About UAM

Vision Statement Literacy To accomplish our mission UAM provides all students with access to challenging courses, infuses media to engage students, and makes learning relevant to them. Across subject areas students are given ample time to read, write, and speak so that they can deepen their thinking about and understanding of the topics they are studying. By developing authentic literacy, students are prepared for the academic challenges of college and beyond. Across the curriculum, students are encouraged to challenge assumptions, make connections to their world, and engage in critical conversations on provoking topics. In all subject areas students: Read texts to infer, interpret, and draw conclusions Analyze and evaluate complex messages from a range of media Support arguments with evidence Resolve conflicting views encountered in source documents Solve complex problems and answer complex questions with no obvious answers Thinking UAM teachers are meticulous in the planning of minds-on learning experiences that require thinking. Classrooms where students are thinking may be quiet or they may be noisy, but the volume is always intentional. To accomplish our mission UAM teachers create opportunities for students to think critically in their classrooms by: Establishing the purpose and rationale for the topics being studied Developing provocative questions about the topics of study Creating time and space for student thinking Creating opportunities for students to question and challenge viewpoints they encounter Building classrooms that value student thinking and make student thinking visible Facilitating discussion and authentic collaboration amongst students