Learning – Barry Dequanne

Better Together

Reflecting on the state of world affairs and the challenges we have been facing, from a worldwide pandemic to historical political events to social injustice, among other critical issues, it would be easy to understand the impulse to have consigned 2020 to the local Ökihof (Swiss recycling centre) for recycling and become a distant memory. However, as difficult as the past year has been, and without diminishing in any way the immeasurable losses experienced by so many of our community members, 2020 has also taught us many lessons and forced us to learn more about ourselves, our work, and our communities. As 2021 is continuing to unfold, and many of the same challenges remain, I am hopeful that the experiences from both 2020 and 2021 to date will serve to provide a constructive and insightful pathway forward for our time ahead.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, The Fellowship of the Ring (a personal favourite), there is a lament from the main character wishing the challenges they were facing did not happen during their time. Gandalf replies, “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”.

What our community of international schools has done with this time has led to so many inspiring stories about innovation, reinvention, and the learning of new skills. The importance of community, relationships, health, and well-being, and our ability to be present have all come to the forefront. We have been moved and buoyed by the kindness, compassion, and empathy extended by friends and strangers alike. There is no longer any doubt (if there ever was any) that learning is a social endeavour, and through our need to connect, we are reminded that our diversity and differences are among our greatest strengths.

Perhaps the most enduring response during these challenging times has been the collective bolstering of our international community’s esprit de corps, from which we have emerged more aligned and unified. Borrowing from the wisdom young children often convey to adults, my three-year-old’s recent declaration may best summarise what has buoyed us: “We are better together”. I feel a profound sense of gratitude to be part of our International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL) community and our larger collection of international schools and organizations as we work through challenges, seek positives, and embrace the new opportunities that have emerged from these difficult times.

These are not pollyannish declarations; the pandemic has reminded us of how central schools can be towards uniting communities, achieving more together, supporting our collective well-being, and realizing our potential. It is also during these times when our schools’ missions are perhaps most relevant. In our context here at ISZL, I am grateful to be serving at a school with a mission in which we are committed to being a “community of learners determined to make the world – or our corner of it – a better, kinder place.” And, similar to schools around the globe, it is this very commitment that leads to the realization of our vision to help every student turn their learning into action, creating opportunities to stretch themselves further and achieve more than they believe possible.

Featured Photo Credit: ISZL Communications Team

Photo Below: Me, a cellphone, and a fortunate moment

Our three-year-old reminding me that we are all “better together”

Journeys and Transitions

While the very nature of an international community is one of transience, it is important not to diminish the challenges and opportunities associated with the transitions themselves. As the departure of valued colleagues and dear friends are accompanied by the arrival of new families and the promise of new friendships, we also find ourselves managing pandemic-induced vicissitudes. But, with every challenge, we also seek to learn from our experience and embrace new opportunities.

Could anyone have imagined last semester that campuses around the world would be closed from one day to the next, that over one billion students would spend several months learning from home and connecting with teachers online? As we know, this is exactly what happened. It was remarkable to see how quickly our community transitioned to a new reality and incorporated creative, and, in several cases, better ways of doing things. It was also affirming to witness what can be accomplished when real or perceived barriers are removed.

Our life journeys will include the need to face adversity, when our character and values are tested, when we are transformed for the better. We know that real growth comes from overcoming setbacks and challenges. We tend to learn much more from our failures than our successes. We face our crucibles, learn from those experiences, and emerge transformed in a fundamental way, though transitioning through these stages is not always easy. The author, William Bridges, makes a key distinction between the impact of change and transition on our lives:

“…change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won’t work, because it doesn’t ‘take’”.

The pandemic has challenged us in ways we could not have previously imagined. And, while it has not always been easy, our families, teachers, and staff have all inspired and emboldened us. Our students have been heroic throughout this journey, showing us how to flourish with grace, class, and good humour during a time of uncertainty and change.

Looking ahead, we will continue to prepare and plan for a school year using design principles that are adaptable and flexible in nature. We are committed to embracing transitions, learning from our experiences, incorporating new opportunities, and advancing a learning programme designed to help every student turn their learning into action, and stretch themselves further and achieve more than they believe possible [ISZL Vision].

