The Workshop

In this immersive, interdisciplinary program, a cohort of seniors works closely with a group of teachers and community partners to pursue a series of linked research projects around a common theme: Experiments in Education. The schedule of the Workshop differs significantly from the normal weekly schedule, in part to enable significant off-campus and experiential learning. As a result, students who participate in the Workshop cannot enroll in any other classes; their entire academic program for the spring term is through the Workshop.

The Benefits

The Workshop helps students develop skills that facilitate meaningful and lifelong academic pursuits, mainly through the practice of individual agency within academic studies. Students often leave the Workshop with projects that inform their future endeavors, impacting studies in higher education and beyond.

The Challenges

Workshop 12 is only offered to seniors who have completed their graduation requirements, limiting the well-researched benefits of constructivist learning . 

Takeaways & Best Practices

Workshop 12 prepares Andover graduates for lifelong learning by fostering personal meaning in their course of studies. The Workshop cultivates a learning environment that fosters motivated learners, ​“by creating meaningful tasks, a reasonable degree of autonomy in how these are carried out, and a setting that provides respect, support and challenge simultaneously” (Benjamin Levin, Putting Students at the Centre in Education Reform).

Having the chance to pursue meaningful subjects and research, students discover more relatable contexts for their studies. In turn, this meaning can foster purpose for students’ future academic pursuits.

Creating an environment that cares for the individual rather than a specific discipline helps students come away from Andover with a strong sense of well-being.

Bottom Line

Workshop 12 is a rare constructivist classroom in which all individuals are respected and true equity between teacher and learner is created.