As I write this, I'm waiting for our students to return from their weXplore, a five-day excursion that takes students beyond their host city for immersive cultural experiences. For the past two months, we as a school have called Maun, Botswana, our home. It's a small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta and, for many travelers, a doorway into Africa. But Maun is only one perspective, and it...
Read MoreWHY SOCRATIC? A Socratic Seminar allows for students to lead a philosophical discussion over a particular text, which in this case was the students’ summer read, Long After Midnight in the Niño Bien by Brian Winter. This debate invites authentic inquiry, as it is both student-centered and student-led.
At TGS, we believe in the power of asking questions, and this exercise allows for students to ask questions whose value lies in their exploration, not their answer. Our 11th grade students explored topics centered around Argentina’s political, historical, cultural, and social background; ranging from its vast levels of literacy and natural resources to its failing economy, from aggressive Argentinian machismo to the Tango being a way to rebel against the state.