Announcement

The Caribbean Association of Independent Schools

Proudly Presents

Workshops for Teachers and Parents

By

Dr. Robert Fried

Tuesday, 1 February 2005

The Speaker: Dr. Fried is a professor of education at Northeastern University in Boston . He is the author of two inspiring books on education, The Passionate Teacher and The Passionate Learner . He works with teachers in schools around the country and lives with his family in Concord , New Hampshire .

The Schedule: On St. Croix Dr. Fried will speak on Tuesday, 1 February. The teacher in-service day will be in the theatre at Good Hope from 9-3:45, in conjunction with faculty from St. Croix Country Day School . There is no school for students that day. The Parent Workshop will start at 7:00 p.m. in the Pavilion at CDS. All parents are strongly urged to attend.

The Teacher Workshop: "Passionate Teaching and Learning vs. Playing 'The Game of School'" Dr. Fried will address how can we help our students focus on "True Learning" when background messages call out to them: "It's all about getting the highest grades for the least work," and "It's about getting into college--nothing else matters." For teachers, it turns on the question of how to engage students in the curriculum in such a way that they come out of a unit experience wanting to learn/read/do MORE in that area (as opposed to being relieved that it's over). For independent educators, it also means, how can we use our unique flexibility to provide opportunities for learning and growth that match our passions as teachers?

The Parent Session: "Helping our kids succeed in school without losing the spark of learning--what parents can do to promote 'passionate learning' in children." How do we help keep our children "on track" for academic success while at the same time being supportive of our kids' unique "learning spirit," so that they come, increasingly, to own their own learning, rather than relying on us to "stay on top of them" until they are safely in college?

For both groups, the question of "stance" is crucial--how do we position ourselves to play a vital role in the development of children and adolescents, without overwhelming them with our "agendas" to the point that learning is seen by them as a chore, and progress in school is a matter of "getting my education over with"?