Engaging Creatively

We are champions of maker-based learning - a student-driven, project-based, hands-on approach to solving real-world problems through peer-to-peer partnership. Imagine a group of fourth- and fifth-graders connecting math, science, art, self-discipline, and teamwork to design, build, and demonstrate a working sailboat. It’s a regular event. High-schoolers combine to create full-length movies and win statewide robotics awards. The process is part of the beauty of the product. It includes failure and rethinking as stepping stones to real understanding and usable knowledge. Students learn not only a subject or skill, but how to apply it in real time - and how it connects to other disciplines and broader opportunities.

Traditional education provides students with substantive knowledge - the facts, figures, and formulae of a subject. The Étude Group gives equal weight to disciplinary knowledge - understanding of the subject in a wider context than answers in a test, not just what happened and when, but why, and how - and that for many questions, there may be multiple “right” answers. Our students learn the processes and structures that underpin a given subject - history, biology, literature, math, each has its own systems for acquiring, discussing, and applying information. We seek to help students understand the specifics of a particular discipline as well as its connection to other subjects and their wider universe.

Designing and developing a semester-long project - building a motorized skateboard, say, or staging a fashion show, or designing and building a tiny home for a homeless veteran - is no small task. Presenting your work to an expectant audience is another challenge. ́Étude’s culture revolves around sharing ideas and constructive feedback, listening and responding, respectfully, in every classroom, every day. Everybody participates; nobody passes judgment. Without pressure, self-belief and presentation skills begin to flow. The benefits come powerfully to life in our end-of-semester Exhibitions of Learning, when every student from every grade, K-12, takes to the stage to showcase their learning and talents to the whole school as well as parents and the community. A violin concerto. Jazz dance. A multimedia presentation. The workings of the federal election system. Imagination made real.

From kindergarten through senior year, The Étude Group teaches students to make the most of their minds. They learn to observe and question, to evaluate information and connect ideas across disciplines - essential skills for lasting success, in and beyond the classroom.

Our culture of mutual respect and shared goals fosters trust, self-confidence, and cooperative participation. Students and teachers combine to define goals and guidelines. Our curriculum balances individual studies with meetings and group activities to build a true sense of community.