Academics at Grove
Social and Emotional Learning Foundation
Kids – and all humans – learn best when they feel safe, known, and connected. We want everyone at Grove to feel confident about their unique personalities and talents. Everyone benefits when students and staff get to show up as their authentic selves to contribute to the classroom and school community.
What is SEL? Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) supports learners to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
SEL at Grove
We create the conditions for learning and thriving. The science behind SEL teaches us that “to learn best, young people need to be surrounded by trusting relationships and environments where they feel motivated and engaged, emotionally and physically safe, and a sense of belonging among adults and peers.” -CASEL
As a school, we implement Responsive Classroom, an evidence-based approach to classroom and schoolwide culture that starts and ends each day with connection, collaboration, and positive communication. At each grade level, meaningful, developmentally appropriate SEL lessons from the Fly Five extension of Responsive Classroom are woven into the school day. Additionally, our English Language Arts curriculum is embedded with SEL lessons that are aligned to CASEL’s competencies. Beyond classroom learning, social and emotional awareness is modeled and experienced as a part of everyday life in the Grove community.
Personalized Learning Pathways
Student voice and choice are important to us at Grove. At the beginning of the school year, families, students, and teachers meet to discuss personal interests, strengths, motivations, and areas of need, to incorporate key elements into student learning opportunities throughout the year. We believe students are more invested in learning and engaged when they can expand content into personal areas of inquiry.
Aligns with the Universal Design concept, validating how all students benefit when instruction provides various ways to enter into learning
For more about SEL, check out the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
Workshop Model
Student-Centered, Collaborative Learning
Curiosity Led
We believe inquiry drives learning, so we celebrate curiosity. To “workshop” to wonder why? how? what?, and to discover ideas that inspire the desire to learn more. Inquiry and hands-on exploration naturally increase engagement and deepen learning. The Workshop Model allows students to build upon their current understanding by working collaboratively and individually. Leaning into their natural curiosity helps them to identify something that brings joy and inspires a desire to learn about it. This encourages the learner to ask questions and dig deeper.
The Workshop Model. The Workshop Model is a way to organize lessons and class time that maximizes student work and practice time — focusing on practice, growth, and reflection — while minimizing the amount of time the teacher spends in the front of the classroom lecturing or presenting. The Workshop Model focuses on the student, allows time for students to “get messy with learning,” reflect on their learning, and make organic connections that spark further interest.
Because the Workshop method extends the content learning time, teachers have more opportunity to connect 1:1 with students, meet with small groups for targeted instruction, and students have differentiated experiences that support areas of need to master specific skills and content.
Academics Beyond Standardized Assessments
Assessment of the Whole Child
In addition to interim or benchmark assessments that occur at the beginning, middle, and end of the year, and curricular-based content, we believe that few children are measured best by tests and rote processes.
At Grove, we capture a digital portfolio of key assignments, presentations, and products so students may demonstrate mastery of standards, growth in key skills and concepts, and creative approaches to solving problems.
Children learn differently, so it makes sense that a body of evidence (BOE) should capture that learning to reflect the individual and their unique strengths and talents.
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