May 31

From the Desk of the Superintendent- May 31, 2014

I’m currently sitting in a hotel room in Red Deer, having just returned from RedCamp14– a local version of the edcamp model where participants exclusively drive the agenda. The Alberta School Boards’ Association Spring General Meeting begins on Sunday evening and so I thought I would come up a day early for the event. This is the third edcamp (Edmonton, Lethbridge & Red Deer) that I’ve experienced and each bring their own uniqueness to the table. Whether it is more conversational in its approach or more presentational, the edcamp model really focuses on professional choice in learning. It always brings together dedicated educators (voluntary on a Saturday) to discuss, learn and share important aspects of education. Regardless of your position in education, classroom teacher, superintendent or trustee, the learning is always relevant because you direct it, you vote with your feet. But as important as the learning is the passion that is apparent in the participants. As one of the participants shared with me at the end of the day, “I love coming to a place where everybody loves their job!” If you’ve not had a chance to experience an edcamp I would highly recommend it!

The regular board meeting in May began with a presentation from our Off-Campus Coordinator, Michelle Perron. Since taking on this program full-time in our three high schools, the growth and success has been exponential. Mrs. Perron has been exceptional at highlighting the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) in our schools and has developed strong relationships with our business and industry communities. Her work has been so successful that she was recently presented with the 2014 Hilton Mierau Award.  

The May meeting always includes the budget for the following school year. The budget is directed by the board’s strategic priorities as established through consultation with stakeholders and major input from our school leaders. It must also align with the business plan of Alberta Education. During my time as Superintendent of Schools, I have rarely conveyed joy in the budget process. There is always far more want than available resources and the 2014-15 operating budget is consistent with that in the areas of transportation and plant operations and maintenance. Those funding envelopes continue to be bare bones! However, it is certainly great news when I can communicate that we are anticipating a growth of 200+ students, bringing on a new school in the community of Bow Island and adding the equivalent of 15.26 FTE teachers to our system. It is certainly an exciting time in our HR world! The complete 2014-15 operating budget can be found here or check out the infographic for the highlights!

One of the greatest honours in my educational career was bestowed upon me on May 21st. I was truly blessed to have been honoured with a Blackfoot name, Natoo’minnii, meaning Sacred Wings. The naming ceremony was very powerful and was made even more special with the attendance of my wife Donna and my parents. I cannot express enough gratitude to all those involved in the day and especially to Kainai Board of Education- it was truly a blessing!

Chris Smeaton Naming Ceremony

The last weeks of school will pass by quickly and before you know it, students and staff will be heading to a summer vacation that is well deserved. For some in our schools, this will be their last June in Holy Spirit as they take on new challenges or will soon enter the world of retirement. I would like to personally thank all those who are leaving for creating their own legacy and for being part of our own Holy Spirit legacy. Each of you deserve much gratitude for the work that you have done, often with little fanfare but always with care and compassion. May God bless each of you in your continued journey!

May 18

Regaining culture, tradition and language

My mother’s parents came from the Ukraine. They spoke the language and I remember many of the Ukrainian traditions (especially the food) growing up while visiting them in the summer or at Christmas. Unfortunately, that is where the language, culture and most of the tradition ended, with my grandparents. I can assume that there were many reasons why they were not passed on to my own mother, but ultimately it was likely a choice at the time. Choice- remember that! I had a special bond with my maternal grandmother and so when I went to university I tried to learn Ukrainian. Although it was an introductory class, all of my fellow students spoke the language at home and without anybody around to practice with, my experience was far from successful. However, I did have the opportunity to learn. Opportunity- remember that!

While my grandparents had the choice to pass on their language, culture and tradition and I had the opportunity to learn it, the same was not afforded to our First Nations, Metis and Inuit population. Children were ripped away from their parents, whisked into residential schools and forced to abandoned only what they knew.

There was no choice and there was no opportunity!

And we wonder why there is bitterness, a sense of mistrust and ongoing poor relations. To add insult to injury we often say, “Why don’t you just get over it!”  Only ones with hardened hearts won’t feel a lump in their throats when they watch this short video entitled Justice for Aboriginal Peoples It’s time. I’m certainly not an expert on inter-generational trauma but it should not be difficult to understand the impact oppression has had on our aboriginal people.

