School Blog
Professional Development
Our faculty model a commitment to lifelong learning for our students, and their passion for and engagement in education creates a more dynamic environment within our school community.
This past summer, 14 faculty members engaged in classwork toward graduate degrees, including roughly 20% of our teaching faculty. A number of these individuals are working on second degrees, and in one case, a Ph.D. Special congratulations go to Lisa McGrath, our Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and Danny Batten, a language teacher and head track coach, both of whom graduated from their programs during the summer months.
In addition, another large percentage of our faculty engaged in conferences during the summer on topics including pedagogy, learning, brain science, A.P. curriculum-specific training and diversity issues.
All of the departments also had assigned reading; just like our students, our faculty had summer reading too!
Five faculty members were granted stipends through the Faculty Growth Initiative to develop curricular pieces for their classes. These projects included a new elective on the U.S. Constitution, a handbook for integrating multimedia into language classes, a new neuroscience elective, an expansion of our Civic Engagement program for older students and a handbook for faculty on methods to help students with executive function deficiencies.
During the current 2019-2020 school year, we will have 27 faculty members taking part in the professional growth program. Each of the participants put together a team that will do a deep dive into the participant’s professional life, helping the participant imagine what they might do to keep improving on their craft. In my experience, everyone involved, participant and support team members alike, comes away from this program with insights about teaching and greater respect for all that happens in this community. In all, our faculty keep extending themselves to improve as educators and professionals, making Westminster a vibrant center of learning for all its constituents.
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This past summer, 14 faculty members engaged in classwork toward graduate degrees, including roughly 20% of our teaching faculty. A number of these individuals are working on second degrees, and in one case, a Ph.D. Special congratulations go to Lisa McGrath, our Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and Danny Batten, a language teacher and head track coach, both of whom graduated from their programs during the summer months.
In addition, another large percentage of our faculty engaged in conferences during the summer on topics including pedagogy, learning, brain science, A.P. curriculum-specific training and diversity issues.
All of the departments also had assigned reading; just like our students, our faculty had summer reading too!
Five faculty members were granted stipends through the Faculty Growth Initiative to develop curricular pieces for their classes. These projects included a new elective on the U.S. Constitution, a handbook for integrating multimedia into language classes, a new neuroscience elective, an expansion of our Civic Engagement program for older students and a handbook for faculty on methods to help students with executive function deficiencies.
During the current 2019-2020 school year, we will have 27 faculty members taking part in the professional growth program. Each of the participants put together a team that will do a deep dive into the participant’s professional life, helping the participant imagine what they might do to keep improving on their craft. In my experience, everyone involved, participant and support team members alike, comes away from this program with insights about teaching and greater respect for all that happens in this community. In all, our faculty keep extending themselves to improve as educators and professionals, making Westminster a vibrant center of learning for all its constituents.
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Simsbury, Connecticut 06070
P. (860) 408-3000
F. (860) 408 3001
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In keeping with our support for a diverse community, Westminster abides by all applicable federal and state laws and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national and ethnic origin, ancestry and/or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Westminster admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School.
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