What is LifeReady?

LifeReady, McDonogh's philosophy of teaching and learning, doesn't prescribe a fixed program, a finite set of practices, or a rigid curriculum. Instead, it describes an orientation and set of values about how we teach our time-tested liberal arts and sciences curriculum. How we teach—i.e., pedagogical methods—involves powerful practices that 1) align with what we know about learning and the brain, and 2) activities that allow students to practice transferable LifeReady skills, which are named below in the LifeReady “Wheel.”

 

Knowledge + Competencies

As we teach the recognizable arrangement of liberal arts and science subjects—English, math, science, world language, history, fine and performing arts—the methods we use to engage students in their learning simultaneously develop critical competencies for life in our complex world. 

 

The six categories in the graphic below indicate core LifeReady competency categories McDonogh strives to develop—over time and across grades and subjects—through a variety of teaching methods. We use the vocabulary and methods inherent in the field, conscious of how these pedagogical choices encourage deep learning in the discipline while developing transferable competencies useful in many facets of life. Regardless of the discipline, the critical element that lends itself to deep understanding is the requirement that students think for themselves.