Today, I live adjacent to the largest reserve in Canada. I’m in Blackfoot territory. I see the effects of this trauma where hope is often replaced with hopelessness. I see immense poverty, addiction and dysfunction. But if that is all that I see, I’m only looking on the surface, because I also see great pride and great success. I’m witness to those who hold on to their language, culture and tradition and succeed in the western world. They walk in both worlds and their transition is seamless.

Our education system must provide more support to ensure that our FNMI peoples have choice and opportunity. This must begin with the acknowledgment that our residential school history was often far from “christian.” That history, as brutal as it was, must be taught to educate our future generations. History is most often written by the victors and therefore is uni-perspective. Our students must understand multiple perspectives and it should begin though the eyes of our aboriginal peoples.

At the recent Truth and Reconciliation event in Edmonton, a statement was made that education is the new buffalo. We must all work together to meet that mandate. While we cannot offer all of the language, culture and tradition required in the school system, we can ensure the value of it. It is not an either/or world. Our aboriginal children can and should learn and practice their language, culture and tradition. Schools can assist by supporting this proud heritage and ensuring high quality education to all FNMI children. Aboriginal people should not be forced to walk in only one world- we have already experienced that with disastrous results. We should be able to create the ability to live in both worlds simultaneously. And to accomplish this we must remember that education is the new buffalo!

May 11

Graduation Message- Being Significant

Yesterday, I began my graduation ceremonies tour and addressed students at Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge and St. Michael’s School in Pincher Creek. Being able to address all our graduates is always a highlight even though, it is fairly hectic with two graduations scheduled on the same day in locations 100 kilometres apart. Regardless of the travel, these events are too significant for me to be absent without extreme reason!

Often, part of the ceremony is the address from a former graduate as a guest speaker. This year, I had the pleasure of listening to Kristin Ailsby-Wood at the CCH graduation. Ms. Ailsby-Wood, a local lawyer provided a powerful message with humour throughout, and kept the graduates and the entire audience well engaged. Her message about finding what motivates you was a great reminder for us all.   

Even though there are some common aspects of every graduation ceremony, each has its own traditions which makes it unique.  I always appreciate that differences between the large and small, urban and rural graduations. Because of these differences, I always try to write my address around the grad theme to ensure uniqueness from year to year and school to school. Although my messages may have some commonality, it is always specific to the school. I also fully understand that graduation ceremonies can be fairly long events and even though my message should be meaningful, it should be short. Below are my graduation addresses which focus on being significant.   

CCH Graduation Speech 2014

Last night at your graduation mass, Fr. Kevin challenged you, without ever saying it, to be, “More than a face in a crowd!” In our society that usually means to become famous or rich or powerful. But in our Catholic faith it means more about being significant, showing kindness and mercy, and expressing compassion and love.

You are already more than a face in a crowd in the eyes of your parents and families. You are their flesh and blood; you are their sons and daughters; you are special and unique. And while you will always be that in the eyes of your parents, families and maybe even close friends, it is now time to be that, out there.

During your time in Holy Spirit Catholic Schools and especially in your years at Catholic Central, you have been prepped for out there. The classes you’ve taken are all geared toward your future in post-secondary or directly into the world of work. And while we would like to believe that you will always remember the classes we taught, like conics, titrations and persuasive essays) your most important memories will be around the times and activities where you were learning to be more significant. The social justice projects, Christmas hampers, blood drives, etc. were all part of you becoming more aware of the greater good and ultimately becoming more than a face in the crowd.

You are our future and you are the leaders of tomorrow. When you leave this high school experience, don’t settle for being invisible and equally important; don’t search for fame and fortune only. Search for being significant and ultimately changing the life of one person for the better. Act with compassion, act with mercy and most of all, act with love. That may not get your name in bright lights that often quickly fade but it will lead you to joy. It will lead you to be significant in the eyes of our Lord and it will ensure that you are more than a face in the crowd.

As a graduate of CCH you are now part of a rich tradition. Many who have walked the hallowed halls and donned the blue and white have made a significant impact in the world… out there. And now, as a graduate of CCH, class of 2014, it is your time.  

Remember that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. You as students of Holy Spirit Catholic Schools and graduates of Catholic Central have been called to be more than a face in the crowd. Good luck Graduates of 2014 and God Bless!

