Photo by Ava Persaud ’25/The Choate News
As a biology teacher and the Director of Curricular Initiatives, Mr. Deron Chang is always on the lookout for different ways to improve student experience on campus. Throughout his 25-year career, Mr. Chang has been tasked with envisioning different programs that bring a positive change to the School.
In 2003, Mr. Chang founded Choate’s first signature program — the Science Research Program (SRP). Later expanded to include eight different options, Signature Programs are a highlight of Choate’s curriculum, with opportunities for professional training, exclusive internships, and specialized research.
The recent Strategic Plan inspired Mr. Chang to search for improvements and develop a new learning initiative. A solid proposal has yet to be defined, but Mr. Chang envisions a transdisciplinary learning program distinct from Signature Programs. He hopes to address the institution’s goals of embracing innovative approaches to learning. “I want to have variety when it comes to how people learn on this campus,” he explained. “That’s probably the most valuable thing that we can give to [students] coming up.”
Mr. Chang finds inspiration everywhere, including a visit to the Apple Education in Cupertino, California. At the time, Choate was considering the incorporation of the 1:1 iPad program. Although Mr. Chang went into the trip with a skeptical eye, the educators at Apple moved him with discussions on “shifting the paradigm of teaching from the sage on the stage.” Not once was the use of iPads mentioned on the trip; instead, all the conversations centered around creating a student-focused classroom. “That completely shifted my thinking on what it meant to be a good teacher,” said Mr. Chang.
Motivated by new approaches to teaching, Mr. Chang started developing a learning initiative of “schools within a school,” where cohorts of students and teachers would work together toward solving real-world problems with transdisciplinary skills. These studies would culminate in a project that spans all departments.
Mr. Chang’s view of transdisciplinary learning can be visualized as a triangle — at the top is classroom learning, which includes all the departments and gives a base knowledge and tools to students; in the lower right are co-curricular activities, which encompasses wellness, multiculturalism, and environmental education; and in the lower left is the outside community and world, which is where students apply their knowledge. This combination of disciplines ensures that everything taught connects to something larger in the real world. “In order to really learn or appreciate what they’re learning, [students] need to have a relationship with what they’re learning,” said Mr. Chang.
In addition to this, students would develop collaborative skills and teamwork in their cohort while learning the same set of skills as students taking multi-disciplinary courses. Thus, the iniative differs from a Signature Program, which is tailored for students who are passionate about a chosen subject. Students in this program will not be focusing on a specific discipline but instead on a new style of learning that will expose them to everything and later help them narrow down their scope.
An example of what the program might cover is the topic of climate change. History is necessary to understand past environmental movements. Politics will help explain how different governments have worked to alleviate the issue. Language is needed to understand the primary sources from different countries or communities. English is also needed to analyze texts and persuade others through writing. Math would be used for modeling, and science would be used to investigate the underlying issue. A cross-disciplinary education would allow students to approach a real-world issue like climate change from different standpoints with skills taught in different courses.
“Even though we’re having great success, obviously, at the moment, with what we offer, we can always do better,” Mr. Chang said. The addition of a multi-discplinary learning approach would mark a large step in innovation within Choate’s curriculum.
