Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/109181
The Knowledge Hunters Seeking insight and answers to help every child Monique Dugas, Resource Teacher, helps a student finesse her French pronunciation. Dr. Susan Elliott, Executive Director of the Learning Forum @ TFS, believes that all great learners improve their learning tools. She also wants us to consider John Medina's statement from his book Brain Rules that "all brains are wired differently and each one of us learns according to that wiring." point of view (i.e. just what is going on in the brains of 11-to-13 year olds) and introduced issues they were possibly facing (e.g. stress adjusting to independent learning). Together, the group is moving forward, crafting a practical model of care that will benefit each TFS student journeying from tween to teen. The goal of Dr. Elliott and her team's pursuit of research is to give students – and teachers – the tools to succeed. Sometimes the tools will be discovered through exploring the research of others and other times the tools will be invented, through expertise already found at TFS and driven by our specific needs. Research is a natural part of a school's environment. As Dr. Elliott puts it, "schools are always in the mode of continuous improvement." Beyond action research, Dr. Elliott is advancing TFS' position as a partner in research, so that "we can find out more about our own programs, which will deepen our understanding of their value or inform our thinking to refine them further." Based on carefully determined criteria, the Learning Forum team will seek out research projects that reflect what is important to TFS and our students, such as the cognitive advantages of a bilingual education. At the heart of the projects are always the immediate benefits to students and their learning. Dr. Elliott believes that by engaging in research at higher and deeper levels, the school will truly be living the inquiry model of learning – the same model we ask our students to immerse themselves in through the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programs of the International Baccalaureate. What's happening now? In these early days of the Learning Forum, much of what our intrepid squad of knowledge hunters is embarking on is called action research: responding to questions from individual teachers or department heads wanting to try something new. This usually involves finding and using data to inform practice in the classroom. For instance, Learning Forum staff recently teamed up with Middle School Vice-Principal Roger Marino and others to further develop our model of care for middle school students. The question they asked was: "What are the social-emotional and cognitive needs of the middle school student?" Dr. Elliott provided context from a cognitive Inside the mind of your tween-age child T he prefrontal cortex is not yet developed, impacting executive functions like planning, judgment and organization, while academic responsibilities are increasing. A positive emotional state increases engagement and focus. The brain releases dopamine which contributes to a positive state of well-being. stressed brain releases cortisol. This A hormone increases blood pressure, and impacts sleep and limits learning. Students first entre nous 17