The middle school programme at Steinmont is based on findings in behavioral and developmental psychology and educational research. That means that ISH provides middle school students with the opportunities for exploring and adapting their understandings. Such an approach is based on research showing that knowledge is best gained and retained when it is constructed.
Hence, teachers begin units by sharing learning outcomes with students, introducing the guiding questions and big ideas that students will grapple with, and then design lessons and assessments that provide students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning. Projects, one of the principle ways that students demonstrate their learning, engage students and gives them the opportunity to apply their learning creatively. Teachers use assessment results to modify their teaching and differentiate learning to meet student needs. Students develop both content knowledge and skills in creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.
The important ideas include:
The middle school incorporates a myriad of different teaching approaches to ensure that lessons are varied, that they provide sufficient challenges, and that they allow the students to feel considerable success
