Head of School’s Notebook

October 11, 2024

During my visits to 9th grade Humanities classes this week, I saw students simultaneously at ease and engaged as they wrestled to make meaning of a passage from Oedipus. Every time I get the opportunity to spend time in classrooms, I see the power of our inquiry method on display as students lean more into their curiosity than conclusions. While seemingly simple, the practice of staying in the place of “not knowing” requires tremendous discipline as it is surprisingly uncomfortable to sit with wonder. I know I am not alone in the feeling of satisfaction of having an answer, and yet, the older I get the more I question the durability of our answers especially to complex questions. This is especially important to me in my second year here at Cate where I am working to stay curious about all aspects of our school, the student experience, and what conditions contribute to thriving here at Cate and beyond.

When I was in elementary school, we used to start the day by singing a song with only one line – I’m alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic! While this song has been stuck in my head for years, only recently did I realize that each of these words describe and predict the conditions educational researchers have proven again and again to be essential for deep learning. In a world obsessed with a limited set of metrics to student academic success (standardized test scores and GPA), it’s always confused me why the field of education doesn’t equally champion the metrics that measure affective engagement and enduring understanding. Luckily, here at Cate, we’ve built our entire academic program upon a shared belief in the power of inquiry to ignite our students to be alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic in the face of the unknown.

For decades, scientists have measured physiological and cognitive activity for learners in various learning contexts. While we know that active learning is much more effective than passive learning (listening to lectures, reading), it requires much more engagement from students and teachers. In addition, we know that a trusting relationship with teachers and classmates is essential. Luckily, here at Cate – given we are a small school where active engagement defines our learning spaces – I feel proud and confident that each student is building habits of mind that will serve them far beyond the four years spent here. Another example of how our Servons ethos guides all we do.

For all of you coming to our Fall Family Weekend, I encourage you to bring a lens of inquiry to what you notice and wonder in our learning spaces and how these spaces create the conditions for learning and thriving for your child. I welcome you to share your observations with me so we can learn together.

Source: Establishing a Link Between Electrodermal Activity and Classroom Engagement (2019)