St. Michael’s Graduation Speech 2014

When I think of your graduation theme, “Life in Color” I automatically think of photographs. Most of the photos taken when I was very young, in the early 60’s were in black and white. Although they told a story, it always appeared that they were missing something. The addition of color seemed to add vibrancy and diversity to the photos.

The world that we live in often wants to exist in only black and white. It is a world of either/or! Rules exist so that there is only one way of doing things, only one way to respond! And while I understand the need for rules to ensure safety and some common standards and expectations, life must be lived in color.

Life in color doesn’t mean not following the rules; it means following the rules with passion and creativity, with justice and mercy and most of all, with love and compassion. Life in color requires you to both follow your heart and your head. It is about choosing a life that will lead you to be significant, not necessarily in a fame and fortune perspective but rather significant to the ones closest to you and the world that extends from you.   

You have been blessed to be part of St. Michael School. The early learning to grade 12 structure, dual track system allows you to experience the real world everyday. You are surrounded by younger students who idolize you and watch your every move.  You are their big brothers and sisters and their mentors. What they see in you, is a life in color!

In a short time you will be leaving these save halls and going out there! During your time in St. Michael’s, you have been well prepped for out there. The classes you’ve taken have been geared toward your future in post-secondary or directly into the world of work. And while we would like to believe that you will always remember the classes we taught, like conics, titrations and persuasive essays) your most important memories will be around the times and activities when you truly lived in color. Not in a cold rule based black and white world, but rather in a world full of love and compassion. A world where you made another feel better brightened one’s spirit and added color to their life!

You are our future and our leaders of tomorrow! Take the experiences from your years at St. Michael’s School, honor the deep and rich values and traditions of your community and live your life in color. Be bold! Be brave! Be passionate and be loving and you will live a life rich in color! Good luck St. Michael Graduates of 2014 and God Bless!

May 01

Staying the same is not an option!

The following article was written for and published in the Lethbridge Herald on April 30, 2014.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a conference in Saskatoon hosted by Educational Research and Development Corporation (ERDI). This organization brings together about 50 superintendents from across Canada twice a year. Our plenary keynote was given by Queen’s University professor, Barry Cross.  In order to provide a context for his presentation, the opening question displayed on the big screen was, “Can an organization stay the same and still survive?” Cross provided some excellent examples of multi-national businesses that have become extinct due to their unwillingness to change and adapt.  Although it is hard to imagine public education ever becoming extinct, it is a possibility.  As a result, we must ensure that change and adaptation are always a part of system conversations.

The message that education needs to be innovative and willing to change has been a consistent thread in the weekly editorials of my area superintendent colleagues, which bodes well for all students in southwest Alberta. Maintaining the status quo will only result in falling behind. Even though we are known in Alberta for offering a world class education system, resting on our laurels will eventually lead to other countries outpacing us. The world is becoming increasingly “flat” with limited barriers to global employment. Our students now compete for jobs against international candidates. Adding in the exponential advances in technology that impacts our educational system, there is a critical need for continuous improvement that is beyond survival mode.

We must seek to prepare students for a future world where the only constant is change itself.  Twenty years ago we could not have fathomed the amount of change that has occurred in our world.  It is equally difficult now to predict the revolutionary change to come.  Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” That statement provides the impetus to forge forward and develop students who are learners, skilled in critical thinking and able to ask the right questions.

Survival is the minimum outcome for any organization. School systems, especially, need to set the bar much higher. Changing how we “do” education and embracing continuous improvement with forward thinking creates a nimble system that responds well to the needs of our students and society in general. Clearly, our post-secondary institutions and our business and industry communities would benefit from graduates of this type of system.  But, more importantly, our students deserve, and should fully expect, a system that engages, challenges and ultimately delivers; a system that refuses to stay the same.

Apr 24

From the Desk of the Superintendent- April 24, 2014

With the date of the regular board meeting falling during Easter vacation, the Board voted to move it to a week earlier. Considerable action items were debated and motions passed at the April meeting. The monthly Board Briefs prepared by my Executive Assistant, Anisha Gatner, provide an excellent synopsis of the meeting.  However, there are two items that I want to address specifically in my message to staff, parents and community.

