Teaching

Teaching: Philosophy

Exceptional teachers and inspired teaching are at the heart of the Crossroads program. Given our broad range of goals, our teachers assume several different roles every day during the summer session: classroom facilitator, performer, coach, designer, counselor, leader and advocate. They guide students as they engage in the learning process both formally and informally, in and out of the classroom. Most importantly, our teachers believe in our students’ ability to learn and are committed to helping them realize their potential.

The Crossroads faculty is unique in that it consists of seasoned professional teachers working side by side with college and high school students who are novices to the craft. The model allows for an ongoing workshop on pedagogy, exchange of ideas, and creative fellowship.

As our summer session is only five weeks long, Crossroads does not focus on specific content coverage for its academic classes. Instead, we use content to reinforce important basic skills like writing, active reading, taking notes, organization, using the Internet effectively, public speaking, etc. Each class is designed around one to two major projects for the summer, as we find project-based learning is an excellent way to cement critical thinking and study skills.