Hands hold a small muffin liner of grass clippings over a clipboard with a pencil and scissors nearby, all on a green grassy background.
Learn by Doing

Ask questions, tackle projects, and build skills for the real world

Progressive education is a philosophy of teaching and learning that has been a part of Catlin Gabel’s history since our foundation. This approach places students at the center of the educational experience, where they are encouraged to pursue their interests and exercise their natural curiosity. In this way, children become active learners, as teachers guide them to discover the pleasures and rewards of education and develop into adults for whom learning is a lifelong pursuit.

Progressive Education

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is a process by which students learn through a cycle of direct experience, reflection, analysis, and experimentation. It encourages deep learning, inspires personal growth, and promotes active citizenship.

  • Student-directed, teacher-guided, student-choice
  • Students apply knowledge and skills
  • Trial and error as part of the learning process
  • Authentic purpose and meaning-making in real world context
  • Rubric and demonstration-based assessments
  • Opportunities to reflect and make sense of experiences

Teaching the Whole Child

Teaching the whole child means knowing and nurturing individual children. We design learning opportunities that honor and develop their full identities so they can thrive now as children and grow into fulfilled adults.

  • Teacher curiosity and interest in students’ whole selves
  • Children and families are known and valued
  • Children’s identities are reflected in the curriculum, in the classroom, and in the adults on campus
  • We cultivate students’ physical, emotional, academic, ethical, and interpersonal skills 
  • Opportunities for children to learn in a variety of settings and ways

Inquiry Based

Inquiry based education incorporates student questions, fosters curiosity, and fuels the desire to keep learning. It’s based on the belief that asking good questions leads to greater learning  than having all the answers.

  • Provokes creative, original thinking and multiple perspectives
  • Students generate questions and paths to pursue them
  • Students analyze outcomes and process, incorporating reflections into next learning cycle

Educating for Democracy

Educating for democracy equips students with the mindset and skills to increase their self-awareness and understanding of complex issues, with the goal of taking responsible action in their communities.

  • Fostering empathy and awareness of others, including those with differing experiences and viewpoints
  • Developing a sense of agency and voice
  • Building the knowledge and skills necessary to be informed and engaged community members
  • Engaging in discourse about power and privilege

Beginning and Lower School

Students are given the space and time to be young as they build their agency, capabilities, and a strong academic foundation. Teachers attend to each child’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development.

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MIddle School

Students are part of a community that encourages them to find their voices and build their capacity. They are encouraged to stretch their thinking, practice empathy, and learn with purpose.

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Upper School

Students develop as critical thinkers who communicate effectively, have agency, can deal with complexity, and know how to learn. Students are inspired to learn about themselves and the world.

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SPIRIT OF INQUIRY

MS student presenting to class with projector screen behind him.

Using TED Talks to Teach Students About Ethics, Evidence, and Argumentation

In a cross-curricular Middle School project, students take a deep dive into the scientific method, data collection, and presentation skills.

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SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

First Graders are engaged in a craft activity in a brightly lit classroom with colorful artwork on the walls.

Growing Agency and Habits of Mind

By Heidi Moore and Meg Sanders, 1st Grade Teachers

During the transition from Kindergarten to Lower School, students build on their experiences and deepen their confidence as independent learners.

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AMAZING EDUCATORS

MS academic dean megan mathes speaking with seated and standing students in a classroom

Supporting Learners with Structure, Presence, and Care

A career educator with decades of classroom experience, our Middle School Academic Dean Megan Mathes is building bridges between students, families, and the school.

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WHAT SCHOOL CAN BE

head of upper school Derek Kanarek seated on wooden bench chatting with student in upper school quad

Doing Education Differently: A Conversation with Upper School Head Derek Kanarek

Discover our unique academic approach, commitment to a healthy school culture, and the values that shape our community in the Upper School.

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