Rigor Redefined

In a few weeks, students and their families will be reviewing narratives for the first term. These detailed reports will provide an in-depth 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.

Pictures from 2011 POCC

http://video214.com/play/bLGGyI14WpBV8w8PPA7a0w/s/dark

The White House Project

Former SGS Development staff member now President of the White House Project, Tiffany Dufu. Listen to her presentation, "Pathways to Non-Profit."

http://youtu.be/kzs1BhSxYS0

... and learn more about The White House Project:

http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org/

Philadelphia Murals - Featured at POCC

Thanks to the City of Philadelphia’s “Mural Arts Program,” Philadelphia is truly “The City of Murals.” As John and I walked around the city, I was struck by "Philadelphia Muses" - among others. You can clearly see the connection to the work of POCC and part of the conference theme, Painting Our New Mural of Community!

Enjoy!

http://www.phillymuralpics.com/Welcome.html

Fellow blogger has great pics!!

Great pictures from fellow blogger -

http://dparkersch.tumblr.com/

POCC - Day 3

Closing Ceremony with Martin Nesbit

I love how one of my fellow bloggers describes the impact of his words - "it's personal."

http://midscribble.tumblr.com/post/13685832552/its-personal

POCC - Day 2

Day 2 was filled with networking. I was able to meet with outstanding educators from all over the country. While we expect minimal turn-over among our faculty for 2012-13, I believe that we must engage in on-going conversation with excellent teachers of color in order to diversify our candidate pool when the time comes for a search.

More excellent speakers that inspire with their personal stories:

Lorene Carey

Suzan Shown Harjo