This fall's issue on education and the brain coincides with the most invigorating time of the year for our community: the start of the new school year. The broader culture thinks of New Year's Day as the time for renewal. For schools, that time comes each August or September when teachers reengage their students on academic journeys designed to increase their knowledge of - and ignite their passion for - a range of subjects, from science to art, math to literature, history to world languages. Beyond this core, each year we know that our students will learn more about themselves - how to build knowledge, generate and nurture relationships, and develop capacities and mindsets that are essential for a successful life in this century. They will also grow in their ability to be part of a community - locally, nationally, and even internationally.
Providing extraordinary learning experiences for children and young adults - in the whole range of academic, social, and emotional development - is what makes independent schools exceptional. Every school's mission calls for this well-rounded educational expedition. Yet, while the fall is a time to celebrate the great work of independent schools, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on how we can further hone the delivery of our schools' promise to ensure that the students' experiences reflect both mission and the leading practices in education.
NAIS's Summit on the Science of Learning and 21st Century Schools, held last May at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education, was all about the most current research and thinking behind a great education, including curricula, teaching, and research. As we know, what defines a great education is not static. It is ever evolving, influenced by the demands of a new era that require us to expand on traditional learning and teaching expectations, by new approaches to teacher training and development, and by neuroscience research that gives teachers the why and how to truly individualize learning.
We heard from learning experts such as Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, assistant professor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, who spoke about the connection between emotion and learning and how this relationship can make or break cognition. Joanna Christodolou, assistant professor at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, framed findings related to reading development and cognitive neuroscience and how effective instruction can rewire the reading brain. Carolyn Strom, visiting assistant professor at New York University's Department of Teaching and Learning, helped us to see how learning differences are assets and opportunities (rather than deficits) and underlined what needs to be done to implement research-driven learning strategies into the classroom. The importance of neuroscience research on learning cannot be overstated.
In outlining new approaches to curricula, Ken Kay, CEO of EdLeader21, challenged attendees to consider how critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity can be intentionally woven into what students are taught in order to provide robust preparation for the times ahead. Charles Fadel, founder and chairman of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, proposed that curricula should reflect four education dimensions - knowledge, skills, character, and metacognition - in order to reach "depth of understanding and versatility." Jal Mehta, associate professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, talked about the need for greater focus on student agency and how student agency intersects with identity, mastery, and creativity. All three of these experts prompted us to think about what we teach our students and the benefits of an enhanced or reconstituted curricula.
Focusing on how current learning and teaching models are changing, Joel Rose, cofounder and CEO of New Classrooms Innovation Partners, discussed how his School of One (launched in the New York City public schools in 2009) model has enabled teachers to more efficiently use their time - aided by adaptive technologies - to improve student mastery of mathematics. Noodle CEO and NAIS Board member John Katzman shared how schools are being redesigned to reflect the shift to student-centric environments in which teachers are becoming more curators of learning rather than strictly content specialists. Marcy Singer-Gabella, associate chair, department of teaching and learning at Vanderbilt's Peabody College, spoke of redesigning the role of teachers, shifting from solo providers of information to members of teams that are flexible enough to respond to different student learning needs.
In the day-and-a-half we had together, there was as much to learn from our own independent school experts as there was from those outside of our community. Alex Curtis, headmaster at Choate Rosemary Hall (Connecticut), spoke of the need to challenge long-standing assumptions about curricula and the complexities of change while Kathleen Brownback, an instructor in religion at Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire), talked about faculty interest in better understanding student emotional health and awareness with regard to learning - echoing Mary Helen Immordino-Yang's research. Marifred Cilella, head at The Howard School (Georgia), a school for children with learning disabilities, discussed how neuroscience and child development research have forged a long-standing framework supporting the educational experiences of her students.
Jennifer de Forest, head at the Blue Oak School (California), Ruth Fletcher, dean of professional programs at Punahou School (Hawai'i), and Tim Fish, assistant head at the McDonogh School (Maryland), highlighted the importance of professional teaching practices, mentoring, growth mindsets, collaborative teaching, and teacher roles, sharing key learnings from successful teacher training and development initiatives at their schools and others across the country.
There were also reality checks about the challenges teachers face with implementing changes to curricula and pedagogy, navigating sensitivities about labeling students with learning differences or addressing concerns about perceived dilution of academic rigor despite the effects of stress and anxiety on students and family life. The richness of the conversations was exceptional.
We - at NAIS - emerged from the summit with many new ideas as to how the association itself can best advance the discussion about learning and teaching at the national level. Here are a few that we will be exploring this year:
- Create networks of schools committed to different aspects of learning and teaching innovation;
- Sponsor a researcher-in-residence program to identify best-in-class practices to be shared in the public and private K-12 community;
- Curate neuroscience research on learning to inform educators and help them integrate research into teaching practice; and
- Support a community conversation on how to integrate learning research and new practices into the classroom while respecting the traditions of education within schools.
We - at NAIS - emerged from the summit with many new ideas as to how the association itself can best advance the discussion about learning and teaching at the national level.
There is a lot to consider as we embark on another academic year. We have amazing schools that have the flexibility to reflect upon and quickly adopt new thinking, research, and practices in ways that other K-12 institutions cannot. Independent schools are not hindered by bureaucracies that tie the hands of gifted public school teachers and administrators, nor are they dependent on federal, state, or local revenue sources that often restrict what can be taught and by whom. Autonomy is precious, and it gives our schools the ability to maximize opportunities and resources to develop an outstanding and personalized educational journey for each of our students.
Our sector's flexibility interjects a responsibility to steward this independence with an eye toward current research, pedagogy, and practices that can inform our practices. The May Summit on the Science of Learning and 21st Century Schools is the first of what we expect will be many NAIS-organized Deep Dives into learning and teaching and the beginning of a renewed organizational emphasis on learning and teaching at independent schools.
With all the new knowledge about how we think and learn coming to light, there's much for all of us to contemplate. For schools, the challenge is always to stay true to their missions and visions while simultaneously evolving and improving upon their work. At NAIS, we are committed to improving and growing our own role in supporting schools - especially in these exciting and challenging times.
