ICS Faculty Welcomes "Neuroteach" Author Glenn Whitman for Professional Learning Day

On Friday, October 10, the Indian Creek School faculty and staff held a Professional Learning Day to continue their relentless pursuit of excellence through a day of connection and conversation.

The day started with an all-faculty breakfast to celebrate a successful “Creek Walks Deep” faculty walking challenge. This month, 65 members of the staff participated in a steps challenge, committing to daily walks tracked through a fitness app. Friday morning, the faculty celebrated their cumulative 16,328,418 steps, (This translates to 7,098.2 miles, or about the walking distance from Crownsville, MD, to Seattle, WA!) and honored high step winners Tere Cuesta (761,833), Erika Strickland (728,503), and Josh Bereznay (649,958). In addition to the obvious fitness perks, the faculty enjoyed the camaraderie and opportunities to enjoy our beautiful campus gained through this endeavor. Through this activity, the ICS faculty proved that they not only talk the talk of well-being - but they also walk the walk too!

Head of School Booth Kyle kicked off the morning session by announcing Indian Creek’s official reaccreditation by the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS). This achievement culminated several years of work by the full faculty and staff, as all employees participated in AIMS self-study work as part of the 10-year evaluation cycle. After this affirmation that Indian Creek achieves it’s mission, Mr. Kyle took the opportunity to reflect with the faculty about the importance of creating and maintaining a culture of belonging at School.

Mr. Kyle then introduced the morning’s keynote speaker, Glenn Whitman, best-selling author and Director of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrews Episcopal School. Mr. Whitman is co-author of one of the ICS faculty’s 2024 summer reads, Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education. During his keynote session with the full faculty, Glenn shared fascinating insights into how brain science can transform the way we teach and learn. He highlighted the role of curiosity in learning—a concept that resonates deeply with the educators at ICS.  

Following the full-faculty session, Mr. Whitman worked with each divisional faculty to focus specifically on raising engagement for students at each level. He workshopped with Upper School teachers to share strategies to best build a 60-minute class session based on the way a student's brain works. He spoke about the impact of how feedback and grades are delivered.  With the Middle School teachers, Mr. Whitman focused on how different factors can affect student motivation.  He shared the powerful impact that a student’s social-emotional has on their ability to learn and retain, and gave tips on how teachers can provide feedback which increases motivation.  Glenn’s Lower School session focused on demystifying several learning myths based on Mind Brain Education (MBE) research. The Lower School teachers examined the changes that occur in the brain from age 3 through fifth grade and analyzed what this means for learning. Glenn Whitman’s work with the ICS faculty reinforced the School’s commitment to new excellence in teaching and learning.

For the second half of the day, the faculty and staff continued their exploration of “What a curious student looks like at ICS.”  The faculty continued their work in cross-divisional year-long cohorts to generate and prioritize a list of the most important questions ICS teachers should be asking to inspire curiosity in Pre-K through twelfth grade students.