From the Desk of Academic Dean Martha Griswold
By writing this blog, I hope to accomplish several things. I hope to give those who are looking at Chatham Hall an immediate sense of what goes on in our classrooms -- and those classrooms extend beyond the four walls of any classroom or building. I want to let our students know that the work that they do in their classes is what makes this place tick...and that adults in the community notice and appreciate the excitement that our students bring to our academic program. It is important that people see how we work with girls and how classes are framed to best prepare girls for the futures to which they aspire. I also wish to keep alumnae in touch with Chatham Hall, to let them have fun hearing about former teachers and classes. Enjoy!
The Tools We Use
September 21, 2011 at 1:40pm
Yesterday, as I was standing in line outside Chapel, pretty much mindingmy own business and thinking about the class that I would teach after
Chapel, I tuned into a very animated conversation that was taking place
in front of me. It was the intensity of the voices that first caught my
attention, followed quickly by a realization that Rector Gary Fountain
and Science Department Chair Dennis Oliver were comparing grade books
that they keep on their iPads. As if discussing a new sports car, they
went back and forth about the features of their grade book apps, how
easy they were to use, and how at any moment, they knew just how any one
student was fairing in his class. I listened carefully because I am, as
they are, members of the A Team, those six teachers who have committed
to learning as much about iPads and education as possible, and applying
what we have learned to our teaching on a daily basis. The iPad Pilot Program is very exciting. There is a great amount of
collaboration occurring between teachers and among students - and most
excitingly, among teachers and students. In my French II class, when a
student had a question about saving a quiz to Dropbox, our on-line
storage spot, another student piped up with, "I know how to do that,"
and went on to explain, clearly and precisely, how to change the name of
a file so as not to replace an existing file. But life here at Chatham Hall is not all about iPads. They are a tool
-- a tool that I would have a hard time setting aside, but a tool none
the less. I took a stroll through school today to see what other tools
students and teachers were using as they went about the business of
pushing themselves and growing in this academic environment. My dad
always says, "You cannot lead people until you've held a tool in your
hand and used it." I get where he is coming from. Comfort in using
tools, making decisions about which tool to use for which job, and just
the courage to pick up a tool and use it does push people toward a "take
charge role" in a very powerful way. In the Art Building, I found students using paint brushes, palette
knives, potters' wheels, leaves, ink, acrylic gel, and a brand new
printing press that is allowing students in Susan Morley's classes to
explore texture and depth in a way that they had not previously. Making
decisions about what to print, how to print it, and what the results
might be have students solving problems in ways that they do not in
history classes or foreign language classes. A quick look in on the Physics 9 Honors class made it clear that voice
and projector were helping Dennis Oliver convey his lesson today -- his
voice and students' voices. In the short time I stood outside his class,
I heard numerous girls' voices answering questions about changes in
acceleration. In the math area, I saw projectors warming up, the bright white square
of a SmartBoard waiting to be used, computers warming up and a student
finishing up a quiz with a pencil. Yes, we still use pens, pencils, and
even chalk. Geoff Braun's history classroom featured a stack of…books on the table
right in front of him. As we introduce the iPad to classes, some classes
use e-books and some use the old-fashioned yet modern, traditional
book. Botany, a new class this fall, is making good use of a community garden
that an Environmental Science class and sustainability group started
last spring. Shovels, hoses, rakes and wheelbarrows await D period and
the students who will put them to use preparing a fall crop. Back in my office, I know that other students and teachers are
incorporating these and other tools into their learning and teaching
experiences. I know that Mary Lee Black has a full kitchen in her
classroom and that wonderful aromas will waft from that room as students
use cuillères, saladiers, casseroles, et four to learn something of
French culture and food. I know that in history classes, students are
learning how to make movies and presentations using iMovie and Keynote.
From touching a pencil to paper or finger to iPad, all Chatham Hall
students put tools to good use as they stretch and challenge themselves
in the classroom every day. Martha Griswold
Academic Dean
