The Cornerstone of the Brewster Model: The Team Approach to Learning
By Mary Fallon
The Team Approach serves as the cornerstone, the foundational support, and the guiding principle of the Brewster Model and the Brewster educational experience. It is the essential structure through which teachers, administrators, advisors, and support staff are drawn together in a collective, cooperative, and comprehensive approach to discovering and serving the individual needs of each student and guiding and supporting each in the process of optimal growth and successful learning. In essence, the Team Approach involves the shared commitment of an educational community to work together in supporting and ensuring the success of each individual student.
The Team Approach is not directed at fitting all students into a certain predetermined pattern of learning and achievement. Rather, the goal is to provide each with the support and guidance to succeed in our highly respected, broadly diversified, and appropriately challenging curriculum. Working as a team fosters a sense of mutual appreciation and respect which is, in turn, directed at providing encouragement, support, and assistance to insure the continuous growth of each student. Further, it provides a sense of cooperative and collaborative consistency and dependability that provides each learner with a sense of security and clarity in setting goals and moving forward with the learning process.
Sustained and open communication is a guiding principle of the Team Approach. This communication fosters a sense of trust and recognition not only of the needs and capabilities of each student, but also of the contributions of all team members, teachers, advisors, staff, and students. It creates and maintains what has been described as a “web of support” for all participants. Together, the Brewster team shares, facilitates, celebrates, and benefits from a dynamic and well supported process of growth and learning.
Teams meet regularly for this learning centered collaboration. At team meetings, some of the essential questions that are shared and discussed are the following: How is this student doing now in each class? Have we been meeting the needs of this student? How have we served this student in moving forward? Have we been serving this student in the most supportive and helpful ways? Would this student benefit from a specific action plan? What feedback has this student shared to help us provide optimal support? What special contributions does this student make? Are we valuing and affirming the gifts this student can offer and add to our community?
The Team Approach ensures that needs will be met, talents and abilities will be recognized and developed, and the learning process will be nurtured, supported, and celebrated in order to maximize student success.
Mary Fallon served as a full-time member of the Brewster Academy faculty in Wolfeboro, NH, for over twenty years. During that time, she functioned in several different capacities lending her extraordinary talents and her extensive academic background to the development and successful delivery of the Brewster curriculum. Mary served as a department chair, a teacher of Spanish, ESL, English and American literature; additionally she served as a mentor, supervisor and consultant for new teachers. Mary’s academic preparation included a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Virginia, a doctoral degree in Spanish and Luso-Brazilian studies from the University of New Mexico, and a master’s degree in the teaching of writing from the University of New Hampshire.
