What exemplary 21st century schools
have in common . . .
a continuation of our observations during our Tour of 21st Century Schools, February 2014. Here is a discussion of what we saw at The Zoo School and the Anne Frank Inspire Academy! Equally important - here is what we, thankfully, DID NOT SEE!
Meaningful Mission - Not the mere platitude seen taped on the walls in so many schools (and ignored), each school we visited lives by an authentic Mission Statement.
The Zoo School's Mission - "The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment."
The Anne Frank Inspire Academy's Mission - "Our mission, our daily goal, our passion, is to increase the capacity for human greatness."
The Zoo School's Mission - "The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment."
The Anne Frank Inspire Academy's Mission - "Our mission, our daily goal, our passion, is to increase the capacity for human greatness."
Learning Environment - A school's learning environment must be intentionally designed to support 21st century schools. This means not only the Academic Environment, but the Physical Environment and the Emotional Environment. All are equally important! Read more here about designing the best learning environments.
Facilities, Building and Grounds - the creators of these two schools understand that you cannot have a 21st century school in a factory-model physical learning environment. There are no "cells and bells". Rather, the learning spaces (in the building) are intentionally designed to support the 21st century learner. Instead of halls and classrooms there are various spaces - the Learning Plaza, the DaVinci Studio (combining the study of art and science), screened-in porches, a kitchen where students cook, a Starbucks-style cafe, the Loft, the Lecture Hall for student presentations, a conference room, a DIY/Makerspace and a dance/yoga studio! The closest thing to a classroom was at the Zoo School and these were areas for the Music Production Studio, the Multimedia Production Center and the Chemistry Lab.
These schools are less expensive to build than traditional schools!
Outdoor learning spaces included the Outdoor Classroom at the Zoo School, built out over the pond! Also, the Treehouse at Anne Frank Inspire Academy (designed and built by the treehouse master, Pete Nelson!). Other outdoor centers are a garden, a fish pond, a labyrinth, an amphitheater, outdoor decks and a nature trail, Here are some peeks at these schools, but please understand that these pages are under construction! Anne Frank Inspire Academy and the Zoo School.
If you want to build a new 21st century school building, or if you want to renovate an existing building to become 21st century, please look to Fielding Nair International, the designers of the Anne Frank Inspire Academy. Their designs are the epitome of 21st century learning spaces, and no other designer of schools even comes close. Fielding Nair has designed and built 21st century schools in 46 countries, and they are the proud recipients of many of the highest awards in the industry!
These schools are less expensive to build than traditional schools!
Outdoor learning spaces included the Outdoor Classroom at the Zoo School, built out over the pond! Also, the Treehouse at Anne Frank Inspire Academy (designed and built by the treehouse master, Pete Nelson!). Other outdoor centers are a garden, a fish pond, a labyrinth, an amphitheater, outdoor decks and a nature trail, Here are some peeks at these schools, but please understand that these pages are under construction! Anne Frank Inspire Academy and the Zoo School.
If you want to build a new 21st century school building, or if you want to renovate an existing building to become 21st century, please look to Fielding Nair International, the designers of the Anne Frank Inspire Academy. Their designs are the epitome of 21st century learning spaces, and no other designer of schools even comes close. Fielding Nair has designed and built 21st century schools in 46 countries, and they are the proud recipients of many of the highest awards in the industry!
Small Schools, or Smaller Learning Communities - The Zoo School is designed to work with up to 400 students; students are organized into Pods of 10, and 10 Pods make up a House. There are two Houses for the Juniors (11th grade) and two Houses for the Seniors (12th grade). Anne Frank Inspire Academy (AFIA) is designed to accept up to 150 students.
So, what do you do if you are stuck with an enormous building housing 2,000 or more students? Reorganize. Create areas of the school to house the Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs), also known as Schools Within a School. There you can have 120-150 students working with an interdisciplinary team of 6 or 7 teachers. These teaches and students work only with each other, with the possible exception of students leaving their SLC to attend music, art, PE or some other specialized class or elective. Other than the start of the school day, lunch, special classes and the end of the school day these teachers and student can create and work within a flexible schedule that fits their needs on a daily basis.
So, what do you do if you are stuck with an enormous building housing 2,000 or more students? Reorganize. Create areas of the school to house the Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs), also known as Schools Within a School. There you can have 120-150 students working with an interdisciplinary team of 6 or 7 teachers. These teaches and students work only with each other, with the possible exception of students leaving their SLC to attend music, art, PE or some other specialized class or elective. Other than the start of the school day, lunch, special classes and the end of the school day these teachers and student can create and work within a flexible schedule that fits their needs on a daily basis.
Project-based learning - Curriculum at the Zoo School is arranged into several in-depth, interdisciplinary, research-based units. Curriculum at AFIA will include PBL (Project-Based Learning).
Integrated and Interdisciplinary Curriculum - At the Zoo School students enjoy a 3-hour interdisciplinary class integrating Science, Social Studies, Communications and Language Arts.
Here's a sample schedule. And here you may view more details about their interdisciplinary, integrated and project-based curriculum. And this page provides information on how the Four Houses are organized and what the students' days may look like.
