The NEXTschool Summer Institute took place at McGill University’s Faculty of Education from July 30 to August 1, 2018.  Close to 100 participants – including teams of administrators and teachers from the seven potential 2018-19 EXPLOREschools – were presented with new paradigms, challenged to think differently and encouraged to jump in and have fun along the way. At the end of the three days, there was visible (and audible!) excitement among participants to get started on the NEXTschool journey and an overall sense that they had come ‘to the edge, and there was no turning back’.

Luke Sumich, Leader of Learning at Ormiston Junior College in Auckland, New Zealand, kicked off the Institute by sharing the evolution of his school and its many unique features, all created intentionally to fulfill its promise of “guaranteeing that every learner engages in innovative, personalized world-class learning”.  Luke’s passion and deep care for his students were readily apparent in his presentation entitled ‘A world of possibilities’. Through stories and videos highlighting social-emotional learning through MACs (Mentor – Advising Learning Coaches), student assessment involving ‘pitches for badges’, the TAIPs (Transdisciplinary authentic inquiry projects) and the ever-changing ‘tardis schedule’, participants left with concrete examples of the culture, structures and systems created in this exemplar high school for the future.

Encouraging school teams to start the process of reinventing school by moving from “I believe to we believe” and collectively developing a story and shared lexicon for their schools, Luke underlined the importance of collaboration (working together and at times, betraying one’s own interests), connecting with community to support student-designed projects and a reminder that “it’s not about us, it’s about them – the learners!” 

The session for day two, ‘How do we get there from here?’ was led by Justin Reich, education researcher, Executive Director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab and co-founder of EdTechTeacher, who gave participants the opportunity to reflect on how they can take their current school reality and work toward ‘the possible’ presented in day one.  Citing many drivers for change (including those in “Dancing with Robots”), Justin focused on the change process – a non-linear series of cycles and spirals, of experimenting and experience that depends highly on bringing people together about what they care about and discovering together how to make it work.  Justin’s adage that “innovation is iteration, and dependent on small groups of people getting together to make learning better for kids” rang loud and clear for participants.  He acknowledged that while technology isn’t a necessity, it gives us permission to think about things differently – and is a powerful catalyst for change. 

Participants left the session with a deep understanding that school change is all about relationships and ongoing collaborative learning and that teacher leadership is essential. They heard Justin’s call to step up – and his hope for participants to find ways to make innovation happen more effortlessly and joyfully by defining right-sized goals, developing minimum viable prototypes and embracing a ‘ready-fire-aim’ attitude.  Justin invited school teams to register in the upcoming open, no-fee MIT course, Launching Innovation in Schools.

On the final day, Alan November’s provocative presentation, entitled ‘Outside the Box’ sent participants truly to the edge.  His expressed urgency for schools to respond to the changing world, the future of work and our history of underestimating the capacity and motivation of young people, inspired our NEXTschool participants to think and question more deeply and start to commit to action.  Alan invited participants to take the long view – to start by thinking in the future, with no limits and a vision of 5 or 10 years out, and then design backwards to plan the first year.  He urged educators to study societal trends (i.e. the future of work, globalisation and the progress of cognitive science about how people learn) to inform their teaching and to design toward engaging and motivating their students.  Alan shared a range of tools to facilitate deeper learning – to give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge, receive immediate feedback, engage in real-life problem-solving, and retool with the complex communication and critical thinking skills essential for meaningful contribution in our automated-AI world. 

On the final afternoon, participants reflected on bringing clarity to the many concepts presented throughout the Institute, started to think about NEXTsteps and articulated the following priorities:

  • A shared vision among administrators, teachers, students and parents, along with defined roles and right-sized goals
  • Explicit commitment and support from the school boards, administrators, and teachers as well as the Ministry of Education to enhance the professional practice of teaching; create a safe environment with intentional structures and systems that allow for teacher meetings, student conferencing, relevant assessment, flexible schedules and space, and access to technology and other tools
  • A growth mindset among all involved that encourages experimental behaviour, low-risk practice, the rethinking of teaching, learning and assessment, and a fun and joyful culture
  • Dedicated time to immediately plan the dialogue and logistics of implementation and to facilitate teacher leadership through ongoing, collaborative planning
  • An engaged community where schools draw on the capacities of parents, families, local and global communities for meaningful involvement and contribution

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https://hosted.learnquebec.ca/nextschool/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/08/InstituteTeams-1024x768.jpghttps://hosted.learnquebec.ca/nextschool/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/08/InstituteTeams-e1533830919860-150x150.jpglizfalcoNEXTschoolThe NEXTschool Summer Institute took place at McGill University’s Faculty of Education from July 30 to August 1, 2018.  Close to 100 participants - including teams of administrators and teachers from the seven potential 2018-19 EXPLOREschools - were presented with new paradigms, challenged to think differently and encouraged to...