How We Teach

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Individualized
Touchstone has high academic expectations of every student. Our approach stems from the belief that authentic learning happens when children are treated as individuals possessing their own strengths, areas of growth, and learning styles. Teachers meet with each student one-on-one to assess their understanding of concepts being taught in class, and to further challenge students at their individual level. Touchstone’s teachers know their students well and ensure every student is always making progress with appropriately challenging instruction and learning.

This curious
learner wonders:
What is the effect
of molecular
structures
on solubility?


Class Size & Composition
Touchstone students thrive in small multi-age learning environments of 12-16 students. Our teachers are experienced and highly skilled in planning and teaching multi-age groupings. We know our students well—their needs are noticed and addressed, and their strengths are recognized and built on.
Class composition is more than class size. Careful attention is paid to the range of abilities in a class to ensure all of the students’ needs can be met.




Hedgehog





Experiential Learning
Field trips, community excursions, and guest speakers are integral to a Touchstone education. To us, these experiences are so important they are part of our curriculum. Touchstone students go on at least one field trip a month, and guest speakers regularly visit the school. We recognize learning goes far beyond the school walls. Our students love getting out into the community and learning from others.

The reason most kids don’t like school is not that the work is too hard, but that it is utterly boring. -Seymour Papert
world-renowned mathematician and educator


Investigating
Echolocation
Deeper Learning
In many classrooms, learners are passive. They listen, watch, memorize, and work alone on worksheets or tests. This is surface learning, where the focus is on grasping the main points and memorizing them.
Deeper learning happens when students build on their existing knowledge by integrating new information. Deeper learning is often called “Hard Fun” because the work is active and meaningful, and requires students to make connections across various disciplines.
Deeper learners are intrinsically motivated (rather than through grades or stickers) because they are personally connected and curious about the topic. Deeper learning is hard work, for teachers and for students, and it’s extraordinarily engaging.
At Touchstone, deeper learning happens every day, in every classroom.

Hard but
fun work






• Yoga • Mythology • Camping • Dance • Flag Rugby • Astronomy • Musicals • Green Energy • Public Speaking • Ancient Egypt • Electricity • Molecular Structures • Ecosystems • Meteorology • Robotics • Hands-on Math • Theatre • Chemistry • Poetry