Spence News
Volume II, Number 1
Now in the fifth year of our Long Range Plan, it is gratifying to see the Plan's objectives so alive in our teaching and program design, whether in our commitment to encourage more creativity and risk taking among our students or to instill in them a greater appreciation of globalism. We have also focused on advancing new and relevant technologies, redesigning class duration and frequency, and developing more distinct divisional identities--each enhancing the Spence student's experience. In this edition of In the Classroom, I share some examples from across the curriculum.
Research has always been central to the Lower School science curriculum, and technology is now taking our students' discoveries to new places. Last year, the Lower School science faculty introduced iPads to Grade 3's study of different human body systems and Grade 4's investigation of intertidal creatures. The iPad's portability and applications facilitate the girls' systematic and thoughtful work. Lower School Science Director Liz Casanova explains that designing digital presentations compels students to think more deeply about the sequence and relationship among their research steps so that their experiments are better organized. This year, the Lower School science team has built on these accomplishments and introduced iPads to the second-graders' Design and Make unit, where the students construct bridges and other structures. Ms. Casanova adds that by making students' experiments more engaging and methodical, the iPads ultimately allow them to take more risks, delve deeper into their research and become more successful scientists. A 23-year veteran of teaching Lower School science at Spence, Ms. Casanova shares, "I wouldn't teach any other way."
Our Middle and Upper School students also are being challenged in new ways through our redesigned history program. Developed over several years and now fully implemented, the new curriculum includes a two-year global sequence across Grades 8 and 9; an earlier introduction to American history in our Grade 5 Creating Americacourse; a more in-depth U.S. History class for sophomores; and an expanded elective selection for both juniors and seniors. Our new U.S. and global offerings include United States History: 1968-Present; Constitutional Law: Civil Rights & Liberties; History of New York City; Sugar and Blood: History of Cuba; Asia in the Age of Imperialism; Modernization and Globalization; and Global Women's History. The content of the new curriculum comprehensively supports several skill objectives for our students, including the abilities to explain the complex relationships among politics, geography, economics and culture; to appreciate how global forces shape national and local events; and, through our new Grades 5-12 research and writing sequence, to more effectively generate and support original arguments by synthesizing primary and secondary sources. History Department Head Molly Woodroofe celebrates the relationship of content and analysis along with the intersection of historical events as she teaches Global History II: "It is inspiring to see the girls read the French philosophers, trace the journey of their ideas through Europe and beyond, and subsequently see how they stir people of all social classes in Latin America to rise up against the European powers."
And finally, we have transformed teaching and learning in our Middle and Upper School through the implementation of the new academic schedule, which, well into its first year, continues to meet and often exceeds its goals. English teacher Sandor Weiner values how his students now examine literature with added detail, appreciating the readings more thoroughly. Furthermore, longer classes afford him the opportunity to devote more time to discussions and writing, particularly helping his younger students make deeper connections to the texts. "While I have taught my seventh-graders Haroun and the Sea of Stories at least a dozen times," Mr. Weiner comments, "this year the students understand Salman Rushdie's humor and complexity as never before." Visual Arts Department Head Laura McCallum also appreciates the expanded class periods, as they provide her students much more time to think, converse and explore their art together as well as extend their learning to local museums, all of which result in more inspired work. Such depth, reflection and variety in the classroom are complemented by greater focus and cohesion across the days and weeks, with faculty and students invariably commenting on how the year feels much calmer. The new schedule has also strengthened the co-curricular program: adjacent assemblies and advisories allow for divisional diversity presentations to be followed immediately by smaller, focused group discussions. And we see that the dedicated teacher/student collaborative time enriches the classroom work as well as our overall program.
In the spring edition of In the Classroom, I will update you on other exciting curricular additions. In the meantime, I invite you to contact me with any questions or feedback.
Douglas Brophy
Academic Dean
Research has always been central to the Lower School science curriculum, and technology is now taking our students' discoveries to new places. Last year, the Lower School science faculty introduced iPads to Grade 3's study of different human body systems and Grade 4's investigation of intertidal creatures. The iPad's portability and applications facilitate the girls' systematic and thoughtful work. Lower School Science Director Liz Casanova explains that designing digital presentations compels students to think more deeply about the sequence and relationship among their research steps so that their experiments are better organized. This year, the Lower School science team has built on these accomplishments and introduced iPads to the second-graders' Design and Make unit, where the students construct bridges and other structures. Ms. Casanova adds that by making students' experiments more engaging and methodical, the iPads ultimately allow them to take more risks, delve deeper into their research and become more successful scientists. A 23-year veteran of teaching Lower School science at Spence, Ms. Casanova shares, "I wouldn't teach any other way."
Our Middle and Upper School students also are being challenged in new ways through our redesigned history program. Developed over several years and now fully implemented, the new curriculum includes a two-year global sequence across Grades 8 and 9; an earlier introduction to American history in our Grade 5 Creating Americacourse; a more in-depth U.S. History class for sophomores; and an expanded elective selection for both juniors and seniors. Our new U.S. and global offerings include United States History: 1968-Present; Constitutional Law: Civil Rights & Liberties; History of New York City; Sugar and Blood: History of Cuba; Asia in the Age of Imperialism; Modernization and Globalization; and Global Women's History. The content of the new curriculum comprehensively supports several skill objectives for our students, including the abilities to explain the complex relationships among politics, geography, economics and culture; to appreciate how global forces shape national and local events; and, through our new Grades 5-12 research and writing sequence, to more effectively generate and support original arguments by synthesizing primary and secondary sources. History Department Head Molly Woodroofe celebrates the relationship of content and analysis along with the intersection of historical events as she teaches Global History II: "It is inspiring to see the girls read the French philosophers, trace the journey of their ideas through Europe and beyond, and subsequently see how they stir people of all social classes in Latin America to rise up against the European powers."
And finally, we have transformed teaching and learning in our Middle and Upper School through the implementation of the new academic schedule, which, well into its first year, continues to meet and often exceeds its goals. English teacher Sandor Weiner values how his students now examine literature with added detail, appreciating the readings more thoroughly. Furthermore, longer classes afford him the opportunity to devote more time to discussions and writing, particularly helping his younger students make deeper connections to the texts. "While I have taught my seventh-graders Haroun and the Sea of Stories at least a dozen times," Mr. Weiner comments, "this year the students understand Salman Rushdie's humor and complexity as never before." Visual Arts Department Head Laura McCallum also appreciates the expanded class periods, as they provide her students much more time to think, converse and explore their art together as well as extend their learning to local museums, all of which result in more inspired work. Such depth, reflection and variety in the classroom are complemented by greater focus and cohesion across the days and weeks, with faculty and students invariably commenting on how the year feels much calmer. The new schedule has also strengthened the co-curricular program: adjacent assemblies and advisories allow for divisional diversity presentations to be followed immediately by smaller, focused group discussions. And we see that the dedicated teacher/student collaborative time enriches the classroom work as well as our overall program.
In the spring edition of In the Classroom, I will update you on other exciting curricular additions. In the meantime, I invite you to contact me with any questions or feedback.
Douglas Brophy
Academic Dean
Middle & Upper School
Lower School
Athletic & Educational Facilities
A K-12 independent school in New York City, The Spence School prepares a diverse community of girls and young women for the demands of academic excellence and responsible citizenship.
212-289-5940
© 2025 Spence School
212-289-5940
© 2025 Spence School
