A Shifted School

We use the term “shift” to describe moving our schools to “learning 2.0 “. Following the learning 2.0 link to Wikipedia will redirect you to the “eLearning” page. This concept is a fluid one! As you scan down the page, several Web 2.0 technologies are mentioned. A portion of the shift is moving our classrooms from those directed mainly by teachers to those driven by students.

We use the term “teacher facilitators,” who design learning opportunities that often involve using technology to connect students to the larger learning community. This shift is also towards designing a curriculum that leads our students to learning outcomes termed “21st century “skills. These skills involve various literacies (information, visual, tools, media, etc.). The ICL standards for HKIS tie in nicely to these skills and literacies. Much more can be written about supporting student learning by using social networks and read/write online tools, but this post’s point is to share how one school has made this shift.

I recently visited with Brent Loken and Grant Ruskovich at the Hsinchu International School secondary level in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Brent showed me around the brand-new facility, sharing plans and ways the students would design how the classrooms and open spaces would be further used and enhanced. Project-based learning and student ownership of the facility are a big part of the school’s mission.

For those who sometimes struggle to make small gains in shifting our schools, it was incredible to see so much of what we believe is happening. I offered Brent an idea or two while asking questions about learning 2.0 instruction. It became humorous after a while, with his response consistently being, “Yes, we are doing that.”

Here are a few of the highlights of the afternoon:

• The school’s five learning outcomes are embedded into the regular curriculum, with some classes having blogs where students reflect and rate how they are doing in meeting the school learning goals weekly.
• Students prepare the video used when school administrators attend recruitment fairs.
• Courses in the Upper School are called “learning expeditions” and last two years. Each is centered around an essential question, with second-level ones guiding the covered topics.

I will add more information about HIS as I connect further with Brent.