HoS Blog

Why have exams? Here's why.... Aberdeen Hall prides itself on offering a robust combination of empirically proven methods of instruction. Evaluation and assessment are integral aspects of teaching and learning, and exams are an important component of evaluation. Exams are a traditional form of evaluation and have numerous benefits. We start the exam process in Grade 5 and sequence accordingly until Grade 12.  In Grade 5 and 6, teachers offer a great deal of structured support throughout the entire process. In the middle years, we issue a detailed study skills package complete with directions and…

The Wonderful Academic Cycle "Every day you make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."                 -  Winston Churchill A wonderful metaphor for both the ascension of a growing independent school, as well as, a dynamic and stimulating academic year at Aberdeen Hall. Our 'ever-ascending journey' occurs in 10 month academic blocks. The students know these blocks as…

The Increase in Childhood Anxiety "Actually, if you think about it, our kids are the safest children to walk the planet in the history of the human race, no exaggeration....... and yet, we are diagnosing 10 times more anxiety disorders than 50 years ago."       -Dr Alex Russell, as quoted on TED Talks, also author of "Drop the Worry Ball." One of the biggest topics these days in the world of education is the prevalence of adolescent anxiety disorders.  At our professional development conference last Monday our faculty heard a compelling presentation on the subject by Dr. Alex Russell via TED Talks,…

These Kids are Amazing! Normally I like to use the terms "students" or "children", instead of "kids" because I find it rather generic in nature, however, in this case I just had to say "These kids are amazing!" Students here at Aberdeen Hall, really are amazing. They are bright, friendly, positive, helpful and incredibly impressive in all sorts of ways. I believe that today's students are nicer to each other than ever before in history. I often have the privilege of observing acts of sincere generosity. The students' incredible support for one another exceeds expectations, and they have an unabashed…

The Aberdeen Hall Experience We hope that you agree that the Aberdeen Hall experience is far more than students, teachers, classes and classrooms. The Aberdeen Hall experience has a variety of components and is designed on a number of levels. A colleague who works in Vancouver likes to sum it up in the following seven words: Enjoyment in Process, and Excellence in Outcome. We work in the people business, and our people include students, parents/guardians, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends of the school. First and foremost, there are the students. Our unwavering support of an exceptional…

The Brain Science Behind Teaching Non-Cognitive SkillsImagine a school where we could increase the overall happiness of every student, optimize self regulation, create an incredible cycle of positivity and maximize willpower. Welcome to the new brain science behind teaching.Last week I had the opportunity to attend MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts (ranked as one of the top 5 universities in the world) to observe the latest in MRI brain scanning technology. I then travelled to Boston for a Brain Learning Conference. It was fascinating to listen to some of the world's most recognized scientists explain…