Curriculum

Curricular Areas of Interest

Programs

Teaching and Learning Department

Teaching & Learning

District 102's vision is to ensure children are prepared to serve their communities, engage in intelligent, respectful discourse, and thrive in high school and beyond. To actualize this vision, the District utilizes varied instructional approaches designed to actively engage students in developing creativity, innovative problem-solving, empathy, and a passion for learning.

District 102's instructional approach for all students is grounded in four core principles.

We believe in instruction that is...

  • Inquiry Based - Engaging students to become invested in their own learning begins by activating their curiosity. Inquiry-based learning allows students to explore, hypothesize, and test their own thinking. Teachers facilitate the learning and coach students to find solutions that are effective, efficient and supported by evidence.

  • Multi-sensory - Typically, school instruction relies on a student's visual and auditory senses. A multi-sensory approach asks students to process their thinking through multiple pathways and to use those multiple pathways to demonstrate their understanding.

  • Equity Focused - Equity-focused instruction ensures all students have access and opportunity to high levels of learning within the classroom. Additionally, equity-focused instruction integrates multiple perspectives and allows students to see themselves, their history, and their culture reflected in their educational experience.

  • Identity Relevant - Students quickly develop identities about who they are as

    learners/people and use those identifiers to determine if they are

    good students, or smart, or successful in school. Culturally responsive teaching includes identity-relevant instructions that intentionally recognize and honors students for who they are and empower them to see themselves as capable and successful

    learners.

District 102's Instructional Approach

Teaching & Learning Department Staff

Dr. Christopher L. Finch
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning

Kathy Boxell
Director of Continuous Improvement

Maureen Lockie
Coordinator of Curriculum & Instruction

Lynn Lawrence
Coordinator of Social-Emotional Learning

Dr. Samantha Melendez
Coordinator of Talent Development Services

Linda McShane
Coordinator of Assessment, Data, and Compliance

Dr. Rachel Owens
Coordinator of Curriculum and Multilingual Instruction