Chapters International

Overview:

How can leaders directly improve the conditions for teaching and learning? We have a genuine opportunity to reconsider format decisions in our schools to address new challenges and open possibilities regarding the structural ‘nest.’ There is an astonishing natural beauty to a bird’s nest in its form and function. The nest’s structure is responsive to climate, purpose, and available resources to be a place where nurturing the young is possible. Shaping the structural nest is an opportunity to lead for learning. The four interconnected structures we will explore are:

Schedule. How we use time to structure learning plans.

Spaces. How we organize and use spaces to engage with learners.

Learner Grouping. How we intentionally group learners to grow their interests, skill sets, and discourse.

Personnel Configuration. How we intentionally organize personnel to be responsive to what the schedules, spaces, and learner grouping demands.

These four critical structures and their interplay as paramount in creating that quite literally shape how our curriculum and learning experiences are planned. As leaders we will work to lay out planning approaches to address the format structures notin isolation by, but rather orchestrated to work together for cohesion.

Outcomes for Participants:

Draft of a working plan to adjust and improvements in your schools’ structures.

Tools for planning and researching fresh approaches to schedules, learning spaces, grouping patterns for learners and personnel.

Tools and resources to develop a plan for improving conditions at your school.

Fresh ideas, new practices, and case studies from around the world to support your work.

APPROACH: Interaction will be key in our sessions

Session 1: Leading to Rethink and Reimagine Your School’s Structures Format

Analyze the direct impact of the four structures on establishing the conditions for learning.

Consider the four program structures in relationship to pedagogy

Ascertain where your school is presently

Draft the process for determining where your school might be.

Determine what the impact of the pandemic has been on your structures especially the impact of online learning.

Expand your design menu to share with a leadership team moving forward.

Session 2: Leading with Time: How to establish schedules that support the learning experiences your students need

Determine realistic options for both long-term and short-term schedules

Review case studies of different schedules

Explore strategies to deal with flex-time

Work with the concept of bidding for time with other faculty members

Debate whether graduation can occur earlier

Weigh in on asynchronous and synchronous time

Examine how student self-navigating time

Session 3: Leading with Learning Spaces: How to use both physical and virtual learning spaces to support learning

Analyze the power and impact of physical spaces on learning

Examine extraordinary new learning spaces and architectural plans from around the world

Consider approaches to doing simple adjustments in physical spaces that have restrictions

Explore the uses of modern furniture designs in sculpting learning spaces

Explore the power of outdoor learning spaces and off-campus spaces

Analyze the impact of virtual spaces on how students learn

Share lessons learned from the pandemic on remote learning

Session 4: Leading with Grouping Patterns: How to design learning grouping pattens and personnel configurations to support learning

Examine the possibilities for grouping students in a greater variety of ways on the institutional level

Consider alternatives to rigid grade level grouping or ability grouping

Examine approaches to instructional grouping and how to help teachers work on grouping their learners more effectively

Analyze how to set up corresponding and dynamic approaches to faculty grouping

Analyze approaches to getting away from silos in our departments and grade levels

Examine the power of teaming and long-term grouping patterns with students

Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs

Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs is internationally recognized for her seminal work in contemporary curriculum design, vertical mapping and modernizing responsive school environments. She prizes her work directly with schools in all settings of every kind, whether public, private, secular, sectarian, on-site, or virtual. Dr. Jacobs’s models on curriculum mapping world are the basis for software solutions used throughout the world. Dr. Jacobs has engaged in projects with a wide array of both national and international organizations and companies such as ASCD, NAESP, Learning Forward, the European Council of International Schools, the Near East School Association, the College Board, ADK International Sino-Canadian Schools in China, New Zealand’s Learning Network, the Kennedy Center, the Peace Corps World Wise Schools, Carnegie Hall, Australia ISV, the United Nations Council on Teaching about the UN, the Near East School Association, the International Baccalaureate, the NY State Higher Education Commission, the CCSSO workgroup on Global Competencies, AASA, Newsela, Amazon Studios, and the Waterford Institute. The author of thirteen books including the best-selling Bold Moves for Schools: How We Create Remarkable Learning Environments (ASCD) with co-author, Marie Alcock. Dr. Jacobs is laser-focused on how professionals, learners, and families can make choices to best prepare students for the future and is currently in collaboration with Allison Zmuda on developing tools, approaches, and a book on how to move forward post-pandemic with fresh approaches and building on lessons learned.