Photo Credit: Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

From One Parent to Another…

This letter to parents has been written by an ISZL Parent/Teacher:

Dear Parents,
I have been thinking about you a lot lately. Like you, I’ve just finished attempting to motivate my Primary School aged son to organise his day. He begins with eagerness but his attention is limited, and to be honest, working from home has shown me that mine can be too. It is hard to sit in front of a computer all day, without the energy and enthusiasm that comes from working in a school, especially one like ISZL. It is a challenge for teachers as much as for students. We miss working directly with children, being able to have meaningful discussions about their learning and engage in the process together.

I have been thinking about you as I try to find space in my apartment to take a Google Hangout call with my team. Every other member of my family has a virtual meeting scheduled at exactly the same time. In the end, I carve out space on the balcony, thankful for the sunshine and view. I have been thinking about you as I try to manage the never-ending requests for snacks and food from my family, while I try to find documents in Google folders of students. It can sometimes feel like they may have designed an extra special challenge for their teacher. Know that I am thinking about you as I struggle to find balance in being a teacher, parent, spouse, friend and colleague.

But know this, I am also thinking about your child. I know this situation can feel overwhelming, for you and for them. It is easy to focus on and worry about the work they are, or are not, doing. But, I also know that if we keep talking with our children and reminding them that all will be well, they have an unprecedented opportunity to learn things that cannot be taught if not without these extraordinary circumstances. As I think about my own children and my students, I am hoping they will learn to have balance, resilience and motivation to help guide their learning. If they do, this will have been time well spent. They are learning to adapt, to identify support that they need, and to think about ways to get help when a task feels hard. They may even have the time to find something new that they love. Better yet, there is time. Time to have a more relaxed start to the day.

My son has learned to make pancakes which I see as an essential life skill. Time to extend our dinners well into the evening laughing about the craziness of the situation or something funny someone saw on YouTube. Time to see our children as students, what they excel at and where they may need more support. My daughter has been coaching my son on writing a plan for the day to help organize his work, I am hopeful she is more successful at keeping him on track than I have been. I am thinking about you, my students and my family and am hopeful that we can all learn what is most important. That through all of this we were all here to support each other. This, in the end, is the most important thing we can teach them.

Yours sincerely, Parent, Teacher, Colleague and Friend.

Link: At-Home Learning

Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash

Learning Into Action

What is your mission or purpose in life? What is your vision for your personal future?

While we may not ask ourselves these questions very often, the ensuing reflections are often helpful in clarifying our values, articulating what is important to us, guiding our decisions, and determining how we focus our energy and time. As these questions are also of paramount importance to any organisation, ISZL has recently undergone an extensive community-wide process to re-articulate our school’s guiding statements.

OUR MISSION
We are a community of learners determined to make the world – or our corner of it – a better, kinder place. We reflect our values in everything we do so that we make the most of the opportunities and challenges in a spirit of enthusiastic inquiry.

The mission statement is about our school’s purpose with a focus on today and what we do to realise these aims. The words, “we are a community of learners” signify that ISZL is not just a school, but rather a community working together to positively impact the lives of others.

During Professor Yong Zhao’s recent visit to our school, his words further emphasised this key facet of our mission: We don’t just learn from others, we learn for others as well. ISZL students embody these ideals every day through our many service programmes and the recent Youth Forum Switzerland event, for example. By creating something of value, there is purpose in learning, which enhances passion, creativity, and the development of an entrepreneurial mindset.

OUR VISION
We help every student turn their learning into action, creating the opportunity to stretch themselves further and achieve more than they believe possible.

A vision is designed to be bold and aspirational. It is a belief and an ethos that drives us forward to realise the school we want to become. The mission represents a constant purpose that transcends time. In contrast, the vision is what we seek for our future selves. When we begin to actually achieve our vision, then it will be time to set a new and bolder aspiration for our future.

While our mission is about what we collectively do as a community, the vision is exclusively focused on our students and how we help every student turn their learning into action, stretching themselves further and achieving more than they believe possible. This vision can only be fully achieved through the aligned efforts of all community members.

The next step in this journey is to map out how we will advance our mission and vision to achieve our goals. The critical work to establish an articulated strategy and associated projects is currently in process and will be shared out in an upcoming edition of the ISZL Bulletin.

