Sharing Burke's Innovations with the World
The 2015-16 school year was a big one for showing off Burke's to the wider educational community!
In November 2015, Lisa Spengler, Assistant Director of the Upper School for Student Life & Leadership, published an article on Burke's seventh-grade public-speaking program in the latest issue of Independent Teacher, the magazine published by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
As Ms. Spengler mentions in the piece, which you can read online by clicking here, every Burke's student takes Public Speaking/Writer's Workshop in her seventh-grade year. The Public Speaking portion of the class culminates in an original speech that each student creates through careful research and delivers in front of the entire Upper School.
Ms. Spengler, who has taught the class for eight years, specifically focused the article on growth she saw on an individual level among a variety of students.
"At Burke’s, we continue to view learning public speaking as an essential skill and a paramount one in the 21st century, building community while giving each student an opportunity to explore and express her identity," Ms. Spengler wrote. "No matter where the girls attend high school, they have a very powerful experience to draw from whenever they have an opportunity to present in a public way and in front of an audience of any size."
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In November 2015, Lisa Spengler, Assistant Director of the Upper School for Student Life & Leadership, published an article on Burke's seventh-grade public-speaking program in the latest issue of Independent Teacher, the magazine published by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
As Ms. Spengler mentions in the piece, which you can read online by clicking here, every Burke's student takes Public Speaking/Writer's Workshop in her seventh-grade year. The Public Speaking portion of the class culminates in an original speech that each student creates through careful research and delivers in front of the entire Upper School.
Ms. Spengler, who has taught the class for eight years, specifically focused the article on growth she saw on an individual level among a variety of students.
"At Burke’s, we continue to view learning public speaking as an essential skill and a paramount one in the 21st century, building community while giving each student an opportunity to explore and express her identity," Ms. Spengler wrote. "No matter where the girls attend high school, they have a very powerful experience to draw from whenever they have an opportunity to present in a public way and in front of an audience of any size."
Later in the year, Jenny Howland and Mike Matthews presented a “speed innovation” session on “Designing a Future-Proofed Maker Space” at the NAIS annual conference in February. Sharing the story of the Makery, they led educators from across the country in a conversation about how to design maker spaces that are relevant today and will stand the test of time.
After the conference wrapped up on Friday afternoon, the learning continued on Saturday as Burke’s hosted the official edcamp event that follows the annual NAIS conference. Similar to an “unconference,” edcamp is a participant-driven model for professional development that empowers educators to explore emergent topics in education. Educators from the Bay Area, across the country, and even as far away as Nigeria convened at Burke’s, discussing topics ranging from social justice to computer coding.