Over a three-week period, the InnoPod groups worked enthusiastically over two sessions with some in-between reflection time to iterate and iterate their STARC-based prototypes.  The Invigorate session on April 27 took place at District 3 at Concordia University where the collaborative setting inspired innovation and the energy in the room was palpable. Some of the previous prototypes changed dramatically and others were tweaked slightly – thoughtful feedback from everyone in the room helped evolve ideas toward concrete and actionable prototypes. 

The final InnoPod gathering on May 11 provided the STARC groups time to do some final refinements and culminated in five thoughtful presentations where participants shared the highlights of their prototype.

Some key words used to describe each ‘final’ prototype were as follows: 

Spatial:  A flexible and purposeful “space mindset”
Temporal: A personalized, fluid student schedule
Andragogical: Transparent, Transdisciplinary, Transformative Learning
Relational:  Relationships are essential to learning and all students need to see themselves reflected in the values and structure of the school community
Communal:  Collaborative, long-term community partnerships where learning is reciprocal, authentic and process-oriented

When given the chance to give feedback and advice to teachers and administrators who will dive into the NEXTschool design process, the InnoPod participants shared their enthusiasm and gratitude for being part of the generative design thinking process.

And here are some of their comments and tips:

  • Change is exhilarating when done by those who will live it
  • It’s going to be messy
  • We need to ‘let go’
  • Be patient
  • Invest time and expertise into the Exploratory Year
  • Commit – you can’t do this half-way
  • Engage all stakeholders in the process – student voice is important


NEXTsteps?
Not surprisingly, so many overlapping insights and concepts emerged through the design process; and the stage is now set for combining the prototypes into an integrated model which will be provided as a resource kit to the EXPLOREschools (those schools ready and interested in NEXTschool).  These teams will go through a similar design journey in 2018-19 to create their own NEXTschool, customized to their community context and clientele, with the goal of being a LEADschool in September 2019.

Innopod participants who are interested will be asked to be ‘Critical Friends’ during the exploratory phase – potentially facilitating the process, giving feedback to EXPLOREschools and supporting them when they get “stuck in the messiness” of the design process.

As soon as the EXPLOREschools are confirmed, they will be invited to the NEXTschool Summer Institute, July 30 through August 1. In addition, the Design Strategy Group will be replaced by a new supporting group – the Systems Integration Group who will give guidance and advice during the EXPLORE stage of the process.

Many thanks to the over 100 participants of the Design Phase – their experience, insights, resilience, and energy have helped propel NEXTschool closer to its realization –  to making high school the best it can be at engaging students and
preparing them for the world ahead”.

Photos by Mimi Tsirkin

 

lizfalcoNEXTschoolOver a three-week period, the InnoPod groups worked enthusiastically over two sessions with some in-between reflection time to iterate and iterate their STARC-based prototypes.  The Invigorate session on April 27 took place at District 3 at Concordia University where the collaborative setting inspired innovation and the energy in the...