While our designers have been working on iterative prototype development, another diverse and committed NEXTschool team – the Design Strategy Group (DSG) – has been collaborating on a guiding framework for the direction and implementation of the High School for the Future.   

True to the inclusive nature of NEXTschool, the DSG is a group of 19 individuals, each bringing their own passion along with their unique expertise and perspective to the project.  The DSG includes members of the Indigenous community, Youth and Civic Engagement professionals, the Educational Technology industry, as well representation from various levels of Education: Quebec Ministry of Education, Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations, McGill University Faculty of Education, Concordia University Centre for Teaching and Learning, The Association of Directors General of English Schools Boards of Quebec and the Quebec English School Boards Association.

Chaired by the founders of NEXTschool, Noel Burke and Michael Canuel, the DSG meets monthly to offer guidance and advice, and drive the direction of the project.

Here are some of the Design Strategy Group’s recent areas of discussion and focus:

  • Shared Vision: Dialogue around the direction and implementation of NEXTschool consistently refers back to a shared vision and the moral obligation felt by all involved to provide the best educational experience possible to students. The project is a Community initiative, not owned by any one individual or group.
  • Learning Mindset: The DSG is committed to a Learning Mindset as it tackles the opportunities and challenges of the NEXTschool project. Ongoing research, new school visits and each interaction with stakeholders bring new perspectives to the table on a continual basis – and the project evolves accordingly.  This flexible outlook and the team’s openness to iterative approaches and ongoing learning are acknowledged as essential to its success.
  • School-centric framework:  While the DSG is formulating a broad, guiding framework for implementation (including readiness criteria and lead school prerequisites), it is committed to an open architecture, learning organization approach.  To this end, each school that volunteers to take on the NEXTschool model will create its own design team and adapt the framework to its unique clientele and context. The expertise and autonomy of each school community are deeply valued and key to NEXTschool’s goal of creating equitable and systemic change.
  •  Question-rich :   While the DSG works to bring together pieces of the NEXTschool puzzle, it is not afraid of posing questions that don’t have immediate answers. The DSG welcomes questions on all aspects of the project so that potential roadblocks and obstacles are anticipated proactively and inevitable challenges approached thoughtfully. Once in place, the monitoring of each NEXTschool will be the responsibility of a localized cohort (students, teachers, parents, community members) ensuring that the school evolves to best meet the distinctive needs of its students, optimize opportunities and address challenges as they arise.

To learn more about the progress of NEXTschool, the Design Strategy Group warmly invites you to attend one or both of the following events:

NEXTschool – Information & Orientation
April 25, 2018 | 12:30pm to 3:00pm
McGill Education Faculty Auditorium (EDUC-129)
3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC
RSVP by April 20 to Suzanne at slongpre@learnquebec.ca

NEXTschool Workshop– Redesigning the Future of Education
Overview of Prototypes for High School for the Future
May 25, 2018 | 10:30am – 11:45am
QESBA/AAESQ Spring Conference, Hilton Quebec, Quebec City

Questions, comments or suggestions for the Design Strategy Group? Please email us here.

lizfalcoNEXTschoolWhile our designers have been working on iterative prototype development, another diverse and committed NEXTschool team – the Design Strategy Group (DSG) – has been collaborating on a guiding framework for the direction and implementation of the High School for the Future.    True to the inclusive nature of NEXTschool,...