David Grant, Dean of Studies, Crescent School

Putting All Those Words into Action

by David Grant, Dean of Studies, Crescent School
As the Dean of Studies, the myriad of articles and professional development opportunities that come across my desk and arrive daily in my inbox is at times overwhelming. It can be difficult separating the useful and relevant − research, opinion pieces, new ideas and political initiatives − from the rest of the pile. The key is to find that sensible middle ground and then use the School’s mission and ethos to hone into our sweet spot, always through the lens of our Strategic Academic Plan.
With well over 30 years of experience in academia, I can say without reservation that the lexicon of educational terminology continues to expand at a dizzying rate. Design principles promoting personalized-learning, digital literacy, design-thinking and project-based learning abound; pedagogies are experiential and active; there is urgency in developing 21st century skills like creativity, self-awareness, resilience and maintaining one’s wellbeing; and the list goes on. These concepts and many others are now commonplace in school brochures and marketing literature. In fact, these terms and more can be found throughout Crescent’s own Strategic Academic Plan.

So how does all this information help educators stay at the leading edge of their game? When doing my reading, I ask myself three basic questions:
  1. Does the concept improve student learning?  
  2. Does it align with our mission?  
  3. How will this concept translate to what is actually happening in the classroom?
In some cases the outcomes are not easily quantifiable and there are many examples in education where schools clearly do not deliver on their promise. The same cannot be said about Crescent. Having the opportunity to visit many of our classrooms and having conversations with our boys, I can say that Crescent teachers are delivering on our promise. There are so many innovative practices taking place within and outside our school that enrich the boys learning and engage them in their studies. I am proud to say that our teachers are putting all those words into meaningful action!

Read Crescent School's Strategic Academic Plan
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