In the meantime, I would like to again thank you for your feedback and ideas during this journey. Your contributions, particularly from the Design Lab process, have played a critical role, not only in the development of ISZL’s guiding statements, but also towards the development of strategic priorities.

Photo Credit: ISZL Communications and Public Relations Team

A Sense of Wonder

In 1974, a young boy named Harold Whittles is about to experience his world in a new and astounding way. For the first five years of his life preceding this moment, Harold has not heard the sounds around him as he has been deaf since birth. This is about to change as technological advances have led to Harold’s meeting with a doctor to be fitted with a hearing aid.

The remarkable picture below captured the moment when Harold heard for the first time and was transported from a world of silence to one filled with seemingly countless different sounds emanating around him. Harold’s eyes are wide with astonishment and wonder.

It is this sense of wonder, conveyed in an emotional and extraordinary manner through Jack Bradley’s photo, that serves as a reminder of our role to nurture the natural curiosity in our students and their exploration to understand the world around them. Our students also remind us each day that we adults should never lose a child’s sense of awe and wonder.

As we prepare for our annual community Thanksgiving celebration, I was drawn back to Harold’s story and the importance of both gratitude and wonder. In the spirit of giving thanks, I would like to convey my deep levels of gratitude to be a member of a community dedicated to ensuring a learning environment that regularly leaves students and adults in a state of wonderment.

P.S. Thank you to our talented science teacher, Stephen Boyd, for introducing me to Harold’s story.

Photo by Kristine Weilert on Unsplash: Sunrise breaking into the forest.

Civic Responsibilities

One of the many things I appreciate and admire about Switzerland is the collective commitment to civic responsibility. The pragmatic Swiss approach to the establishment of community norms in combination with both an individual and societal belief in supporting and adhering to these agreements have resulted in a country that runs incredibly well.

ISZL‘s commitment to these ideals was evident during last week’s road safety training. Our Kindergarten students had the opportunity to learn from a local police officer about traffic rules and, more precisely, how to navigate pedestrian crossings. The fact that young children in Switzerland take public transportation and make their way to school unaccompanied by an adult does not happen by accident. The effectiveness with which the local police partner with schools to educate young children about their civic responsibilities is clearly by design.

The police officer who met with our students demonstrated the highest levels of professionalism and impressive pedagogical skills. The traffic safety lesson, conducted in partnership with ISZL’s teachers, involved differentiated and personalised instruction, focused on building relationships, and provided students with an opportunity to develop their German language skills.

The resulting demonstration of learning involved each student individually stopping traffic with a hand wave, looking both ways to ensure their safety, and then crossing the street at the designated crosswalk. Of course, the students were also encouraged to give a wave of thanks as they passed in front of the cars. For those students who were initially reluctant to cross the road, the police officer and teachers gently helped them to develop the understanding, skills, and confidence needed. It was exemplary teaching at every level!

ISZL’s vision is to help every student turn learning into action, creating opportunities for students to stretch themselves further and achieve more than they believe possible. The realisation of this vision will look different at every level of the school. At the Kindergarten level, our students were able to turn their learning into something they may not have thought possible – to cross a busy street alone.

Thank you to ISZL’s teachers and the Zuger Polizei for their important work to ensure our students continue to learn about their civic responsibilities and turn their learning into responsible action.

Featured Image by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

Transformative Competencies

The Future of Education and Skills 2030, published by the OECD, identifies three “transformative competencies” that students need to contribute to and thrive in our world. The first competency is about creating new value and our commitment to innovate and “think outside the box” to shape better lives. This focus integrates a sense of purpose with critical thinking and creativity. The second competency considers our ability to be comfortable with complexity and ambiguity in an interdependent world, while also developing a high degree of empathy and respect. The third competency refers to the commitment to take responsibility for our actions as our students are guided by a strong moral compass that considers personal, ethical, and societal goals.

There is certainly alignment when considering ISZL’s vision in the context of the OECD’s aspirational goals. Our vision at ISZL is to help every student turn their learning into action – an approach that is designed to support every student in realising how much they’re capable of and to go on to make the most of who they are. In support of both ISZL and the OECD’s vision for learning are our school’s Personal Development Week (PDW) experiences that offer students exceptional learning environments and meaningful and relevant growth opportunities.

