Rigor Redefined

In a few weeks, students and their families will be scheduling their first Learning Team Meetings of the academic year. This will be an opportunity for your daughter to take a lead role in her own learning as “chair” of this team. With more or less scaffolding depending on the grade, she will set goals, identify both strengths and weaknesses, provide exemplars of work, and set the stage for end of term narratives that will provide an in-depth of view of what the grade has been doing collectively and what your child has achieved individually. When that narrative comes home, what will you be looking for as evidence of success? I want to plant a seed for a redefinition of a phrase we often hear, “academic rigor.” What do we define as rigorous at SGS?

Tony Wagner, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, suggests that even our best schools are not always preparing students for 21st century careers and citizenship. He identifies seven survival skills for the future:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Collaboration and leadership
• Agility and adaptability
• Initiative and entrepreneurialism
• Effective oral and written communication
• Accessing and analyzing information
• Curiosity and imagination
  

He bases his conclusions on both classroom observations and conversations with leaders in business, non-profit work, philanthropy, and education. He describes a “rare class”
where academic content is used to develop students’ core competencies, such as those suggested above; where complex, multi-step problems are regularly featured, where students seek multiple solutions that require creativity and imagination; and where success requires teamwork. I certainly hope that this classroom sounds familiar to you, because it is what we strive for at Seattle Girls’ School, I observe this type of learning everyday within our walls, and often beyond them in “being there” experiences.

Take a look at Tony Wagner’s entire article at another blog site - http://lessonslearnedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2010/07/rigor-redefined-by-tony-wagner.html

What do you think of this redefinition of academic rigor? I would love to hear your perspectives and feedback.

SGS Alumna Reflects on Experience in Guatemala

An SGS graduate who has gone on to do some amazing things ... among them, a trip to Guatemala, through Global Visionaries. She writes, "My trip to Guatemala has changed my life forever."

Read her amazing story here

Run for Women in the Congo

Wendy Ewbank is leading an SGS contingent of runners, and walkers, at the -

Intiman Theatre's 5K

for Women in the Congo

October 16th, 9am

Click Here for More Information

Leading Without Power

On Thursday, September 16th, several 7th and 8th grade SGS students taught adults in industry how to "lead without power." Here is a description of the event and some photos:

We have all been there: responsibility without authority. In this our 3rd Innovative Session, PMC (Product Management Consortium) partnered with tomorrow's leaders from Seattle Girls' School to explore strategies for leading without power and getting the job done, and done well.

We used a Product Camp format to generate specific conversation topics, break into groups who then presented 'takeaways' back to the group. Each group was made up of Product Professionals and Seattle Girls School middle schoolers.

PMC is about creating a place for “product people” to connect, share, participate, and learn with and from each other. Students of the Seattle Girls’ School are, from day one, charged with being the leaders of tomorrow, and no small part of that has been learning how to lead without power. The information exchange was fresh and fun as we learned from each other.

One adult participant said, "I'm a little scared of who those girls will grow up to be. I'd hire them right now to do anything they wanted on my team."

The vision for this event came from a fabulous role model for the girls, Val Sanford, Senior Vice President at Blinkx, Inc.

To learn more about Val Sanford - http://www.linkedin.com/in/valsanford

To read Val's blog post on the event, CLICK HERE

Want to be inspired by young people?

... starting with SGS alumna, Jessica Markowitz, who founded Impuhwe, a group which gives Rwandan children, especially girls, the opportunity to go to school. This past summer, SGS 7th grade teacher, Wendy Ewbank, traveled to Rwanda with all the founders of the group. These girls have gone on to high schools all over the city; and the impact of their deeds can be felt throughout the Seattle as well as in Rwanda. We are very proud of all of them!

Read more about Jessica and other inspiring youth ...

Ted x Redmond - An independently organized TED event

UPDATE: Several SGS students attended the event and were inspired as they begin to contemplate their "Pay it Forward Projects" for 7th grade. Stay tuned for their impact!

Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

This article, brought to my attention by an SGS Board member, suggests that much of what we think is good for our children to study effectively is just ... wrong. Some counter-intuitive or counter-traditional approaches that are rooted in research include:

• Varying study locations instead of setting up one, quiet space;
• Varying the types of material studied in one sitting - the brain likes to make and break patterns as part of the learning and re-learning process;
• Viewing testing as an ideal learning opportunity in and of itself rather than an assessment of what has been mastered.
  

Link to NY Times Article

The Beauty of the First Week of School

Here is what I found beautiful last week ...

In The Eye Of The Beholder: Art, Justin Bieber And The Best Equation Ever

If you could only pick one ... Justin Bieber or Math? I am hopeful that girls at SGS would at least have to ponder the question :-)

Although the math is somewhat beyond Algebra I, I know several SGS students who will indeed find beauty in this equation. Check it out!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2010/09/02/129610905/best-equation-ever