It is a time when students need to develop a strong sense of individuality. But they also face confusing pressures to conform. In succumbing to peer pressure, they suppress their intellectual and emotional needs. At Lancaster Athenaeum, we create an environment that heightens children's awareness of these forces. The process of critical reflection helps them recognize and resist patterns of social interaction that inhibit learning.
Teaching is tailored to learning.
When students work together, they see that others think differently than they do. Students acknowledge their own strengths and weaknesses and challenge themselves to reach for greater understanding. While it is new to Lancaster, the Socratic inquiry method is being taught at schools nationally. Our standardized test scores give us confidence that these methods are working. We are pleased to report that each 6th grade student showed a gain of at least 17-20 percentile points from the previous year of a statistically comparable test in mathematics or reading.