During last week’s PDW experiences, more than 1,000 of our students were engaged in experiential learning opportunities ranging from locations in Zug and Switzerland to Europe, and around the world, including destinations such as Iceland, Ghana, and the Himalayas, among others Throughout the week, our students were actively developing the OECD’s three transformative competencies in meaningful and active ways. The long-term impact of the PDW trips was highlighted at a recent ISZL alumni barbecue when several former students shared how the PDW experience was transformative to their learning experience and a highlight of their time at ISZL.

One of ISZL’s longstanding PDW trips is related to our school’s involvement with the NAG program in Nepal, which is a charity in Kathmandu that provides critical and essential support for young children. To advance this important work, ISZL will be holding its annual NAG Charity Run later this month to raise awareness and financial support. All community members are encouraged to join this special event.

A heartfelt thank you to all of the teachers and staff members who coordinate and lead these unique learning experiences, in addition to travelling and supporting our students during the trips. Without the dedication and commitment of teachers and staff, these trips would not be possible.

Photo Credit: Diego Jimenez on Unsplash

Never Odd or Even

“Never odd or even.” Why not start a blog post celebrating the beauty and oddities of language with an intriguingly perplexing phrase that is also a palindrome – a word or a sentence that reads the same backwards? First, my apologies in advance to anyone who suffers from a fear of palindromes, or what the Germans refer to as “Eibohphobie”, which is, in a deeply ironic twist, a palindrome itself! Okay, now on to what is already looking to be a higgledy-piggledy blog post originally designed to commemorate the September 26th European Day of Languages.

A day to celebrate language represents a fabulous or, borrowing from Mary Poppins, a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious opportunity. There are currently between 6,000 and 7,000 languages spoken among approximately 7 billion people. There are about 225 indigenous languages in Europe, representing about only 3% of the world’s total. Most of the world’s languages are spoken in Asia and Africa and at least half of the world’s population are bilingual or plurilingual.

The evolution of so many languages over the centuries has resulted in words that are especially descriptive and specific. For example, the Slovak word, prezvoniť, means to call someone’s mobile from your own without the other person picking up with the intention of leaving your number in their phone’s memory. The Albanian word, vetullhen, refers to an eyebrow arched like the crescent moon. The Dutch word, broodje-aap, refers to an awful, often invented story that is told as being true, thus becoming a myth. The Irish use the verb plubairnigh to describe the distinctive thick, bubbling sound that porridge makes when boiling. The Germans use the word, Zechpreller to describe the person who leaves without paying the bill. And, perhaps my favourite, the Finnish use the word poronkusema to describe the distance equal to how far a reindeer can travel without a comfort break (about 5 kilometres if you were wondering).

With the risk you may think this is all poppycock or, worse still, tarradiddle, let’s take a look at some tongue twisters that challenge our language skills.

English speakers may recall reciting this children’s song: She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure. So, if she sells seashells on the seashore, then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

How about this French tongue twister? Combien de sous sont ces saucissons-ci? Ces saucissons-ci sont six sous (How much are these sausages here? These sausages here are six cents).

Or, try this German tongue twister: Zwei schwarze schleimige Schlangen sitzen zwischen zwei spitzen Steinen und zischen (Two black slimy snakes sit between two pointed stones and hiss).

A Polish variation: Król Karol kupił Królowej Karolinie korale koloru koralowego (King Karl bought Queen Caroline coral-coloured bead).

And, finally, a Swedish tongue twister: Far, Får får får? Nej, inte får får får, får får lamm (Father, do sheep have sheep? No, sheep don’t have sheep, sheep have lambs).

Idioms also represent a deeply interesting aspect of language, usually highlighting cultural, historical, and traditional themes. By way of an example of how an idiom can span languages, all of the following idiomatic expressions are similar to “The apple does not fall far from the tree”:

Æblet falder ikke langt fra stammen. (Danish)
Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm. (German)
Nem esik messze az alma a fájától. (Hungarian)
Obuolys nuo obels netoli rieda. (Lithuanian)
Niedaleko pada jabłko od jabłoni. (Polish)
Jabolko ne pade daleč od drevesa. (Slovenian)
Äpplet faller inte långt från trädet. (Swedish)

Did you know that there is a word in the English language that describes the fear some people suffer from when they come across long words? The word for this phobia is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. While it is in no way my intention to diminish the suffering anyone with this phobia experiences, it is hard to ignore the irony here given the length of this word! So, if you are a hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobic, please skip this next section as it will highlight some of the longest words found in languages.

