May 1996 — Features

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The School Design Model at Brewster Academy: Technology Serving Teaching & Learning

DR. ALAN BAIN, Assistant Headmaster, Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H

Technology is infused into the very core of all of Brewster's activity.

Essential Characteristic

An essential characteristic of the School Design Model is the manner in which it intentionally connects those ¼eces of a school's operation that have traditionally evolved independently and remain, for the most part, loosely coupled or disconnected. Making direct connections between the design of a professional development plan and Brewster's evaluation and personnel programs may seem relatively obvious, but such connections are not necessarily common in schools.

In the model, many of the things we assume to be going on in schools are given serious attention and consideration. Position descriptions are built with specific reference to the teaching, curricular and technological expertise necessary to be successful in the program. The professional development program trains all teachers in the skills and practices necessary to implement the program before they actually participate in it. Skill transfer from the training setting to the classroom is nurtured, supported and evaluated as part of the role of administration.

The curriculum and teaching/learning practices drive everything from position descriptions to the design of space. By way of example, something as apparently inconsequential as a desk design can be intentionally connected to every one of the model's elements. One of the logistical challenges the school faced was to design desks with the required surface area, weight and robustness to support the safe use of laptop computers, books and other materials. The desk design also required mobility and flexibility. The design needed to enable teachers to give a traditional direct teaching lesson and then easily reconfigure the room to use the cooperative learning and peer–;mediated teaching practices employed in the Brewster Summer Institute.

This is a simple and possibly unremarkable example of the literally thousands of connections between all elements of Brewster's Model. The intentionality and definition associated with the connections is the essence of the model, which is based on the belief that the art of teaching deserves a better framework of professional practice and infrastructure in which to operate. This is especially the case if the real objective is to improve student performance, academically and socially.