Curriculum Night

Students imagine their hopes and dreams for the year ahead.

What an exciting night!  At last night’s Curriculum Night, parents had the opportunity to hear about their child’s classroom experience and travel around the school to each one of their classes.  At Parker we believe in creating student-centered classrooms, where teachers engage their students’ interests, talents and passions.  We strongly believe that learning is not “one size fits all,” and give students the opportunity to help shape their curriculum, with guidance from their teacher. Parker teachers and students are partners in learning, working alongside one another. The results of allowing our students this type of autonomy in the classroom – motivated and engaged students with high mastery levels in the subjects they study.
How may this look in a typical Parker classroom?  Instead of expecting our students to sit and absorb everything the teacher is saying and prove this knowledge on a test, teachers will involve students in the planning, implementation, and assessment surrounding the given subject.  This means the student can learn the material in a variety of ways – through coursework, discussion, projects, group work, and hands-on demonstrations.  When students are involved in making decisions about their education, learning is personalized in a way that addresses their distinct needs, interests, and aspirations.  Our students feel valued and known as a result.
At Parker we believe in our students’ ability to lead and take ownership of their learning.  We believe in collaborating with our students on the how, what and why they will learn.  Students bring so much of their own experiences which engage and deepen their learning journey.   We want to hear their beautiful voices and make students realize that, truly, the best way to learn is by trusting yourself and taking risks.