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianism (English word for the love of long words; 33 letters)
ακτινοχρυσοφαιδροβροντολαμπροφεγγοφωτοστόλιστος (Greek word meaning to be dressed in golden-shining, thundering and incandescent clothes; 47 letters)
Kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamheden (Dutch word related to the preparation activities for a children’s carnival procession; 48 letters)
Speciallægepraksisplanlægningsstabiliseringsperiode (Danish word for the period when a specialist doctor’s planning of the practice is stabilized; 52 letters)
Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas (Finnish word for a technical warrant officer trainee specialized in aircraft jet engines; 61 letters)
Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung (German word for a regulation about competences; 67 letters)

Of a particularly impressive note, the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes coined the following 183 lettered word meaning a dish compounded of all kinds of dainties, fish, fowl and sauces:

Lopado-temacho-selacho-galeo-kranio-leipsano-drim-hupotrimmatosilphio-karabo-melito-katakechumeno-kichl-epikossuphophatto-peristeralektruon-opto-kephallio-kigklo-peleio-lagoio-siraio-baphe-traganopterugon

While these are fascinating and interesting language facts to consider, I should move beyond what some would consider my lollygagging and return to the motivation for this post – the celebration of language. While I am currently living in Europe and the European Day of Languages is certainly of great importance to the region, I would also like to extend the celebration to all languages and areas of the world when highlighting how important language is to our cultural heritage, to our understanding of ourselves and others, and to our ability to see and understand the world in different and new ways.

The International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL) is fortunate to have Lorna Caputo as a member of its team serving as a language specialist and overseeing, among her other duties, 16 after-school language programs. In her blog, Exploring Multilingualism, Lorna highlights the importance of all languages:

It is the harmonious coexistence of languages that enables people to develop intercultural understanding, appreciate cultural diversity and work together better. Multilingualism is what unites many different regions within countries and is at the core of many national identities. Even in multicultural cities, you can observe local dialects and languages coexisting with other international languages. It is helpful to understand how schools can often be located within this linguistic intersectionality, and how schools prepare their students to navigate their familial, local, national and global linguistic landscapes.

Lorna will also be quick to discuss the research supporting the advantages associated with children learning multiple languages at a young age, which features an important aspect of her work with ISZL’s learning program.

In a note to community members this week, Lorna asked us to build on our recent inclusion work (see Inclusion & Community) and translate the phrase, “We are all ISZL” into their native language. Here are some of the wonderful responses:

We are all ISZL (English)
Мы все ISZL (Russian)
Me ollaan kaikki ISZL (Finnish)
Vi är alla ISZL ( Swedish )
ISZL 我們是一家人 (Mandarin)
Siamo tutti ISZL (Italian)
Hepimiz ISZL’iz (Turkish)
Wir sind alle ISZL (German)
Nous sommes tous ISZL (French)
Todos somos ISZL (Spanish)
Tots som ISZL (Catalan)
Somos todos ISZL (Portuguese)
Wij zijn allemaal ISZL (Dutch)
Mi mind ISZL vagyunk (Hungarian)
Είμαστε όλοι ISZL (Greek)
Mi smo svi ISZL (Serbian)
Vi er alle ISZL (Danish)

In closing, I hope you didn’t find this post to be too higgledy-piggledy, but rather a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious experience! While my hope has been to highlight some of the interesting and unusual aspects of language, there is always the shadow of kakorrhaphiophobia, or the fear of failure, associated with this quixotic endeavour. There is a lurking feeling that perhaps I should have been more pauciloquent and that this text had been less argle-bargle in style, avoided goggledygook, and did not generate any bobsy-die. The last thing I want to do is to leave you bumfuzzled, frustrate you with the confusing “never odd or even” palindrome, or to diminish your status as a deipnosophist. Finally, I hope you don’t see me as a blatherskite, a hoddy-noddy, or a floccinaucinihilipilificator at heart!

Okay, this is probably enough tomfoolery, twaddle, and balderdash for today!

