To kick off the 2011/2012 school year, teachers engaged in Professional Development seminar focusing on the key question of how we know when students are truly learning and not just reciting; and asking, what kind of feedback or demonstration from them will show us - and them - that what we teach is being absorbed and translated into genuine knowledge?

More than twenty-five teachers joined the discourse to probe deeply into questions of learning, teaching, meta-cognition, and assessment. Conversations about meta-cognition - the science of how one thinks and acquires knowledge and skills, or, in simple terms, reflecting upon one’s own brain mechanics - proved the most challenging and intriguing. How can we encourage students to discover their own best paths to learning and to appreciate the different “levels” of learning that are required to progress from novice to expert? How can we recognize this progress and encourage it, in order to create a community of lifelong learners?

The conversation, aimed at making real reform in the classroom, will continue on various Professional Development days scheduled throughout the school year.