FROM THE PRINCIPAL
MIXING ACADEMIC TRADITIONS WITH INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM
A Q & A with Joseph A . Petriello , PhD ’ 98
How does Fordham Prep balance
Q : traditional academic disciplines and styles while ensuring an innovative experience that prepares students for today ’ s world ?
The individualized Honors program at
A : Fordham Prep offers a personalized academic experience to our students that invites them to pursue excellence within a curriculum rooted in the humanities , sciences , and arts . This has been at the core of Jesuit education since its inception in the 16th century . When we reflect on innovation and 21st century learning , it is fitting to focus on our courses in Computer Science , Engineering , Aeronautics , Statistics , and many others with interdisciplinary , project-based learning in STEAM . However , I firmly believe that as our faculty and students engage in the more traditional disciplines like Classics , English , Religion , and Social Studies , they are encountering innovative ways to wrestle with the essential questions of what it means to be human in our contemporary times , bridging the lessons of the past with the horizons of the future . Educational technology in every academic discipline at the Prep opens the doors to innovation in a multitude of ways , not just in one specific department or program .
The faculty is currently involved
Q : in a large-scale review of the academic curriculum . What are its goals ? Why is such a review important ?
As a strategic priority , our Curriculum
A : Review Process ensures alignment with our mission and goals , as well as the promotion of 21st century skills . Our process serves three key constituencies . For students , it provides opportunities for interdisciplinary connections , eliminates gaps and redundancies in the curriculum , maintains quality of student experience in courses taught by multiple teachers , and provides equitable access to a pathway of highquality , rigorous courses throughout their four years . For faculty , this process ensures effective alignment and scaffolding of skills and content , enables interdisciplinary collaboration , provides clarity and direction for new teachers , and grounds our curriculum in both the values of the Grad at Grad and external content standards for each academic discipline . For current and prospective families , curriculum review allows us to strongly characterize our tradition of rigor and academic excellence and assert that the values of Ignatian formation are foundational to our academic program . The tradition of Catholic , Jesuit education is about continual reflection , and that is what our faculty is committed to in pursuing all of these important goals .
Would you care to highlight one
Q : faculty member that in the last year has been particularly innovative in their curriculum and classroom instruction ? We know there are many from which to choose !
John Haag ’ 84 has been teaching
A : in our Science Department for 33 years . This year , his courses include Physics and Engineering Science , a popular senior elective that continues the study of physics and mathematics with regards to specific college level applications in mechanics and electromagnetism . Mr . Haag is constantly seeking new ways to engage his students in extensive computer design work of buildings , bridges , mechanics applications , and electronic circuits . What is most innovative about Mr . Haag ’ s pedagogical approach is the connections between theoretical , scientific understanding and extensive , student-centered , project-based work in the lab . Engineering Science is a course where students wrestle with critical thinking and logic to solve realworld problems and make connections across STEAM disciplines . Whenever I visit Mr . Haag ’ s class , his students are always actively engaged in a project , but considering its greater meaning and purpose . The core approach of Ignatian pedagogy ( context , experience , reflection , action , evaluation ) is alive and well in this course . Each school year , Mr . Haag reflects as well on how he can improve the student experience and employ new technologies to advance the learning goals of Physics and Engineering Science .
Ten years from now , what does the
Q : academic curriculum at Fordham Prep look like ? What might be different ? What do you think will stay the same ?
Ten years from now , I anticipate
A : that the academic curriculum at Fordham Prep will offer more robust offerings in Computer Science , Business , and Finance . When we survey our graduating seniors each year , many who are entering college with a declared major are pursuing these areas . In the near future , our new Computer Science Department in 2022 – 23 will bring together all of our existing courses in the field and offer new electives in Cybersecurity and Computer Science A . I am excited to see the vision that our new department chair and colleagues will provide to shape this program in the years to come . We need to continually reflect on shaping a high school curriculum that is undoubtedly rooted in critical thinking and the humanistic tradition of Catholic , Jesuit education . How can this foundation also provide a path to more rigorous course offerings in STEAM , computer science , data analysis , artificial intelligence , and other professional areas that require 21st century skills ? Ten years from now , Fordham Prep students will still be learning Greek and Latin , studying the verses of Homer , Virgil , and Shakespeare , and asking critical questions at the heart of the social sciences , theology , and the arts . I hope that in ten years the Prep will still be a place where students and teachers pursue these questions together , not simply for their own intellectual growth , but for the service of others and the common good of the Church and the world .
SUMMER 2022 VOLUME 42 , ISSUE 3
7