In the celebration and appreciation of all languages!

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Some Definitions:

Argle-bargle: copious but meaningless talk or writing
Balderdash: senseless talk or writing
Blatherskite: a person who talks at great length without making much sense
Bobsy-die: a great deal of fuss or trouble
Bumfuzzled: to be confused
Deipnosophist: a person skilled in table talk
Floccinaucinihilipilificator: the action or habit of estimating something as worthless
Goggledygook: language that is meaningless
Higgledy-piggledy: in confusion or disorder
Hoddy-noddy: a foolish person
Kakorrhaphiophobia: an irrational fear of failure
Lollygagging: to spend time aimlessly
Pauciloquent: using few words in speech or conversation
Poppycock: nonsense
Quixotic: extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
Tarradiddle: pretentious nonsense
Tomfoolery: foolish or silly behaviour

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Reference: The majority of the sources for this article are from the following website: https://edl.ecml.at/ (Take their language challenge: QUIZ)

Photo by Susan Holt Sim p son on Unsplash

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Reflections on the Future of Learning

Consider the future for our current kindergarten students and what the world will be like when they graduate in the year 2031. Given the technological advances we are witnessing today, any description of our near future that does not resemble something out of a science fiction story may likely represent an underestimation of the changes that will impact our lives. It is within this context of accelerating change that we are tasked with the challenge to reimagine school and learning. If one word could be used to describe the current educational landscape, it would indeed be change. Three factors associated with driving this change are arguably the areas of social and emotional development, personalised learning, and emerging technologies.

Social and Emotional Development

While the discussion surrounding social and emotional skills is not new, there is an ever-increasing importance placed on this area. The developmental abilities of empathy, initiative, curiosity, resilience, and adaptability will be vital in preparing our students for the rapid changes in society we are experiencing. How do schools ensure that students are ready to communicate effectively, engage with others in meaningful and authentic ways, and embrace the inherent beauty of human nature?

Thomas Friedman argues in his book, Thank You for Being Late, that our students are growing up in an age of acceleration in which technological change is outpacing human adaptability, as per Eric Teller’s graph.

If it is correct to assume that technology and globalisation will not slow down, then our focus must be on improving human adaptability by ensuring a population that is more agile, creative, and adaptable.

Schools also have a responsibility to reconsider what is now commonly viewed as our outdated and misaligned systems and metrics of success, which are associated with rising rates of mental illness. The narratives related to achievement and personal realisation are considered to be contributing to the adverse health outcomes found in society. How can schools and society support our students in redefining measures of success that include balance, health, and well-being? Several collaborative groups are seeking to answer this very question, which is exemplified by the Mastery Transcript Consortium and the work of universities and K-12 schools to redefine student transcripts.

Personalised Learning

In the recent KnowledgeWorks, The Future of Learning Report, the authors describe the future of learning as one where, “flexible configurations of human educators and mentors, along with digital learning coaches and companions, will be coordinated seamlessly to support learners’ short- and long- term needs and help all students reach their goals.” Personal growth of this nature is requiring the development of customised learning relationships and connections with an expanding range of learning partners. Our current school structures do not necessarily always lend themselves well to this system of learning, particularly when considering an expanded view of what constitutes mentors and learning coaches.

Schools are experimenting with systematic changes, such as flexible scheduling, blended learning opportunities involving both face-to-face and online opportunities, the redesign of campus learning spaces, and alternative credentialing, including a complete redefinition of report cards and transcripts. Technology is, of course, also challenging schools in many ways as learning continues to be more and more personalised due, in part, to a push towards 1:1 computing environments and an increase in adaptive software systems.

Emerging Technologies

Many of us have already experienced adaptive learning in which a program analyses our performance in real time and then modifies the teaching methods and curriculum focus. The use of an adaptive program or app to learn a new language is now commonplace. The field of education will undoubtedly continue to be revolutionised as machine learning becomes more prevalent. As computer systems use data and statistical techniques to “learn” on their own and continue to improve performance without a human explicitly programming the computer, schools will need to continue to adapt to this new reality. Teachers can increasingly use learning and predictive analytics to connect millions of data points to arrive at conclusions and predict future performance based on past data. One of the key outcomes we see today is an increase in personalised opportunities and students guiding and pacing their learning.

