Crossroads College Preparatory School Town Hall Notes- December 2, 2009
Updated at December 14, 2009 13:16
On December 2, 2009, the Crossroads College Preparatory School community was invited to participate in a Town Hall meeting to brainstorm about the following question:
How can CCPS provide the skills, knowledge, flexibility, and innovation needed to prepare our students, our families and our community to thrive in a rapidly changing, increasingly networked global society?
The meeting began with a short presentation by Rob Wild, Crossroads College Prep Board member, who served as the meeting’s facilitator. Participants viewed a YouTube video entitled, “Did You Know?” to spark conversation. Participants then arranged themselves around tables in the school library, in groups of approximately 6-8 people. Groups rearranged themselves once during the course of the evening. Large sheets of paper were taped to the surfaces of the library tables so that people could write notes during the course of their discussions. Several board members also took notes at the various tables.
Following is a synopsis of the notes taken during that evening:
What can CCPS do for families?
If we ask for certain skills to be used in class or for an assignment we should alert the parents in advance. For example, students are required to use technology for assignments, e.g. make a video; parents may not have the technical skills, cameras, computer or software needed for their child to readily complete the assignment. It would help parents to have a list of these types of projects in advance. Information, maybe a list of websites, where they could get the technical help they need (to figure out how to connect the camera to the computer etc.). CCPS should consider having equipment for students to borrow or make sure they know where equipment and tech help is available at CCPS.
Tom currently offers Tiny Tech sessions, could these be offered for parents as well?
The long spring break is a problem for working parents of 7th and 8th graders. While there are camps available, they are not always conveniently located. The long break causes a major disruption in the family routine. Could Crossroads offer a camp during part or all of spring break?
Provide families with opportunities to learn new technologies that their children are involved with; e.g. Facebook, and then discuss what the implications of new technologies are in the future.
What could CCPS do for the community?
Service learning projects could provide both hands-on learning for the students and benefit the community as well. There was some concern about community service projects cutting into academic time. It was suggested that maybe the community service could be a spring break activity.
What can CCPS do for students?
In this age of instant information, how much time do we need to spend teaching facts? Maybe the focus should be on critical thinking so students know how to find credible, relevant information and how to evaluate it. Students need to learn how to synthesize the information. The question should change from “What do you know?” to “What do you think and why?” Provide students with the knowledge for synthesizing information.
Students should systems thinking in order to understand how things fit/work together/affect one another.
Technology could be used to connect our students to students in other countries or to students in the U.S. who have a very different lifestyle/environment, student in rural areas, for example. Could there be “sister” classrooms in other countries? Other states? Consider activities with other schools besides sports; e.g. choir, academics, debate.
Students should have more opportunities for “real life, hands on” learning. These could be service learning activities that are incorporated into the curriculum.
What about lengthening the school year? That would allow time for community service or to take greater advantage of other learning opportunities without sacrificing classroom time. Some activities could include:
Service learning?
Inquiry-based academy?
Job, intern-based learning
5 hours/5 days/45 weeks? (Move away from agrarian calendar)
Possibly develop year long community projects tied to curriculum
(Some of these activities could provide additional possibilities for bringing in more funding/resources to the school.)
Provide students with methods to deal with the new Techno-World and its distractions.
How best to communicate given multiple methodologies and multiple audiences
How to cope
How to discern what is important
How to discern WHO is important in this celebrity culture
Kids seem to have a talent for multi-tasking, but it that always a good thing? Would it be better to
provide time or opportunities for them to slow-down and focus?
How to create or find a quiet place for refocusing—do kids need meditation skills? (One example is the
physician meditation program, “Physicians in the Moment.”)
In an ocean of media, information and data, teach or provide tools to develop the students’ abilities to
focus; i.e. how does one avoid or ignore distractions; how does one develop self-discipline?
Develop courage to conquer distractions and see availability of new technologies and information as new
opportunities
Develop “media literacy”
Develop methods for teaching that address differences in learning styles brought on by new technologies
Develop chill-out times without media distractions
Help teachers to understand different learning styles so that teaching methods are broad enough to incorporate different learning styles.
Help students to understand themselves.
Help students to develop their own Leadership Skills. Consider doing some of the following to accomplish this:
Community Participation and Service (add a requirement?) Volunteering can lead to leadership in
problem solving
Develop an Ethics program; goals to develop the traits of compassion; kindness; respect; empathy
Consider when/ how/ where leadership development can be done; e.g. incorporated in present
curriculum?
Working with people is important—need to develop “social intelligence”—students need to develop
abilities to connect with others, and find the ways to connect that fits with their own
personalities and abilities
Hands-on experience is important (Material reality—experience and connect to the genuine—person,
place, tree)
Develop problem-solving skills—understanding people’s behaviors, motivations
Important to create capacity to really interact with others who are truly different (including different than
the traditional Crossroads community)
Developing a “love of learning” is critical, so encourage a sense of creativity and curiosity
Bring in highly creative people to talk to teachers and classes about how they create—tell their personal
stories of creativity so that students and teachers can make connections
Use learning/teaching approaches that allow the students to ask “why?”
Develop a “speaker series” for students—local leaders/professionals come to speak to kids—answer a
tough question from their own perspective
Develop a book club/subject club, maybe that is a connection to other schools to share ideas and
experiences
Develop skills in kids that will encourage life-long learning
Develop technology skills—use of technology. For example, video, sound, software, data management
Encourage and provide teachers with methods for doing more interdisciplinary/multi-disciplinary teachers
Develop opportunities/funding/resources for teachers to do something new and exciting over summer or break; e.g. cross-disciplinary, travel, project-oriented.
Pay attention to language shifts/needs; e.g. should we be teaching Mandarin?
Develop the traits of compassion, empathy, resourcefulness, resilience, and ability to embrace and adapt to change
Ensure a diverse, inclusive community by ensuring a strong financial aid program.
A small community ensures that one is knowing and is known, and this type of community has special relationships and responsibilities attached to it, so developing methods for student participation in the community will enable students to practice decisionmaking, negotiating. Try to develop methods for true student governance.
Consider developing a community supported agriculture program.
Consider developing a home economics program.
Consider developing a shop class.
Consider developing a “how to fix things” class—summer program?
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