Why We Do This Work!

WOW – Wednesday’s site visit with Foley High School’s pilot AIW team was amazing. As is best, the presenting teacher brought an assignment she felt needed to improve before reusing it. The team read it and agreed on a low 3 for construction of knowledge, a 2 for elaborated communication, and a 3 for value beyond school.

So far, it seemed like a typical AIW conversation. The book kids were to read is Chew on This. They had to make a magazine in pairs for middle schoolers to learn about healthy alternatives. The main problem was the assignment’s purpose was only about healthy alternatives in reference to the book: one magazine page per chapter. Blah — so “playing school.” Even the idea of sharing the magazine was hypothetical.

But rather than tweaking around the edges as often happens, a re-envisioning process unfolded. The principal reminded the group that a few years back this particular book had been the selection for a 10th-grade requirement. (9th graders would read Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, 11th graders, Nickeled and Dimed, and 12th graders Tuesdays with Morrie). We had just finished talking about the real meaning of value beyond school, that it’s about transforming students' understanding of how to impact the world they live in and how to use knowledge to make change in their communities or in their own lives.

At this point the science teacher, who also happened to teach all the 10th graders, and the social studies teacher both began to make connections to their own courses. A 10th-grade capstone was born. The English teacher redefined her purpose and intent around the power of advertising, the purpose of research, and the need for activating self-reflection when making choices. What a trouper she was — gold stars for perseverance and intellectual acuity.

Their teammates helped them chunk the assessment process so they would only try parts of it this year (so as to not sink under the weight), but since both their principal and superintendent are members of their learning team, they were given encouragement to write everything up with building staff development dollars over the summer, and to use this year as a test run for key parts. We ended by reading the description of a 5 in value beyond school for instruction and embraced the well laid plans for taking us there!