Hamlin students are expected to meet high standards of intellectual development in an environment of encouragement and support. The teaching faculty at Hamlin dedicates itself to the important structural questions of each discipline that require students to understand the critical thinking and performances that, for example, historians or scientists or mathematicians or writers need. Additionally, the teaching faculty embraces the performance view of understanding that requires a student to demonstrate true understanding of a concept by being able to teach it to someone else or to apply it in a novel situation. In order for a student to do this, a teacher must assess what a student knows and ascertain the right challenge for the student’s growth, utilizing Vygotsky’s definition of “the zone of proximal development.”

Teachers at Hamlin use creative and engaging learning strategies--reader response, journals, presentations, models, cooperative learning strategies, essays, demonstrations, debates and reports, problem-solving challenges --to inspire students to develop a developmentally appropriate mastery of a topic or subject. Cooperative learning is also a cornerstone of Hamlin pedagogy, and teachers promote collaborative, active, and experiential approaches to teaching and learning. The Hamlin mission underscores the importance of an innovative and thoughtful curriculum as well as the importance of self-discipline, time management, and learning how to learn.