Presidio Hill teachers also understand their responsibility to keep learning as they grow and develop alongside their students. Rather than a community of the learned, we aspire to be a community of learners. The teaching methodology is grounded in progressive tradition and includes the following elements:

Our teachers:

• Make decisions with the child's best interests as the primary consideration.
• Are constructivist in their orientation, believing the children need to construct their own meaning from the work at hand.
• Create thematic, interdisciplinary units of study.
• Teach a conceptual, problem-solving, visual, manipulative-based math program, TERC Investigations. 
• Teach reading from a balanced, whole language literature-based approach that nonetheless uses phonics instruction in the early grades.
• Use the "writing process" approach to teaching writing.
• Create activities in which children actively "do" science (hypothesizing, collecting data, sharing information, experimenting) rather than merely reading about it.
• Engage students in cooperative learningUse authentic assessment strategies such as portfolios, narrative reports, anecdotal record keeping, rubrics, and demonstrations in order to track student learning.  We do not give standardized test to young children.
• Create their own curriculum in collaboration with colleagues.  We work largely without textbooks and those that are in use do not drive the curriculum.
• Create grade level and subject specific standards or benchmarks.
• Are familiar with the use of technology and use it in developmentally appropriate ways with students. Teachers use technology, including the school's website to communicate with parents.
• Know something of modern brain research and its application to the classroom.
• Plan and implement experiential education elements, closely tied to classroom curriculum.  Possibilities include field trips, overnights, outdoor education, environmental education, service learning, and so on.
• Engage students in questions and actions of environmental responsibility and stewardship.
• Have an international, global perspective through travel, living abroad, reading or other means.
• Create multicultural units of study and model a respect for diversity and inclusion.
• Know something of motivational and attribution theory and use this knowledge to create an ethos fostering intrinsic motivation.
• Model and teach ethical values and character.