Here's a sample schedule. And here you may view more details about their interdisciplinary, integrated and project-based curriculum. And this page provides information on how the Four Houses are organized and what the students' days may look like.
Student-Centered - students are self-directed, independent and interdependent. At no time did we observe a classroom with a teacher in the front lecturing - bestowing their knowledge upon the student. We saw teachers as facilitators, supporting students in their explorations which were frequently hands-on and in the field. That is NOT to say that all lecture by teachers is eliminated; but it is brief and usually only utilized when introducing new concepts.
Personalized Learning - many people think of personalized learning as simply Differentiated Instruction, or Competency-Based Instruction. Yes, of course, we do ensure that each and every student is making progress and receiving personal support in areas where they need improvement. Personalized Learning is so much more! It is about supporting each student in following their interests, needs and passions. And it is about respecting and listening to the voice of the student, allowing them to make important decision about what they will learn, when they will it, how they will learn and how they will demonstrate what they have learned.
Can you imagine doing this if you are teaching 6 or 8 class periods per day? That is why the Smaller Learning Community concept is so vital. And why there are no "cells and bells". Students are still responsible for demonstrating mastery of the national or state standards, content and skills. Schools are still accountable for student mastery of the standard curriculum and for state/national testing. The great news is that, with personalized learning, smaller learning communities, flexible schedules and student choice - students actually learn more and perform higher on standardized tests than the students condemned to drilling for the test all year long!
Can you imagine doing this if you are teaching 6 or 8 class periods per day? That is why the Smaller Learning Community concept is so vital. And why there are no "cells and bells". Students are still responsible for demonstrating mastery of the national or state standards, content and skills. Schools are still accountable for student mastery of the standard curriculum and for state/national testing. The great news is that, with personalized learning, smaller learning communities, flexible schedules and student choice - students actually learn more and perform higher on standardized tests than the students condemned to drilling for the test all year long!
Meaningful Integration of Technology - these schools know how to use technology properly. The technologies are utilized as tools to deliver the curriculum, NOT as electronic versions of the old "pencil and paper" or as digital worksheets! The technologies are used with purpose, and include the multimedia design, gaming design, music production, film production, research, collaboration and presentations of student work. There are two large screens at AFIA (Anne Frank Inspire Academy) - one in the beautiful foyer and another in an area of the enormous Learning Plaza. The one in the foyer is programmed to display a continual presentation of projects students are doing; the one in the Learning Plaza is used by the students for collaboration.
21st Century Professional Development - Intensive, Personalized, Blended . . . the exemplary 21st century schools, the schools with 100% of students graduating and 95% to 100% going ont o college have something else in common: intensive, ongoing, blended and job-embedded professional development. One school I research provided 175 hours per year of professional development.
School and districts that only provide 1 or 2 days of professional development per year will see zero effect in terms of teaching excellence or student achievement.
School and districts that only provide 1 or 2 days of professional development per year will see zero effect in terms of teaching excellence or student achievement.
21st Century Skills - we prefer the 7 Survival Skills of the 21st Century compiled by Tony Wagner at Harvard. If you have not read his book, the Global Achievement Gap, please get it and read it now! These 7 skills really trump the popular "4 Cs" most schools are using. The 7 skills are:
* Critical Thinking and Problem Solving * Collaboration * Agility and Adaptability * Initiative and Entrepreneurialism *
* Effective Oral and Written Communication * Accessing and Analyzing Information * Curiosity and Imagination *
* Effective Oral and Written Communication * Accessing and Analyzing Information * Curiosity and Imagination *
Global Classrooms - Global Literacy, or global competencies, are one of the 8 Multiple Literacies for the 21st Century. Our students are not only citizens of their nations, they are citizens of a global community. We are interconnected and interdependent globally - whether we are talking about environmental issues, finance and the economy, government, communications and many other facets of life in the 21st century. Our students will need to work with people from many cultures as people already do in teams that are located all around the planet. Global teams will need to work together to solve global issues.
Collaborative Learning - over 1,200 studies have shown that collaborative learning results in higher levels of student achievement and motivation. Students in exemplary, 21st century schools have opportunities to learn independently as well as collaboratively and interdependently.
A quick example we saw at the Zoo School were the small groups of students, about 5 to a group, practicing Winter Weather Survival Techniques out in the snow.
A quick example we saw at the Zoo School were the small groups of students, about 5 to a group, practicing Winter Weather Survival Techniques out in the snow.
Real World, Rigorous and Relevant - everything students do at the Zoo School is real world, relevant and rigorous. While this particular school offers interested students an emphasis on environmental studies, all schools, regardless of whether they have a particular focus, can and should provide experiences that are real world, rigorous and relevant. It is easy to plan, and not only is it motivational to the students, it is a lot more interesting and fun for the teachers!
High Expectations - "IF IT ISN'T GOOD, IT ISN'T DONE!" This was what a banner across the front of my 4th-grade classroom said.
Think about this: When a teacher assigns a student a grade of 45 or 67 or 78, what is that teacher really saying to the student?
"You are not smart." and "You do not have to learn this!"
Think about this: When a teacher assigns a student a grade of 45 or 67 or 78, what is that teacher really saying to the student?
"You are not smart." and "You do not have to learn this!"
