by Julie Villers, ES Principal

If you were unable to attend the Parent Coffee this morning, we talked about our new Skills For Life and Learning (or SLLs), previously called Learning Habits. 

SLLs are skills that students should acquire and learn throughout all aspects of their daily lives, in order to be successful both academically and socially.

Self-Management, Social, and Inquiry skills are the three specific categories your children will be learning and practicing at AAS. 

I will highlight one in particular. As an inquiry school, being curious is a disposition we want to nurture and encourage. We know that children are naturally curious, and we use that intrinsic motivation to develop their knowledge about the world and each other. 

Here are some examples of our approach:

Teachers role-model asking questions when they are learning about their students at the beginning of the year. They show curiosity towards them, and even facilitate those discussions between the students themselves; this skill also develops students’ empathy and open-mindedness. 

I, myself, witnessed countless conversations last month between students that exemplified this fact: Students, who did not speak the same language, using hand gestures, facial expressions and drawings to communicate their respective likes and dislikes; new friendships emerging after the realization that they both liked the same music or game on the playground. Only by showing an interest in others, can we create strong friendships and understand ourselves better. 

As we support students in problem-solving their issues, we demonstrate that using questions as a starting point keeps the mind flexible for many different possible solutions. When facilitating the resolution of differences or arguments between students, taking the time to listen to each side, staying curious about their thinking, and having all parties listen to each other helps guide an equitable process. 

In class, the teachers show curiosity about the students’ thinking by asking open ended-questions like, “How do you know?”, “Tell me more”, or “What makes you say that?” When a student knows that their voice and ideas are important, they are more engaged in the learning. They feel seen and valued. They also build their stamina to explore, investigate their theories further, and develop their reasoning, even when it is hard to do so.

Our goal is to help students learn to be flexible and agile thinkers, and to appreciate curiosity as a way to be prepared for the world they live in.