The first, is the willingness of our board to bring St. Michael’s School and the entire Bow Island community into our Holy Spirit fold. It is rare for a ward to wish (and legally vote) to disenfranchise from one school division and join another. From my contacts in Alberta Education, this has happened only one time previously.  St. Michael’s School is a natural fit for our school division. We are a “rurban” division, serving the city of Lethbridge and towns of Coaldale, Picture Butte, Pincher Creek and Taber and therefore understand both urban and rural education. Since regionalization, our Division has excelled in developing a regional focus while still maintaining local context in all of our communities.

There is no doubt that proximity and an understanding of rural education led the Bow Island ward to request joining our division. However, our provincial recognition of being a high performing and innovative division also played a part in their decision. It is this fact that I also want to comment on. Our leadership in Inspiring Education cannot be understated and should be highlighted and celebrated throughout our communities. There is good reason we are sought after to present provincially and held up as a model for what education can be! I am constantly humbled by the work occurring in our division; the innovative practice and engaging pedagogy in our schools are examples of our commitment to providing the highest quality of education for ALL students in our care. I continue to be grateful for all who are a part of the Holy Spirit family and feel blessed to be surrounded by such excellence!

Speaking of excellence, I’m looking forward to our long service awards being held on Monday, April 28th. There never seems to be a perfect time to host these awards and this year is an anomaly due to beginning the year with our Spiritual Development Day that featured David Wells. Regardless of the timing, it is an important part of our culture to recognize our staffs’ service from 5 years to 40 years. This year’s event will begin at 5:00 PM with a mass led by Fr. Roque. For all those receiving long service awards, please accept my sincere thanks for your dedication to Catholic Education in Holy Spirit.

During the first full week of May, I will be in Kananaskis for meetings with other Catholic Superintendents and Bishop Henry and then attending the Blueprints Conference. At last count, we have 21 participants for Blueprints and an additional 10 staff for SPICE. The high level of participation on a yearly basis at these conferences speaks well to our continued focus on our Catholic identity.  I’m looking forward to hearing David Wells again. He was remarkable at our opening and the opportunity to engage with him for an additional 3 1/2 days will be spiritually uplifting. In reference to being spiritually uplifted, this Easter version of the song Hallelujah is incredible. Although Easter is over, it is definitely something to bookmark for future years.

May should bring some wonderful weather and will likely fly by with the bedlam of activities throughout the division.  Schools are preparing their budgets, staffing is a focus and plans for the modernization of St. Michael’s School and the visioning for the new elementary school in north Lethbridge will keep everybody busy! Before you know it, we will be heading into June, final exams and then a well deserved summer vacation.

We will also celebrate two graduation classes of 2014 in May- Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge and St. Michael’s School in Pincher Creek. It is always an honor to attend these ceremonies, address our graduates and witness the pride of their families and friends as they walk across the stage, diploma in hand. Please keep our graduates in your prayers as they prepare to enter into another phase of their lives.

Enjoy and celebrate the month of Mary and have a blessed May!  

 

Apr 13

Schools adjust to parenting styles

I was born in the early 60’s and grew up in a traditional family setting for the time. Dad worked and for the majority of my school days, especially when I was young, I had a stay-at-home mom. We always had time for family supper and found time to attend church. I had a fairly strict upbringing; my parents instilled a high level of expectation and I always felt loved and supported. “Supported” is an interesting concept! While I always knew my parents had my back, when I was wrong, their support came from assisting me in making it right rather than doing it for me. Their support allowed me to grow a tough skin and compassionate heart, as well as learn to problem solve and critical think! Jumping in and saving me when I stumbled was not their way but, neither was it to allow me to drown! There is a fine line between the two and I would suggest that they got it right most of the time.

They also had high expectations for me at school. Although I was a pretty good athlete and well involved in sports, school always had to be a priority. Given some significant injuries in my late teens, I was fortunate that school was always made a priority, as it allowed me to go to university when my playing days were over.  There were no school councils at the time but they got to know my teachers at interview times, which they never missed and attended school functions that were open to parents. For that time, they would have been considered engaged parents!

