Redwood Day School
“Every Student Has A Place To Shine”
Mike Riera’s office window looks out on a playground at Redwood Day School. Rierra, RDS’s Head of School, speaks with rising passion about his belief that the nation’s education system has gone off the rails. “I watch kids out my window every day who are learning how to throw a ball or climb a tree. Why are we rushing our kids to grow up?” he said.
It is a question that Riera has grappled with for years as a well-known psychologist and best-selling author. At RDS, Riera leads a team of educators that will launch a new high school in the fall of 2009 dedicated to the proposition that academic rigor need not take the joy out of learning. “We’re creating a high school where kids can be teenagers,” said Riera. That means, among other things, an emphasis on depth of learning rather than acceleration or coverage of facts; dedication to helping students assume ownership of their learning; and an unwillingness to subordinate the learning process to preparation for standardized tests.
“It’s not fun just to sit there and take notes,” said Taylor P., ‘13, “We do lots of activities. It gets you excited to come to class every day.”
RDS is building on a solid foundation. Opened in 1963, Redwood already has a strong reputation in the Bay Area for challenging, hands-on learning for elementary and middle schoolers that leaves them eager for more. On a recent morning, students in a sixth-grade social studies class were busy creating their own culture and imagining how it might be organized. A few doors away, seventh graders were doing an “Is it alive?” lab. As they handled items such as an egg, a shell, a piece of wood, and yogurt, they debated among themselves whether, in fact, each was alive. According to Jim Rendle, who teaches seventh grade math, modern brain science underlies much of what RDS does in the classroom. “The way we teach math is all about process,” he said, “We want our students to understand what is going on behind the math.” Instead of teaching a formula and then moving on to the next type of problem, Rendle and his colleagues reinforce lessons with hands-on illustrations, small group exercises, and various methods to tap students’ different ways of knowing. “It’s not fun just to sit there and take notes,” said Taylor P., ‘13, “We do lots of activities. It gets you excited to come to class every day.”
RDS wants to bring that same excitement to high school learning. Rather than teaching to standardized tests with a one-size-fits-all curriculum, RDS starts with the needs and passions of its students. “Everything here is student-centered. We are first a community,” said Ray Wilson, Head of Upper School. By meeting students where they are, and helping them take ownership of their learning, RDS enables them to ask their own questions and probe deeper into their subjects. Some of the classes will resemble what is taught in typical schools, such as Calculus AB and BC, U.S. History, and Physics. But many upper-level classes will emphasize depth rather than coverage of facts, including Marine Biology, Sociology of Malcolm X, and Japanese Literature.
One of the most innovative offerings of the new upper school is Life Planning, a four-year course that will help students tackle the most challenging topic of all: themselves. In addition to practical topics such as career exploration and public speaking, the curriculum will include a semester of “Your Mind And You,” an interdisciplinary course designed to enhance students’ understanding of their lives and the human condition.
“Our upper-school students will do as much hands-on learning as possible, “said Riera, “We want students to be able to demonstrate their knowledge, not just have it.”
Like younger students, teenagers learn more when they can be active creators rather than merely passive absorbers. “Our upper-school students will do as much hands-on learning as possible, “said Riera, “We want students to be able to demonstrate their knowledge, not just have it.”
Learn more about Redwood Day School.