The Student-Centered Classroom
At Putney, students are the center of the learning experience and not another cog in the industrial education system of standardized tests and rote learning. With student-centered methodology at the core of our belief system, every room is a student-centered classroom – even if that room is a dance studio or a barn. The approach includes project-based work to allow students to excel and become active participants in their learning experience. We aim to foster a lifetime love of learning and independent thinking.
Students are given the opportunity to learn how to approach life from a place of inquisitiveness and engagement, along with the skills needed to answer questions of both an academic and a social nature. Essential to this is learning to identify and distill good questions, gaining the skills on how to research and analyze information from various sources and then presenting findings in compelling ways.
Student-Centered Teaching
Student-centered teaching focuses on creating engaged, intelligent, critical and respectful members of society. With the skills and knowledge base they will get from The Putney School, students are better prepared to engage in the greater world and to work together for the common good.
Students take on an active role in their own education. With leadership roles, after school activities, independent study and more, every moment of the student’s day will be a learning and growing experience. They learn how to interact, build and work within a community of their own creation where they will play a vital role.
Teaching is individualized, with small class sizes and plenty of adult support. Student leaders also play a vital role in shaping the Putney experience.
As a leading alternative boarding school, Putney attracts like-minded students from the East Coast, and across the world. We build connections across age, cultures, and backgrounds, building our own global community here in Vermont.
This experimental type of student-centered teaching methods allows for independence and initiative. Students learn to balance rights and responsibilities, and to take charge of their own learning. This leads to highly successful college students and engaged citizens.
Join us at Putney, where student-centered learning is a powerful part of everyday life, inside the classroom and out.
