This semester I’m enrolled in Linda Nathan’s course at HGSE called “Building a Democratic School”. In collaboration with my dear friend Robin Holmes, we are conceiving of a learning institute called Creature, “a dynamic, student-driven learning community that arms students with the means necessary to realize artistic and cultural platforms consistent with their vision for a better future.” At the heart of our conversation is a framework for learning that draws heavily on my work in the MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group and the 4 P’s of creative learning.

The school year follows a thematic arc based both on the seasons and Creature’s learning cycle. In the autumn, student work is focused on reflecting on what brought each student to the institution and their goals for the year. In the winter, students focus on refining their reflections into actionable platforms. In the spring, students proceed with their refined vision and create a platform. In the summer, they play — testing, experimenting and breaking their platform. They come back in the fall to reflect on their summer work. This academic calendar serves at least three purposes. First, it implies that linear growth is not the only way to measure achievement and that an institution must be deliberate if it seeks to champion alternative paths of progress. Second, it introduces a general point of commonality between all students. While two students may be working on very different projects, this calendar helps to imply that there is, at the very least, a theoretical link between each student’s work and that a common language exists between all student work. Finally, the calendar reinforces accountability in an unobstructed way. If done well, the natural progression of the seasons will provide oversight that is usually managed through arbitrary student schedules. The image of a single deciduous tree serving as the calendar for students is evocative.

Today we had our final presentation for Building a Democratic School. To get Robin involved, I headed down to American Apparel and asked if I could borrow a mannequin which, to my surprise, they obliged. I borrowed Courtney’s iPad, made sure Robin was wearing a matching sweater, et voila! It was interesting to see how people interacted with him. The point of reference made it seem that people were sharing far more natural conversations than if they were just speaking to a computer. Robin mentioned that it got exhausting after a while because people in Cambridge were so engaged but he didn’t have the power of body language at his disposal, making he feel very exposed.