Cambridge Head of School Blog

The culture at Cambridge School is vibrant and multi-faceted.  It is what sets us apart as a school.  In our blog, Learning Fiercely, 我们选择将焦点放在十大老品牌网赌网址大全的一个方面，以了解它如何对整体做出贡献.  In this, our first blog entry, we are focusing on the Cambridge Art program.  

Art is a critical element of every school program, but at Cambridge it is a vital part of a high quality multisensory education.  Melissa Mack, Cambridge’s Art Coordinator, recognizes, and nurtures the budding talent of every student artist. When a student, especially one who learns differently, realizes a newly discovered talent, 它增强了他们的信心，唤醒了他们创造性表达的全新出路.  

Even beyond that, Melissa is passionate about bringing the experience of art into every class, no matter the subject.  当艺术融入课程并超越艺术教室的范围时，它使学术概念变得生动起来. For students who learn best by doing, art is the ultimate multisensory learning tool.  Melissa takes inspiration from Sally Smith at the Lab School in Washington DC.  In her book The Power of the Arts Sally writes:

“艺术需要被视为表达的组织者……作为能够而且经常主持学术成就的展览和表演。.”

In just the first part of this year, Melissa has integrated art at every grade level.  When middle school science students studied Newton’s laws of motion, she designed a pendulum painting project that demonstrated the laws of motion.  When the freshman literature students began reading Speak, 梅丽莎设计了一个油毡雕刻项目，帮助他们展示他们对角色的理解.  In the MS I study of geography, 学生们用盐面团制作了彩色地形图，对地形有了三维的认识.  当小学生们为一个故事重演设计蝴蝶和毛毛虫的服装时，梅丽莎让变形的想法变得生动起来. 

诸如此类的多感官教学体验，捕捉到了学习的兴奋和喜悦.  As Melissa shares her own love of art, 她也启发了剑桥的学生和老师们对艺术的深远力量有了新的认识.

我们在十大老品牌网赌网址大全的使命是为每个学生准备必要的学术知识, personal and social skills to succeed in life. For students with dyslexia our teachers, who are trained language experts, provide strong research-based literacy instruction. This instruction can be life-changing for students, 但同样重要的是，要利用阅读障碍患者的独特优势来促进他们的生活成功.

在过去的几年里，阅读困难症的许多特征已经成为人们关注的焦点.  In March of 2022, Dyslexic Thinking was listed as a vital job skill by LinkedIn. Further, Dictionary.com added the following definition:

“Dyslexic thinking:  an approach to problem solving, assessing information, and learning, often used by people with dyslexia that involves pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking, and interpersonal communication.”

这些诵读困难的特质特别有助于他们在运动和健身方面取得成功. 那些有阅读障碍的人在课堂上往往落后于他们的同龄人, 但参与体育运动为他们提供了一个真正公平竞争的机会. 克里斯汀·基恩，体育教练和运动总监，经常目睹这种动态.  克里斯汀在剑桥工作了18年，她描述了我们的学生“独特的解决问题的能力”. 由于他们的阅读障碍思维，他们的世界观是如此不同，以至于他们提供了独特的解决方案, often ones she had never considered.”

克里斯汀的教学理念整合了体育环境，以支持健身，同时也建立了重要的学术和生活技能.  在她看来，“体育技能直接转化为在课堂和现实世界中的成功.” While working on their fitness, students are encouraged to set personal goals, to advocate, problem solve, resolve conflicts and manage stress. Once they see the benefit of these skills in their fitness, they feel empowered in the classroom as well, and begin to believe in their personal ability.  所有学生都能从这种技能整合过程中受益，尤其是那些受到学习差异挑战的学生.

When a student connects with a supportive teacher who is also a strong mentor, they begin to understand the value of perseverance in the classroom.  Though Christine’s classroom is on the field or in the gym, she masterfully leverages the students love of sports to support their academic, personal and social development.

At Cambridge School, 对我们的全人教育方法来说，艺术的深思熟虑的融合是必不可少的. Our previous post highlighted our strong visual arts program, and this entry will spotlight our robust music and theater offerings.

Our Music Coordinator, Ray Nugent, 一个有成就的手铃敲击者和有才华的钢琴演奏家，用他的激情和专业知识为我们各个层次的学生提供音乐和戏剧吗. 剑桥编钟唱诗班是我们音乐项目的一个独特方面，每个学生都能从中脱颖而出. Ray directs lower school students on the chimes, and middle school groups graduate to the bells as their skills develop. 我们的编钟合唱团与学生声乐家和班级和声相辅相成，使我们的冬季和春季音乐会充满活力. Ray的耐心和幽默感(他经常穿着五颜六色的袜子和时髦的运动夹克)让我们的学生保持专注，并帮助他们在信心增长的同时养成成长的心态. While his classes are fun, 它们也以不同于传统课堂的方式挑战我们学生的大脑. University of Southern California researchers who study the effects of music training on children’s brains note:

“If the brain is a muscle, then learning to play an instrument and read music is the ultimate exercise…  Music training accelerates maturity in areas of the brain that are responsible for sound processing, language development, speech perception and reading skills… Music instruction also boosts engagement of brain networks that are responsible for decision making and the ability to focus attention and inhibit impulses.”

Thus, our music program is an important tool we use to address our students’ challenges, while also celebrating their strengths.

当雷不忙于摇铃和唱歌教学时，他就指导我们学校的音乐剧. As a director, Ray善于发现每个学生的潜力，并为他们匹配角色，使他们在舞台上脱颖而出. 今年我们高中将表演“僵尸舞会”，初中和初中将表演“狮子王”.” We look forward to starting our ticket sales soon!

Ray还通过我们的年度才艺表演帮助我们的学生展示他们的特殊能力. 众多学生愿意在整个剑桥社区面前表演原创作品，这再次证明了雷通过我们的音乐和戏剧项目建立信心的工作.