Spring 2013

Spotlight on Excellence: A Series of Reports on Academic Programs at San Francisco Day School

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Welcome to the third edition of Spotlight On Excellence, a series of reports on academic programs at San Francisco Day School. This issue highlights Habits of Mind, Cultural Competence, Health and Wellness, and an Artistic Mindset.

As part of the SFDS community, you know that these skill sets are part of our ever-evolving commitment to helping the students of today become the critical thinkers and creative problem solvers of tomorrow.

But what do these terms really mean? And how do they shape what we do every day in the classroom? This issue of Spotlight brings the elements of critical thinking into focus -- through an illustrative chart (page 2), concise definitions (page 3) and through photographs and stories of the programs in action in our school.

We believe deeply in our rigorous approach to education, and we see positive results every day in the class-room. But we also put it to the test. Last fall, SFDS became the first middle school to participate in the Col-lege Work & Readiness Assessment, an exam that measures critical thinking and reasoning. Our eighth graders took the test, which is designed for high school students. How did we do? Just take a look at the exciting results on page 6.

Finally, I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone in our community--to the hard-working students, the exceptional faculty, and the engaged, supportive parents—for another year of joyful learning, creative expression, and academic excellence at San Francisco Day School.

Dr. David E. Jackson Head of School

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Developing Critical Thinkers and Creative Problem Solvers

Habits of Mind

Artistic Mindset

Whereas many strategic plans traditionally focus on an action plan for a facilities improvement or a specific academic program, our community thoughtfully selected a more complex and far-reaching goal. We strive to teach and instill in our students skills that uphold the values of our school, embrace the promise of their potential, and empower them to become active critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.

Curiosity • Zest • PerseveranCe & resilienCe • Growth Mindset & risk-takinG • CraftsManshiP Gratitude • eMPathy • self-understandinG & self-Control

2nd Gr CitysCaPe • 4th Gr ElEctric carnival • 5th Gr brainoloGy • 8th Gr Celebr8

1st Gr MeasurinG unit • 3rd Gr MultiPliCation unit • 7th Gr hEart & lunG animations

Gr k skin i’M in • 2nd Gr Empathy thEatEr • 8th Gr Global eduCation - Puerto riCo triP

1st Gr brain breaks • outdoor Education proGram • uPPer sChool CoPa tournaMent

What are habits of mind? SFDS carefully identified eight skills to nurture students into open-minded learners who can define and cultivate interest in the subjects in which they are engaged. We will teach them to recognize the trappings of the stuck mindset and to seek a growth mindset with enthusiasm. Our students will learn to reset their frames of mind for positivity, to accept mistakes and failure, and to pursue the gifts of challenge.

An artistic mindset gives students the ability to use a different lens through which to see the world: to learn through imagination and pattern-finding. It means using creativity and trusting intuition to communicate in a fresh and innovative way; using symbols, images, and narrative to collaborate with others. From an expanded performing arts curriculum to an iPad pilot program, SFDS continues to seek out new ways for our children to learn, demonstrate, and exchange information in a modern world.

This year’s facilities improvements took SFDS another step forward in our journey to becoming a health-ier community. The lower school playground now offers tactile sand and water activity centers to encourage dynamic play. A redesigned roof encourages children to play soccer, basketball, and other group games while also providing an area for reflection and quiet time. Our new cafeteria is proof that healthy food is good for the mind and body, with delicious offerings for our students and faculty.

Health & Wellness

Cultural CompetencyAt SFDS, cultural competency is more than just a strategic plan initiative; it is a founding value of our school. There are four components to developing cultural competency: • Know your own culture• Know the cultures of others• Learn and practice cross-cultural communication skills• Counter isolation, marginalization, prejudice, and discrimination through inclusion

Nurturing Habits of Mind: Fourth Grade Electric Carnival

“The electric carnival is not just about how electrical circuits work.Certainly that is an important part of the unit, but understanding switches, electrons, and such are more a byproduct of children learning the hard stuff.” In Ms. Coffelt’s fourth grade science class, she informs her students that working through frustration and fail-ure is not only a fundamental part of the process, but is also a natural component of learning, particularly in the fields of engineering and science. When introducing the electric carnival project, she begins by handing out a rubric that highlights much more than electric circuitry. The rubric explicitly describes expected habits of mind and serves as a working guide for students. For example, perseverance is rebuilding your circuit board three times even though you could have sworn you had it right the first time. Collaboration is spending a

lesson to work with peers to determine how an axle needs to fit, not for the social element, but because everyone brings a different perspective and expertise to the table. Zest and creativity range from designing an “evil Barbie action figure” to building a machine that tells you which teacher has the quietest sneeze.Curiosity happens when you offer children choice and nurture their questions, and Ms. Coffelt works with the fourth grade teachers to develop an atmosphere of curi-osity in the classroom. “The lab is a place for their learn-ing,” she says, “not just what I want to teach, but also what they what to learn.” She notices that students new to SFDS sometimes initially struggle with this expectation. “It takes time to realize it’s okay to ask a question. They learn that there’s more than one way to see the world around them.” To watch the interviews online, please visit: www.vimeo.com/sfday. (placeholder url)

Demonstrating An Artistic Mindset: 7th Grade Heart & Lung Animation

The marriage of science, technology, and an artistic mindset has led to a countless number of advancements in today’s digital society, and SFDS is also benefitting from this union. Each year our seventh grade students look forward to the annual science and tech-nology unit focusing on cardiopulmonary animation. This unit is co-taught by our science and technology teachers.Our students go far beyond basic expressions of how the human heart and lungs operate, using programs such as Roger Wagner’s Hyperstu-dio. This is an effective multimedia software program that enables our students to create visual models and illustrate their depth of knowledge and understanding.

