a working outdoor classroom has added to the magic of our campus,” says Henthorn. “The Elisabeth Morrow School students take much pride in this space, adding to their sense of community while learning about conservation.”
Eighth-grader Zayden L. used his PLT time to teach fellow student Zane T. how to solder.
These are a few examples of how PLT encourages students to accelerate their learning through passion projects, independent inquiry, and connecting with faculty.
“We harness the power of experiential learning in Morrow House. The brain undergoes significant development during the middle school years, impacting an individual’s skills, content knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, sense of self. This makes middle school an ideal time to empower students with structured opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and pursue passions” says Head of Middle School Eleni Siderias. “Personalized Learning Time is designed to enhance the natural developmental stage middle schoolers are in, to strengthen self-confidence, and help students develop the habits necessary for them to be independent learners in secondary school and beyond.”
Capstone Projects
In our 2022–2023 school year, our eighth-graders will embark on a Capstone Project based on their interests, academic pursuit, or potential career path. It’s both a synthesis of classroom study and real-world perspectives, with a final presentation focusing on solving a present problem, adding a new idea to the community, or making something better than is currently in place.
They narrowed them to a specific topic or discipline of interest, developed an essential question to guide their learning on the project, and identified how the project would impact the community. After describing the proposed Capstone Project and submitting a proposal, the students will begin work on their approved proposals in the fall.
“A Capstone Project allows each student to be a changemaker,” says Head of School Marek Beck, Ph.D. “Our rising eighth-graders, soon to be the leaders of the school, will further develop their leadership skills and strengthen the skills that matter most, including critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, research and media literacy, communication, collaboration, and citizenship.”
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