Fast forward to today and you will note that the world around us and parenting as a whole are very different. In her recent article, author Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis writes about the 10 Common Mistakes Parents Today Make (Me Included). This is not meant to be an attack on parenting skills, simply an acknowledgement that being “supported” is a vastly different concept today. She paraphrases psychiatrist Paul Bohn from an article entitled How to Land Your Kid in Therapy:  

[M]any parents will do anything to avoid having their kids experience even mild discomfort, anxiety, or disappointment — “anything less than pleasant,” as he puts it — with the result that when, as adults, they experience the normal frustrations of life, they think something must be terribly wrong.

And because of this, it is always amazing to me when society in general tells the education system to return to the way it was! We don’t have the same society, same family structures or the same students coming into our classrooms and therefore, education cannot be the same either! While we may wish that all students came to school ready to learn and eventually knowing how to learn, the fact remains that many (25% or greater) have some vulnerability coming into school. Add a shrinking middle class and an increased poverty rate and schools cannot be the same!

So the backlash against Inspiring Education and the transformation of our system simply astounds me. Schools are simply adjusting to society and parenting styles. And unless society and parenting styles are going to radically change, schools will continue to need to adjust.  However, there will be a breaking point! With classrooms continuing to become increasingly more diverse, we will need invest in a societal action plan! This is not about more money but about all of us taking on more responsibility and providing the right support!

Children are our future, the adults of tomorrow! They need to be loving and compassionate but also resilient! Schools can adjust up to a point but parents and society must be willing to make a shift too! We can’t go back to the good ole’ days but we can create better days for the future of our children!

 

Apr 10

Relationships…always!

I’m sitting in Olds High School in advance of my presentation on high school redesign. Instead of sitting in the area where we will be having lunch, I chose to sit in a common area with students all around me. As a superintendent I don’t get enough opportunities to be around students so it is nice to see the hustle and bustle of students. It is comfortable for me and I realize that it is one of the greatest drawbacks of entering central office…lack of “kid fix.” But it also reminds me of why I do and love this job.

As I drove here today I connected with a former student of mine. She was a student early in my career and both her and her family became close to my wife and I. I remember being invited to her farewell family gathering just prior to her going to study abroad. Over the many years, she has kept in contact,  letting us know about her marriage and the birth of her two children (which of course really makes me feel old) and other major events in her life. We’ve actually only seen each other a couple of times in that time but it seems that when we meet or talk we just pick up from where we left off.

For those that know me well or read my blog, you will know that I’m always pushing the innovation agenda. I believe that we need to do things differently to meet the needs of our students. But talking to Janice reminded me that although the innovation agenda is very important, great teaching always starts with a solid relationship with students.  I don’t think I had as big of impact on her life as she remembers- she was a great kid and had a solid family but I know I likely had some influence. And that influence can only come through a strong and trusting relationship.

Although I may have made an impact on Janice, often early in my career I was too immature to understand the importance of building relationships with all students, especially those who walked into my class with a “chip on their shoulders.” I was fortunate to really learn about relationships with all students when I had the opportunity to move and teach in northern Alberta. There, a principal named Dorothy Cowell taught me to love them all and love those that really need it even more. Through her mentoring, I was able to build some of the strongest relationships with the toughest kids. Before they care about “school” they need to know that you care about them.

Often when I speak in public I relay this message, “Educators hold the future of students in their hands…what a great honour and what a great responsibility!” With that reminder in the forefront of our minds, we must know that relationships are critical to influence. We must always understand that developing a strong and trusting relationship with our students is the key building block to everything else along the innovation path. Sometimes the gratitude may be never expressed; I’m fortunate for the students like Janice and others who still reconnect and provide me with that positive feedback. Regardless of gratitude or not, we must remember that strong relationships will always influence the students in our lives and that must always be our first step!

Mar 31

From the Desk of the Superintendent- March 31, 2014

I want to begin this month’s blog by celebrating excellence. This past month, three of our Holy Spirit teachers were recognized for their excellence. Coreen Packham was nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award, Kelly Peake was named Holy Spirit’s recipient of the Excellence in Catholic Education Award and Cyrenna Carpenter will be our Edwin Parr nominee, which celebrates excellence in first year teaching! All three of these ladies should be congratulated for these achievements, as their work contributes to the overall success of our school division. Well done!

