The Buzz

What began around kitchen tables in faculty apartments nearly ninety years ago has evolved into a nationally recognized model where Learning Specialists teach students not just content, but how to learn – cultivating metacognitive awareness, executive functioning skills, and the belief that with the right support and strategies, they can find success in whatever they put their minds to.

Imagine every young person leaving Proctor with a clearer understanding of what brings them energy, how their brain learns and manages emotions, what helps them fully engage in their surroundings, and how they navigate adversity.

As the year concludes, it seems important to consolidate the most important elements of our conversation. Brain scientists would indict us for failing to review what we have learned.

Yousef "Dillo" Radwan ’25 examines how synapses -- the connections between neurons -- grow, evolve, and adapt with each experience, demonstrating how this "synaptic plasticity" enables our brains to form memories and learn new skills, reshaping the brain's architecture.

Proctor's strategic plan emphasizes neurodiversity and metacognition within "an academic model rooted in a unified language for learning." This goal builds on Proctor's distinctive strength – ensuring that learning support is pervasive throughout our demanding college prep curriculum.

Proctor's health and wellness initiatives connect the six pillars of lifestyle medicine with our longstanding commitment to neuroscience-informed learning. We are boldly integrating these complementary approaches at a critical time when students face unprecedented challenges, particularly regarding their complex relationship with technology.

Our “Neuroteach” faculty Professional Learning Community study group is exploring whether current homework practices align with the neuroscience of how the adolescent brain learn best, recognizing that dull, frustrating, or excessive homework can impair learning and impact sleep. Assignments that create opportunities for reflection, discussion, and collaboration, effective effort, intrigue and engagement, curiosity and play, and integrate the arts, however, can be an invaluable part of the learning process.

In this thoughtful exploration of mimicry learning, Yousef (Dillo) '25 and English Department Head Shauna Turnbull examine how students can progress from passive imitation to independent critical thought - a transformation essential for navigating today's unfiltered digital information landscape.

Yousef (Dillo) '25 explores how gamification can harness the brain's natural reward systems to enhance learning. Through Dillo's personal experience in his College Physics and Calculus class and using the lens of the neuroscience of learning, they examine how game-like elements such as incremental challenges, group competition, and frequent rewards can transform student engagement.