Philosophy of Education

List of 9 items.

• Early Childhood

  Philosophy
  
  

  The Early Childhood Program at Miami Country Day School focuses on the whole child and fosters growth in all areas through a developmentally appropriate and integrated curriculum. Critical and creative thinking promotes process vs. product orientation. Through play, experiences are designed to provide an academic foundation of readiness for future learning in a curriculum that intentionally spirals. Through hands-on learning with multi-sensory integration, students develop independence as well as skills to work cooperatively to reach a common goal. The program is designed to meet the needs of each student through differentiated learning with the primary focus being the social and emotional development of each child.
  
  Long Term Learning Goals
  
  

  Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

  • Develop skills to communicate effectively

  • Develop skills to work cooperatively and independently

  • Use knowledge and conflict resolution skills to problem solve

  • Demonstrate self-regulation in a variety of situations

  • Understand and respect cultural diversity

   

• English and Communications Arts

  Philosophy
  
  

  As educators of English and Communication Arts, we believe literacy is a cornerstone of learning. Using a transdisciplinary skill set, we are committed to preparing students to become lifelong learners who engage with and appreciate literature in all its forms.The exploration of literary traditions, both within the canon and beyond it, empowers students to achieve their full potential. Reading, writing, and engagement with media communications arts is critical for today’s globally connected students, who must navigate a rapidly changing social, economic and political landscape. Our goal is for students to be reflexive, empathetic, transformational, innovative, and fully capable of communicating with and being understood by those with whom they inhabit the world.
  
  

  Long Term Learning Goals
  
  Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

  • Effectively communicate in various genres for various audiences and purposes (inform, explain, entertain, persuade, guide, or challenge) with clarity and precision.

  • Read and reflect critically, speak and with clarity and confidence.

  • Think and act with a critical mind about claims encountered at school and beyond by seeking notional clarity, accuracy, sound evidence, and fairness.

  • Value reading in all aspects of their lives and actively engage with self-selected literature for learning and enjoyment.

  • Read and write with empathy in order to consider complex situations with empathy, understanding, and compassion.

  • Explore and examine their evolving identity through reading and writing.

  • Converse respectfully and intelligently with others about texts they have read or written.

  • Understand and experiment with the process of literary research.

  • Interrogate and become conversant with the complex evolution of media – social and traditional, digital and analog – as it continues to shape the world in which we live.

  
  

• History and Social Sciences

  Philosophy
  
  As educators in History and the Social Sciences, we are committed to preparing students to become compassionate global citizens, fully capable of understanding the complexity of their own humanity and how it intersects with that of others. By actively engaging students in authentic and powerful explorations of the human experience, we cultivate lifelong learners equipped with the skills of critical analysis and reflexivity, realized through their reading, writing and all forms of media production and consumption. In our classrooms, we encourage students to honor the perspectives of others even while preparing them to develop and defend their own independent viewpoints. Through the study of History and the Social Sciences, the lasting and essential diversity of the human species – social, intellectual, geographic – reveals itself as a reflection of the shifting mosaic of the world in which we live.
  
  Long Term Learning Goals
  
  

  Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

  • Act as a responsible citizen locally and globally by being informed and engaged in the world and having a geographic and cultural awareness

  • Critically analyze and interpret data and information through research and real-life experiences and address issues of bias and credibility

  • Have the ability to purposefully use primary and secondary sources to construct and support thoughts and arguments

  • To discern the truth value of multiple historical claims using resources acquired by research and experiential activity

  • Defend opinions or ideas, which, when synthesized from multiple sources, support a personal or group objective

  • Recognize objectivity -- both as a reflective capacity, and as a tool for evaluating moral claims -- as a pursuit worth seeking

  • Explore the unknown in a world of unknowns; to empathize with others in order to know the full spectrum of human experience

  • Have the courage to respectfully and effectively express political opinions, listen to others, and have a willingness to critically examine their own opinions

  • Have intellectual curiosity and the capacity to pursue original, meaningful, in-depth inquiry based on evidence

  • Use history to inform and solve contemporary problems and build understandings in other disciplines

• Mathematics

  Philosophy
  
  

  We believe mathematics is a universal language that enables us to uncover and make sense of ideas, patterns, and phenomena that surround us. Mathematics involves the study of overarching principles that guide the linkage of concepts, the creation of connections, and the transfer of knowledge when solving complex problems. Through individual and collaborative investigations, students discover and explore theoretical concepts and apply them to novel situations. Math empowers students to ultimately create relevant questions, be intelligent consumers of data, and find meaningful answers.