With April almost upon us (note I didn’t say spring) and the provincial budget announced, we are gearing up for the 2014-15 school year. At the last board meeting, trustees approved the strategic priorities and reviewed the budget assumptions. The strategic priorities are based on the provincial government’s business plan which articulates four goals: (1) An excellent start to learning, (2) Success for every student, (3) Quality teaching and school leadership and (4) Engaged and effective governance. To ensure local context and commitment to our Catholic faith, the Board of Trustees approved the following priorities to guide our planning for 2014-15:

  1. Walking together in our Catholic faith
  2. Preparing students for their future
  3. Engaging and effective governance

Tomorrow afternoon, I’m heading to Saskatoon to participate in ERDI. Education Research & Development Corp. (ERDI) provides a forum for meaningful dialogue between business leaders and chief executive officers (CEOs, superintendents and directors) of key school districts/boards across Canada. I am very honored to have been invited to attend these semi-annual conferences and engage in meaningful dialogue with other superintendents from across the country. Although education is provincially mandated, the ability to obtain a national perspective is most helpful for our division.

Our C2 committee met for the last time this year. The C2 committee has been extremely valuable in providing an avenue to discuss teacher workload and teacher efficacy. Based on some provincial perspective, our C2 committee is farther along the path than most and the ability to offer an assessment day is being held up as an exemplary practice. ATA Local President Mark Nixon, C2 Committtee Chair Luigi Pollio, Trustee Bryan Kranzler and I will be heading to Calgary for a provincial meeting on April 15th. I would like to thank the members of the C2 committee for an excellent first year.

One of the messages that came out of the C2 committee was a request for me to again articulate my belief statements on curriculum. Earlier this month I wrote an article for the Lethbridge Herald entitled Curriculum Redesign. I would ask that you re-read this article as it leads you to my main message. The Minister of Education has given school divisions permission to do things differently and I want to ensure that you clearly understand that this same freedom is being allotted to schools and individual classrooms teachers around pedagogy. Each of you has the opportunity to “thin” the curriculum and focus on the “need to know” outcomes. Literacy and numeracy must be at the center of all that we do from the early years to high school. Never before in education have we been given such an opportunity. While we still need some time to build collective professional judgment between grades and schools, each teacher can already dismiss outcomes that are simply “nice to know!” I would encourage all teachers to begin having conversations with their colleagues on the essential outcomes for success in their grade and the one above. Our students will benefit greatly from the opportunity to go deeper in their learning by covering less “mediocre” outcomes.

As I finish my blog, I want to pass on some of my favorite articles from the Twittersphere! Enjoy!

  1. 2 very divergent articles about failure: Protect your Kids From Failure and Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail
  2. A great article about trust: The Proven Path to T.R.U.S.T.
  3. The Land of But; Where Ideas Go To Die!

Mar 26

Curriculum Redesign

The following article was published in the Lethbridge Herald on March 26, 2014.

During the last couple of years, the Lethbridge Herald has offered local superintendents an opportunity to write a weekly column on education. Each of us has written about our own local initiatives, as well as the changing face of education. This consistent communication is important, as a lack of information allows for misconceptions around the direction of education in Alberta. Last week, the Minister of Education provided a letter to all parents to further clarify this direction and calm some unfounded fears.

Although there is much innovation in the system currently occurring, the work on the curriculum is seemingly causing the most consternation. The first erroneous myth to spread like wildfire is that literacy and numeracy will no longer be a focus in this new education system. Nothing could be more contrary as literacy and numeracy are fundamental in curriculum redesign and need to be further embedded in all subjects. The mastery of basic skills in both of these areas is foundational for student success in future years.

While excellent teaching in the classroom will be the most important factor to impact student learning, a robust, challenging and practical curriculum must also be present. For years both teachers and students have articulated that there is an overload (1400+) of curricular outcomes. It is unfathomable for teachers to teach with any great depth or students to have any rich experiences with that number of outcomes. Consequently, one of the major roles of the re-design process is to thin the curriculum to ensure that teachers and students can delve into the subject area more thoroughly. Simply “covering” the curriculum is insufficient and needs to be replaced with the teaching and learning of essential outcomes- those that a student “needs to know” as opposed to “nice to know.”

