Category: Redefining Learning for the Future

The title, “Why it’s Imperative We All Learn to Become ‘Emotion Scientists’” caught my attention this weekend and has such strong connections to the work we do every day and the work of the Vision of a Graduate. “When we consult with corporations, they tell us they’re searching for employees who persevere with a task, who take personal responsibility for their work, who can get along with others and function as members of a team. Not technical abilities or specialized knowledge— they’re looking first for emotional attributes. A colleague from the RAND Corporation told me that technology advances so rapidly today that companies don’t hire workers for their current skills— firms are looking for people who are flexible, who can present new ideas, inspire cooperation in groups, manage and lead teams, and so on. We may acquire some of those skills by osmosis—by watching and emulating others who possess them. But for the most part they must be taught. And they are best learned in communities. Emotion skills are both personal and mutual. They can be used privately, but their best application is throughout a community, so that a network emerges to reinforce its own influence. I have seen this happen— these skills are being deployed in thousands of schools all over the world, with dramatic results.”

As we all continue in our quest to move the Vision of a Graduate forward with faculty projects throughout the year, the following article caught my attention on Interdisciplinary projects. It is a quick read discussing both creative projects and creative scheduling. “This year we are taking on the challenge to push the envelope again. At our core, projects are the driver of our work, so we decided to walk the talk and ask the driving question, “What does it look like when our students solve projects that matter that integrate all subject areas?” Our 9th grade team is now integrating seven subjects into one project.” Scheduling an Interdisciplinary Project

As I was looking through a few articles over the weekend, I came across “Concrete Ways to Help Students Self-Regulate and Prioritize Work.” Although the two short videos highlight elementary and middle school students, the work still pertains to high school students. Many of the discussions from Friday focused on teaching life skills that will outlive students’ four years at HHS. How are we explicitly teaching these skills? How are these skills being worked into lesson plans across all subjects? One quote from the article/video jumped out at me: “Mark Twain said if you wake up every morning and eat a frog, everything else will taste great,” said eighth grade teacher Catherine Paul. “So, I taught them to take their frog from the list, which is the thing they want to do the least, and get it out of the way, because everything else will seem easy.” How are we helping students navigate and prioritize their days in ways that are meaningful and manageable?

As we continue to promote learner agency, student’s empowerment and ownership over their learning, I am reminded of the importance of asking questions in order to help students find the meaning in what they are doing. 

From Katie Martin’s Article on 6 Questions to Promote Learner Agency: When we focus on learners, connect to their interests, needs, and goals, we can create experiences that ignite curiosity, develop passion, and unleash genius. One of my favorite lines from Google’s video, Rubik’s Cube: A question, waiting to be answered (If you haven’t seen it, take a minute and watch it), “…when the right person finds the right question, it can set them on a journey to change the world.” The images of kids conducting experiments, building robots, playing in the mud and even blowing things up always make me smile at the thought of what is possible when learners are inspired and have the support to explore their ideas, questions, and passions in and out of school.