  
  Long Term Learning Goals
  
  

  Students will be able to independently use their learning to:
  

  • Apply mathematical knowledge to model and analyze relationships in various situations in order to draw conclusions, make decisions, and solve problems.
  • Develop abstract reasoning and critical thinking in order to unpack and make sense of authentic and constructed scenarios.
  • Persevere when solving complex problems, using flexible strategies.
  • Use higher order thinking to make connections between fundamental concepts and skills.
  • Collect and analyze data to make well-informed decisions.
  • Construct and communicate viable arguments involving mathematical evidence and critique the reasoning of self and others.

  
  
  

• Science

  Belief Statement
  
  

  We believe science is a lens through which students view and understand the physical universe. By nurturing curiosity, we encourage students to appreciate the richness of the world and how science intersects with our daily lives. The scientific method provides a framework for student exploration and discovery. Empowered to take risks and learn from failure, students question and evaluate scientific claims, seek their own answers, and take responsible action.
  
  Long Term Transfer Goals
  
  

  Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

  • Observe and analyze empirical patterns to explain phenomena, develop models, and make predictions.
  • Question, analyze, and evaluate the validity of claims independently and collaboratively.
  • Clearly and concisely communicate evidenced-based ideas effectively.
  • Develop scientific persistence through an iterative process of problem solving, risk taking, and failure.
  • Understand the value of natural resources and advocate for their sustainability.

  
  

• World Language

  Belief Statement
  
  

  In the World Languages department, we believe that language learning is an essential vehicle for global understanding and we educate students to become respectful citizens of the world. As such, we lead our students to cultural experiences and foster communicative competence in World Language(s) through the development of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. It is our purpose to inspire students to meaningfully appreciate and embrace other cultures and languages while deepening their understanding of their own. Language acquisition promotes life-long, interdisciplinary learning and exploration of other languages and cultures. Moreover, through our programs, we celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and social justice.
  
  Long Term Learning Goals
  
  (In Development)

  
  

• Arts

  Philosophy
  
  As Arts educators, it is our responsibility to inspire students to dream big, play freely, take risks in a safe space where failure is a learning experience and make leaps of imagination so they can live their truth as ethical global citizens. We value our students’ voice and nurture their creative process.  It is our goal to inspire a lifelong involvement in the arts for each of our students.
  

  • The Arts enrich us and serve to further, present and appreciate our humanity and the physical world around us.
  • The Arts, a universal form of communication, foster creative expression, introspection, and collaboration, ultimately empowering our students.
  • The Arts promote aesthetic appreciation, courage, understanding, kindness, and empathy for both the audience and the artist.
  • The Arts are essential to a diverse culture, linking us through generations and helping us to connect and share who we are.

  Long Term Learning Goals
  
  

  Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

  • Discover at least one of the ARTS disciplines in which they develop the confidence and emotional connection to continue active involvement by creating, performing or responding to that art throughout their lives.

  • Be educated, culturally open, accepting, and informed consumers of the arts.

  • Apply the disciplines of practice, resilience, and perseverance to life experiences.

  • Seek, process and thoughtfully apply constructive feedback.

  • Problem-solve, analyze, synthesize and think creatively and critically

  
  

• Physical Education and Health

  Philosophy
  
  

  We believe a well-balanced life is when students understand the connection between a healthy mind, body and spirit.  Regular physical activity improves all aspects of life, enhances the development of the brain and contributes to emotional well-being. Our commitment is to empower students with the skills and knowledge to collaborate, cooperate, resolve issues, overcome obstacles and practice sportsmanship. Through play, we are committed to developing our students’ physical competency, cognitive understanding, and positive attitude toward a lifetime of physical activity.  
  
  

  Students will be able to independently use their learning to do the following:

   

  • Demonstrate skills and apply concepts to perform a variety of physical activities.

  • Demonstrate sportsmanship and respect before, during, and after competition.

  • Exhibit personal and social behaviors that respect self and others

  • Incorporate aesthetic, spiritual, social, emotional, physical and intellectual aspects of wellness in a healthy lifestyle

  • Evaluate and select the right activities for personal enjoyment, benefit and support of a healthy lifestyle

   

• Counseling

  (Philosophy and Long Term Learning Goals in Development)