Here are my notes for the talk given my Jim Tracy and Nancy Boyle of Cushing Academy, in Massachusetts:
Leading Edge of 21st Century Education: Jim Tracy & Nancy Boyle
Jim:
1. Establish partnerships between public & private schools
2. Institutional partnerships – students beta-testing ereaders; Skype with experts
3. Cushing Academy Institute for 21st Century Leadership
Everything the school does is devoted to this. “Leadership” is the theme of the year.
4. Athletic leadership program: athletes partner with business executives
5. 10 Degrees of Ubiquity – Tracy’s book about the digital divide between generations
6. Faculty & Administration Engagement
(a) “Food for Thought” faculty lunches – brainstorming sessions
(b) “Skunkworks” – administration meetings. 2 rules: no small ideas, and no editing of notes.
(c) Faculty book – flew out to different schools to research and write about the most exciting classroom practices in the country right now. It will be published as an open-source ebook.
Nancy:
1. Tools & Devices: conversations got stuck in tool details, so the topic turned to philosophy. Developed a “Skills Wheel”.
2. What is the core curriculum, connect to it changes in shared outcomes and vision.
Important components:
1. Unified message and unified commitment of school & faculty
2. Give teachers time to plan and the resources they need
3. Provide opportunities for teacher interaction/cooperation/collaboration (catered lunches)
4. Project-based learning
5. Work-based learning experiences
6. Two big departments: Humanities & STEM – blended classrooms
7. Assessment & Evaluation is changing
8. Ongoing professional development
9. Academic support: personal learning plans for students
10. Digital graduation portfolios
11. Flexbooks and ebooks used
12. Wide variance in use of technology
Roles:
Students Teachers
Co-creators co-creators
Drive the curriculum provide learning opportunities
Create safe, challenging environments
Step aside, involve others
Some examples of new courses (all student-driven):
Leadership Through the Humanities
Ethics, Leadership, & Society
Visions of Humanness
21st Century Art – Going Green
Leadership in Social Media
Ethics & Responsibility in Science
Outcomes:
More connections between disciplines
Design thinking and problem solving
Creativity
Self-reliance, critical evaluation
Self-regulation (copyright issues): Teachers have a conversation about how not to use a phone, iPad, etc. while in class.
“When was the last time you did something for the first time?”
Globallearning.ning.com/video/cushing-institute-for-21st
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