Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

SCHOOL LIFE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CURRICULUM OVERVI EW

French, Latin, and mathematics. Optional courses were available from twelve masters, “the best teachers that Toronto affords,” in Greek, German, Italian, piano, organ or violin, singing, drawing or painting, elocution, Delsarte, and Swedish Movements 25 . Of course, over Havergal’s first century, as more and more women entered the workforce (by necessity and by choice), the academic program broadened to meet the evolving needs and desires of the community and the larger society. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, just prior to the school’s centennial, the world was confronted by new realities. As computer technology became more sophisticated, as globalization made the world both smaller and larger, and as concern about the health of the environment increased, educators were vigorously reassessing traditional approaches to education. What, for example, is the value of memorization when facts are at one’s fingertips? If knowledge is increasing at exponential rates, what information and ideas should take priority? Given the knowledge explosion, how could educators bring coherence and cohesion to students’ experiences?  In exploring ways to ensure Havergal’s students could thrive in a time of unprecedented change, members of the school community asked fundamental questions about what students should study and how their learning should be supported. These concerns informed the school’s first strategic plan, which was introduced in 1994 and set out the following objectives: The [liberal arts] program will enable students to develop the knowledge/content and skills they need to thrive in a globally oriented information age, while providing experiences that will help them develop the values and confidence necessary to make a difference in their world. In its 1997 report to the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI, now known as CAIS), Havergal was clear-sighted about its strengths: 

Most staff, students and parents perceive Havergal as providing a very positive learning environment for its students, one which fosters a belief in their ability to excel and develop a long-term love of learning. The College encourages the study of women in society within the framework of traditional courses and is noted for instilling in its girls the confidence that they are the academic peers of boys. Havergal has a reputation for academic excellence, and both the record of its graduates and their informal postgraduate reports attest to its success in furnishing students with skills and motivation of a high order. Havergal also offers a wide range of courses, a range that it has sought to deepen wherever possible by providing similar subject options at different grade levels. The school also embraced promising new approaches to teaching and learning, reporting that an emphasis on the explicit teaching of critical thinking skills had helped students transfer learning, and that the efforts to implement co-operative learning routines across curricula had “increased the students’ independence and their sense of responsibility for their education.” In addition, the Lower School, as it was then called, reported that  [t]he faculty uses the discovery method and problem- solving skills in many areas and works to ensure that students can transfer their knowledge from one sphere to another. Where possible, the techniques of cooperative learning are used. Technological expertise has been encouraged and integrated across the curriculum from kindergarten on. The importance of developing a global outlook is supported, in part, by second and third language programmes, with their emphasis on different cultures.  In its report, the school was also forthright about ongoing challenges. For example, “the practical benefits afforded by mentorship programmes and other learning resources outside the school environment have not yet been sufficiently explored by the College.” Another even more significant challenge

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