What we are experiencing now is considered to be the third educational revolution, following the high school movement and education for life in the early 1900s and then the support for higher education at around the midpoint of the last century. As the Future of Learning report highlights, schools are now becoming more fluid in that we are moving from a fixed structure driven by administrative convenience to one that is a fluid network of relationship-based formats that reflect a learners’ needs, interests, and goals. Algorithms and artificial intelligence are providing personalised learning opportunities and educators who best match each learner’s needs. We are also increasingly seeing a demand for flexible and customised learning environments which many of our current administrative structures act as constraints.

While there is much work ahead of us, the International School of Zug and Luzern’s (ISZL) foundations of an adaptive and evolutionary mindset provide our community with an effective basis to embrace the changes in the educational landscape we are experiencing today and will continue to do so in the future. Learning at ISZL is guided by an inquiry-based and transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary program that values play, experiential and project-based learning, and hands-on experiences, which are supported by a relationship-based and connected community. It is these set of values, philosophical approaches, and sense of community that will both empower and enable ISZL to adapt and thrive in an environment that requires critical building blocks for a digital economy while not allowing technology to outpace our humanity.

Reference:

KnowledgeWorks. 2018. Navigating the Future of Learning Forecast 5.0. Retrieved from https://knowledgeworks.org/resources/forecast-5/

Featured image: Photo by Myles Tan on Unsplash

Community & Learning Celebrations

We are reaching the end of another busy and exciting term at ISZL. I find these weeks uplifting as I attend numerous meaningful and special celebrations throughout the school. Just this week, Kindergarten children walked with their families and performed holiday songs at the beautiful Lichterweg in Baar; Grade 4 students participated in the annual Festival of Lights celebrating holiday cultures from around the world; Grade 5 students enjoyed the annual Traditions Lunch hosted by parents; and High School hosted a fun-filled ugly sweater contest and cookie exchange supported by the Student Council and the Parents’ Association.

This time of year also gives me a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together as a learning community. Personal Development Week still remains a highlight of the term with students engaging in unique global learning experiences and bringing these perspectives back to the classroom. ISZL’s Arts Week was a huge success with students in Grades 3-12 participating in exceptional workshops and performances from our Music Ensembles, Riverside Singers and ISZL Jazz Orchestra. In addition, students led a curated exhibition in the Art Factory and enjoyed a visit from artist Anthony Jegu. And, just last week Middle School students participated in a two-day coding and robotics workshop while others attended a three-day curriculum trip to Chalet Bergheim, our school’s mountain retreat in Wengen. These are just a few examples of the extraordinary educational opportunities that our students experience throughout the year.

In addition, I have been continually impressed with the school’s ability to attract and recruit talented teachers and administrators. High School Principal Eddie Wexler and I attended a Recruiting Conference in Dubai last month and met with hundreds of teachers who were interested in professional opportunities at ISZL. This week, the school is hosting four exceptional Middle School Principal candidates with the hope to make a decision by next week on this leadership position.

ISZL continues to thrive because of the strong partnership between our outstanding students, talented faculty and staff, and supportive and engaged parents. As we come to the close of the calendar year, I hope you join me in reflecting about our special community and the opportunities we have each day.

I wish you all a happy holiday season and hope you take the time to rest and rejuvenate with family and friends. We look forward to new celebrations in 2019.

*Kindergarten children singing by candlelight on the Baar Lichterweg earlier this week.*

*The end of the term is filled with joyful celebrations of the season including the Festival of Lights on Zug Campus.*

*Musicians performing during one of many Arts Week events.*

*It was a joy to see so many families at Thanksgiving last month, a true celebration of our vibrant and welcoming community.*

*Our athletics teams have enjoyed a successful season – here the Junior Varsity Girls’ Football team celebrates winning the SCIS championships on home turf.*

*High School students are looking forward to the second Youth Forum Switzerland and preparing with some impressive Series events.*

*I am always inspired by the teaching and learning taking place in our classrooms. During Book Fortnight I had the privilege of reading to these Grade 1 students.*

I am immensely proud of our excellent teachers and staff,
and thank them for their hard work, commitment and dedication to our students this term.

Photo Credits: ISZL’s awesome communications department