National Experts Lead Multiple Intelligence Workshops

On Monday, February 28, and Tuesday, March 1, faculty members in the Lower and Middle Schools met with Dr. Harvey Silver and Mr. Richard Strong, as part of a continuing effort to learn more about varied learning styles, multiple intelligences, and teaching strategies that will increase the effectiveness of the educational experience for students at Hawken School. Dr. Silver and Mr. Strong met with small groups of faculty in question and answer sessions in which individual teachers brought questions and concerns to the educational experts. -áTeachers received feedback on curriculum that was written last summer and implemented during the current school year. Meanwhile, others asked how to acquire knowledge about learning styles and understand the implications for day to day instructional applications in the classroom. Mr. Strong also facilitated two meetings. He met with the faculty members of the Lyndhurst campus en masse in the afternoon and with parents in the evening. In both sessions, he reviewed learning style theory and described ways to use results of the learning style inventories, which had been administered to the students in grades five through eight. Parents were especially receptive and enthusiastic as they gained a better understanding of learning styles while recognizing the importance of this opportunity for Hawken students and teachers to grow. Dr. Silver and Mr. Strong have been working with Hawken faculty for more than two years. In addition to their roles as consultants to Hawken School, they have authored multiple books and articles for organizations such as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and their own companies, Silver Strong & Associates, LLC and The Thoughtful Education, Press, LLC.