29 Nov Preparing 21st century minds – and meeting alumni – in Boston
Four Woodstock faculty members (Amy Seefeldt, Academic Dean, Social Studies Teacher; Raymond Husthwaite, Head of the Science Department; Shubhra Chundawat Luukkonen, Grade 1 and 2 Teacher; and Greg Miller, Social Studies Teacher) attended a conference in Boston, November 16-19 with a staff development grant from FWS/WOSA-NA The grant was made possible with funds raised from alumni for the annual “Woodstock Fund For Excellence”. The conference entitled “Preparing 21st Century Minds: Using Brain Research to Enhance Cognitive Skills for the Future” brought together researchers and educators from around the US and the world to explore new research on the brain and learning and its implications for education.
Ray Husthwaite commented “It was sobering to find out how little we truly knew about the workings of the brain in past years and how new brain research has opened up opportunities to test our cherished and long held traditions in education. It seems that many of our assumptions about effective learning are misguided and in some cases just wrong. Material from this conference has given me much to think about over the next year and I plan to apply it to my normal teaching where curriculum constraints allow.”
The four teachers also met with Woodstock alumni and friends at a reception hosted by Rick and Sadhana Downs at their home in Dover; Rick is of the class of ‘79. Amy Seefeldt, Academic Dean, spoke on “2020 Vision”, Woodstock’s vision and strategic plan. Robert Boyles ’35 and Alice Dodds ’42 were recognised for their membership in the Lyre Tree Society, which acknowledges alumni and friends who have included Woodstock in their estate plans.
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