CGS Learning

The Calgary Girls' School is committed to the notion that humans are driven by inquiry: they have a need to know.  As teachers, we are surrounded by curious students who are constantly asking questions.  Our ultimate goal is to develop in our girls the knowledge, abilities, attitudes and processes necessary to discover the answers to their questions, to develop other questions and to enter the world of life-long learning.  The pedagogical approach that has been selected to achieve this goal may best be called "inquiry-based learning".  Through the process of inquiry, students construct much of their understanding of the natural and human designed worlds.  Inquiry implies "a need or want to know" premise.

Academic Disciplines

The Calgary Girls' School offers challenging academic programs providing traditional preparation for high school and beyond, while encouraging students to integrate subject matter, technology, community service, personal experience, and leadership. Students learn to communicate clearly using conventional academic as well as technological, artistic, cross-cultural, and interpersonal means. The CGS environment focuses on ways girls learn best; the entire educational experience is designed for girls to learn how to learn and to become independent thinkers. Our faculty provides daily opportunities for students to speak and write for diverse audiences and purposes. Instructors employ a variety of strategies: collaborative learning, hands-on activities, and real-world application of content knowledge. Our ultimate goal is to give each girl the skills to become a life-long learner and to inspire in our students a passion for learning. Courses are offered in the traditional areas of:

• English and Language Arts
• Mathematics
• History and Social Studies
• Science
• French
  
• The Fine Arts: music, visual arts, dance and drama
• Physical Education and General Health

Expanding Curriculum

The Calgary Girls' School makes a firm commitment to adjusting and expanding course offerings as we grow. It is important that the school in its offerings, and the individual student in her selections, present a rigorous course of study to continue to high school, college and university. The Calgary Girls' School is firmly committed to an excellent preparatory curriculum.

While students are enrolled in classes according to traditional academic divisions, each teacher recognizes the importance of building into his or her curriculum opportunities for students to learn and to practice thinking and learning skills involving competence in using technology and fluency in mathematical, scientific, historical, and global perspectives. An emphasis on developing leadership ability and oral and written communication skills is part of the design of each course. Pertinent ethical, aesthetic, and cultural questions are considered within classes. In addition, critical use of research techniques and media sources is part of the learning across disciplines. Opportunities for cross disciplinary studies are built into the sequence of courses and are encouraged through projects involving several subject areas and a focus in each class that allows synthesis of information from separate disciplines.