Torch - Spring 2017

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T echnology can certainly make things more convenient for us
and speed up our access to information. But are we finding that
it has actually begun to limit what we discover, understand and
believe? The use of algorithms gives us results that resemble what
we have liked, read and bought in the past. Social media exposes
us to like-minded people. Is the digital revolution helping us to live
in our own worlds, rather than taking us out of our comfort zone?1
Fake and agenda-driven news appears to look just like balanced
information backed by reliable facts.
At Havergal, we want our students to explore with an open mind.
This is why they are encouraged to question the facts they read on a
page or a screen, listen to people they don’t agree with and interact
with diverse groups in the community.
One of our school’s four values is inquiry and our ethos sustains
this value in everything we do. Students are often brought around a
Harkness table—an oval-shaped table in which everyone is treated
equally—and the accompanying teaching method encourages
listening to others and exchanging ideas without judgment.
When some of our Board of Governors attended lessons here in
April for our “Bring the Board to School Day,” they were struck by
the collaborative and respectful way in which the students explored
and developed their different viewpoints. This face-to-face rapport
with students encouraged mature articulation of ideas and allowed
confident problem-solving to take place.
Exploring With an Open Mind
Helen-Kay Davy
Our students develop a healthy skepticism for information by
questioning where facts come from and what evidence is behind
them. For instance, in Grade 6 the students are following a News
Literacy unit that helps them to test evidence for reliability and
corroboration, as well as likelihood. They also learn a mature ability
to spot bias and false logic.
And when we have discussions about challenging topics, we
demonstrate to the girls the difference between stating an opinion
and presenting a conclusion backed by a logically stated argument.
We urge our students to spend time with classmates and others they
don’t already know well, who have different backgrounds or values.
Our girls take the lead in discovering the complex play between
facts, experiences and perspectives. The principles for learning
that Leonardo da Vinci called Curiosità—an insatiable curious
approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous
learning—are embedded in our strategic educational developments
of Minds Set Free, Breaking the Marble Spell and Exploring the
Brink of the Known.
I believe the students at Havergal well understand that world
trends could be encouraging them to think smaller and accept all
they see and hear. But they want to go deeper beyond the ivy. Here,
both the faculty and the students are pushing themselves to ask
difficult questions and learn how to nurture discernment between
truth and fiction.
“
“
Our girls take the lead
in discovering the
complex play between
facts, experiences and
perspectives.
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SPRING 2017 • TORCH 3
Principal’s Message