The heart and lung animation project asks students to define structures while demonstrating the functionality of these vital organs. The students use the aforementioned Hyperstudio or Flash Macromedia, which allows them to explore different visual representations and also gives them the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills as they work to design, create, revise, and complete their projects.These types of interactive projects empower our students and enable them to become more proficient with these tools, while keeping them deeply engaged in the curriculum. Students learn by taking risks and using their imagi-nation to communicate in a fresh and dynamic way.

Goals for Electric Machine Project☑ Learn to understand how engineers work: designing, testing, rethinking, rebuilding, and talking to friends☑ Learn to be persistent and work through frustration☑ Use creativity and problem solve☑ Collaborate with others☑ Use tools and materials☑ Learn how electrical circuits work, using science knowledge and vocabulary uest l

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Enjoying Health and Wellness At SFDS

What does health and wellness look like at SFDS? Our students are 1) Making nutritious choices at lunch that keep them energetic and strong 2) Protecting their health by washing their hands before lunch 3) Staying active outdoors with sports like soccer 4) Playing organized team sports like volleyball and basketball 5) Building strong muscles while having fun on our new playground structure 6) Practicing mindfulness before working out

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Learning Cultural Competency: 2nd Grade Empathy Theater

“The Only Boy in Ballet Class” was one of the performanc-es given by this year’s second grade students and taught our children the value of putting one’s self in another person’s shoes. Being a culturally competent citizen means taking the extra step to learn more about the culture of others, which requires thoughtful study, open dialogue, and the sincere use of empathy and openmindedness to facilitate positive interactions.

After each performance, our second grade students discussed the chal-lenges faced by the characters and how these characters overcame them. Their teachers were very impressed with the depth and maturity of the conversations. Students made meaningful connections between the

characters and themselves, friends, and family members. They talked about the importance of empathy and per-spective taking. They also learned about the differences among us, and discussed the values of celebrating these differences. Developmentally, second grade is a fertile venue for these discussions. The children have opportuni-ties to identify their strengths and challenges, understand how they impact others and vice versa, and think about how to maintain friendships while creating new connections.

Check out this year’s three plays from Empathy Theater online: www.sfds.net/support/EmpathyTheater

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Assessing Critical Thinking at SFDS

Fact: Critical thinking is an essential tool for achieving success in the 21st century. It’s safe to say that we all acknowledge and be-lieve in the value of critical thinking in education. Less clear, however, are the appropriate tools with which educators may evaluate progress for this particular skill set. How does one measure the ability to think critically? To answer this question, SFDS has been conducting research on various mod-els used to assess critical thinking. One example is the CWRA “College Work and Readiness Assessment,” a high school exam traditionally administered to high school freshman and seniors. This standardized test is designed to

measure students’ mastery of higher-order skills, such as analytic reasoning, writing effectiveness, and problem solving. In fall 2012, SFDS became the first middle school to participate in this exam with eighth grade students. How did we do?

Critical Thinking Performance Task Comparative Mean Scores

Well Done! SFDS eighth grade students outperformed high school freshman AND high school and freshman and seniors from independent schools around the country.

Critical Thinking Performance Task Comparative Mean Scores

SAMPLE CWRA PERFORMANCE TASK

Comparison Groups Means Scores

SFDS 8th Grade 1175 High School Freshman 994 NAIS Schools Freshman 1070 NAIS Schools Seniors 1152

You advise Pat Williams, the president of DynaTech, a company that makes precision electronic instruments and navigational equipment. Sally Evans, a member of DynaTech’s sales force, recommended that DynaTech buy a small private plane (SwiftAir 235) that she and other members of the sales force could use to visit customers. Pat was about to approve the purchase when there was an accident involving a SwiftAir 235. Your document library contains the following materials:• Newspaper article about the accident• Federal Accident Report on in-flight breakups in single-engine planes• Internal Correspondence (Pat’s email to you and Sally’s email to Pat)• Charts relating to SwiftAir’s performance characteristics• Excerpt from a magazine article comparing SwiftAir 235 to similar planes• Pictures and descriptions of SwiftAir models 180 and 235Questions:• Do the available data tend to support or refute the claim that the type of wing on the SwiftAir 235 leads to

more in-flight breakups? What is the basis for your conclusion?• What other factors might have contributed to the accident and should be taken into account?• What is your preliminary recommendation about whether or not DynaTech should buy the plane and what

is the basis for this recommendation?

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