The Colorado Springs School embraces the concept of learning by doing, both within and beyond the classroom. Our Upper School students also travel throughout Colorado, the United States, and the world on curriculum-based trips designed to teach academic principles and life lessons through firsthand experience.

Through our teaching method of strong academics supported by experience-based learning, each student:

Learns subject matter more thoroughly, more deeply, and retains information longer than in traditional, passive learning environments.
Is an active participant in a relaxed, focused atmosphere.
Gains responsibility and independence, while at the same time learning the importance of collaboration.
Learns through a hands-on curriculum that includes Experience Centered Seminars, Middle School Seminars, Children's School trips, and other unique, academically-based outings.
Discovers how to apply learned information to new settings.
Learns about him- or herself, others, and the world.
Develops the confidence that comes only by doing.

ECSes
Experience Centered Seminars (ECSes) are an integral part of the Upper School program and give our students the skills necessary to conduct large-scale investigations in college and beyond. Each March, our students participate in a three- to four-week-long study that immerses them in academic subjects through a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach. ECSes approach broad, interdisciplinary questions to optimize the teaching of critical thinking, organized inquiry, in-depth analysis, and synthesis of information. They demand direct active participation and primary research in an environment outside of the classroom. Academic requirements include oral and written presentations, term papers, group work and projects, or final exams. The ECS experience sets our students apart as they move into the collegiate world and beyond.

2009 ECS Offerings
2010 ECS Offerings
2011 ECS Offerings
2012 ECS Offerings

A Video of The African Adventure ECS

In-Class Experience-based Learning In Class
Learning through our rigorous curriculum is deepened through experiential teaching techniques that occur in-class or on campus. Our teachers work hard to bring hands-on experiences into day-to-day learning. Examples may include having students generate waves with long springs in a physics class, increasing the understanding of frequency and amplitude; using the merry-go-round on the playground to feel centrifugal force; or mimicking a phalanx by using lacrosse sticks, to better appreciate the intimidating tactic used by Greek armies.

Field-Based Experiences
In keepingwiththe school's philosophy of experiential education, field-based experiences provide the concentrated time for students to take advantage of learning opportunities that do no fit into conventional scheduling. These experiences may take place on or off campus. Out in the community, resources such as guest speakers, museums, natural landscapes, cultural events and sites, and civic institutions supplement and enhance classroom activities and provide opportunities for in-depth study,often from primary sources.