Skip to main content

E.T.

I don’t think everyone is aware that for this period between Thanksgiving and Winter break, grade levels within the Middle School temporarily re-organize themselves to offer interdisciplinary learning experiences to break up the regular routine of class. This year, I was asked to participate in the “Machine Pilot” aspect of the seventh grade effort to explore the concept of extra-terrestrial life (E.T.). Seventh graders are asked to consider who, out of anyone on the planet, they would choose to send into outer space to interact with alien life forms and why. Our students are told they can literally choose any person on the planet, and the focus need not necessarily be someone with experience in space travel. In fact, they are asked to envision a pre-programmed ship with one seat, leaving them to consider not just technical skills but who would we want to represent human kind in this first interaction. They research, create resumes, write persuasive cover letters and are ultimately asked to adopt a persona and speak publicly to a panel to make their case. Along with about ten other Berwick faculty and staff members, I was on the panel deciding who should be our ultimate “machine pilot” from Berwick Academy.

Projects like these are great examples in understanding the power of student-directed learning, where kids are asked to formulate unique arguments rather than reproduce information. What was interesting and unexpected for me as the panelist was the quality and depth of questions I was asking myself. I was immediately balancing the technical and philosophical aspects of the task: would I rather see someone with at least some background in space travel or alien life in that seat for the best chance of success? Or would I prefer to see someone who simply represents the best of what our world has to offer? Then I found myself struggling with how much I should reward the student presentations vs. how much I should value the fit between the skills of the persona and the proposed task.

When the presentations were over and the committee shared thoughts and ideas, we actually coalesced rather quickly. I was left feeling that while some parents might think an “E.T.” unit is a bit wacky or ungrounded, I could see how the skills learned were real. Beyond the needed presentation skills, there was legitimate time and energy put into building resumes and creating professional cover letters. Research, reflection, and persuasion were all coming together to see which student could “move the room” most effectively. It reminded me of just how many of those skills are needed in my own job each and every day.

I have to admit that the initials “E.T.” for me have always made my synapses immediately go to flying bicycles and Reese's pieces. But after this week, those two letters are going to elicit different sorts of memories – memories about student-directed learning.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Piercing the Bubble

This week we were so fortunate to have former NH Senator Kelly Ayotte address grades 7 – 11 in our theater about Civil Discourse in a time of Political Polarization. Senator Ayotte spoke to the need to take the high road in tough conversations and put an incredible primacy on building relationships with people who hold different opinions. She was able to speak to some of her own successes in working across the aisle to develop legislation to address the opioid crisis in New Hampshire as one powerful example of how this can be possible. Additionally, Senator Ayotte offered a strong reminder to our students of the need for more women in positions of leadership within our government, citing that she had only been the 53rd woman to serve in the US senate during her tenure. With a down-to-earth style and but an appropriately impassioned call to action, she challenged our students to become the leaders that they could be. Her call to action and example of service were powerful reminder...
Post a Comment
Read more

The wonders of nature at Berwick

I started my day in the Admin meeting on Thursday hearing about the newest iteration of Earth Day this year. Thanks to senior Quinn Santos and his Innovation Pursuit, we learned about the ways in which Earth Day will be a bit more hands on and active than it has in the past. Quinn has been a passionate environmentalist on campus and this year his IP project has focused on building out our Earth Day programming. As Head of School, it is pretty compelling to see one student mobilize an entire PK-12 school into action to clean up beaches and come to know our local wildlife. While we can sometimes worry about the amount of disruption and special schedules that these events create, it’s amazing that we have kids who care as much as Quinn does. His passion is authentic, and it goes well beyond any kind of grade motivation. He is off to Unity College next year to take this passion to the next level. I finished my day by enjoying the miracle that Lower School parents know as the Lower S...
Post a Comment
Read more

Arts Underground

One of Berwick’s great strengths is its arts culture, and I have always felt that there is both a public and private face of this culture. The public face includes our amazing concerts, our ambitious productions, and the various art shows we produce throughout the year. The private face tends to include things like private lessons, coffeehouses, assembly performances, murals painted on walls, and unexpected artistic expressions that emerge on campus throughout the year. One of the great traditions I will miss at Berwick will be the annual recital week in April. So many of our students hone their craft on private music lessons throughout the year in the hopes of having a public performance at this time. Simultaneously, we have a week of performances in the theater and in Chip Harding’s coffeehouse lair – the space he likes to refer to as his “smoldering ruins,” referring to the carnage left there after every Middle School electric guitar class. This year, for my second and final time, I...
Post a Comment
Read more