Furthermore, subject areas must be taught, like in real life, as inter-related. Cross curricular outcomes will enhance subject specific disciplines and raise the level of student engagement. Language arts and social, math and science and health, wellness and fine arts must be seamlessly woven into the day to day classroom. Engaged students, learning relevant and practical curriculum stay in school. With 1 in 5 students not completing high school within five years in Alberta and a cost to Canadian society of $37 million annually (Hankivsky, 2008), it is fairly understandable why curriculum redesign with a focus on student engagement needs to be a priority.  

The education system must adjust to address the growing needs of our society. Students need to be more creators of information as opposed to consumers. They must be able to communicate effectively both with and without the use of technology. Curriculum must unleash opportunities for students to work alone to build resiliency, as well as in groups to master collaboration skills. And finally, students must become problem solvers and critical thinkers. Curriculum redesign is just part of the vision of Inspiring Education, a vision that will lead students to become, “Engaged Thinkers, Ethical Citizens, with an Entrepreneurial Spirit.” 

Mar 23

Science and Innovation Summit- Berlin 2014

Last week, I wrote about my experience travelling with EF Educational Tours Canada to Germany. I have yet to write on the main purpose of the trip which was the Science and Innovation Summit, held in Berlin. I have now had time to recover from jet lag, a nasty cold and have been able to reflect on this Summit and how it impacts educating students.

The Summit provided an excellent learning opportunity for the students involved. Beginning with an address and even more personal questions and answers period with Canadian and world-renowned astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar, students were challenged to dream big, follow their passions and be self-reflective. It was a powerful start to the process where students were going to be actively engaged in the four C’s: creating, communicating, collaborating and critically thinking. This is certainly the direction that contemporary education is going and aligns perfectly with preparing students who will be, “Engaged Thinkers, Ethical Citizens with an Entrepreneurial Spirit!”

Together EF Educational Tours Canada  and Evergreen designed four exciting workshop challenges for the students participating in the Summit. Each challenge was dedicated to one of four themes: energy, food, transportation, and architecture. Throughout the process, expert facilitators engaged students and provided a context for the challenge scenario for each topic.

  • The energy challenge asked students to develop a solution to reduce their school’s energy use by 50%.
  • The food challenge prompted students to re-design their cafeteria experience to include sustainable food choices and practices while increasing usage of the space.
  • The transportation category tasked students to redesign their commute to school and reduce their overall environmental impact.
  • The architecture challenge required students to recreate their school space and grounds to reflect sustainable design.

Design thinking, a problem solving process was core to the Summit. It began with an identification phase through various lenses, where opportunities and challenges were brainstormed within a group setting. Although slow to start, as students needed to get to know one another, the end result was a bedlam of creativity! Students were then led through a five step process that culminated with presentations of their final product that evening. This process, design by Guido Kovalskys, directed students through the following:

  1. Empathize– Students were required to list the potential audiences who might be influenced by their challenge. What might be their concerns? What might be the impact of their project? Eventually, the students decided on one target audience that would be most impacted by their solution.  
  2. Define– Students began by listing the values attributed to their solution. The goal of this step was to define their statement of purpose which included their lens, audience and theme.
  3. Ideate– The ideate stage began with a reflection and sharing of their statement of purpose with other groups. This allowed for a refinement if necessary. Students began to “blue sky” and developed solutions that were bold. The mentality around ideate is “Yes… and…” not “Yes..but…” which was extremely liberating for participants.
  4. Prototype– Students began to sketch their ideas and draft their design plan. Two phrases from the presentation caught my attention. The first, from Hasso Platner of the Institute of Design at Stanford was, “Build to think and test to learn.” The second came from one of the slides and simply stated, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a prototype is worth a thousand pictures.”  Prototyping is the “doing” phase, the hands on action. 
  5. Test– This phase was beyond the scope of the Summit but has significant implications to the process in the classroom. It is the opportunity to test out the prototypes and extend the learning.

The final portion of the event was completing their prototypes and then presenting them to other participants and the judges. The ability to showcase their prototypes demonstrated how the four C’s of contemporary education had been realized. Multiple learning outcomes were achieved through active engagement. It was messy but it demonstrated exactly the direction required for education. Students must move from consumers of information to creators of information. They must be able to work with others in a collaborative environment and communicate clearly and concisely. And finally, the problems of tomorrow will not be solved with the often linear thinking of today. Critical thinking, bold and divergent, must be given its proper place in the classrooms of today and the Summit provided an excellent example.