ReDesign Aurora

ReDesign Aurora is a place for educators, designers and future thinkers to learn more about our work as a team committed to transforming student learning. We are learning how to work in an authentic 21st Century space that features the guiding principles of design thinking. This will be a weekly collaborative communication for our team members and for educators who are committed to doing something different in service to our students. This space will feature a regular design opportunity for ideas…brainstorms…possibilities. We hope you’ll join the conversation!

Thinking Future Tense

The vision in Aurora Public Schools is to ensure that “every student shapes a successful future”. It is a clear and compelling goal…until we ask, “What does this FUTURE look like?” or even “What do we mean by FUTURE?” As a system that is committed to all students learning everyday, are we calibrated to make sure that what students are learning and experiencing in their classroom (and outside of the classroom worlds) actually has something that connects them to a successful“future tense”.

21st Century Skills….Next Gen Thinking…labels that we use to describe the way we believe all students will need to be learning and thinking in order to meet the demands of this 2020…or 2030 world. Today’s kindergarten student are the class of 2030 (Thanks Jaime Casap and Google for that inspiring tidbit!). But what is the right way to name and think about this shift in how students are learning?

Another tough (but beautiful) challenge in this future tense way of educating our students is that most of the teachers, principals and district level leaders who lead and create these learning experiences are experts in 20th century learning. We collectively don’t have much firsthand reality in working and learning in the ways our students will be expected to do as scholars, citizens and professionals in just a few short years. What do we need to learn and how do we need to think in order to transform student learning?

So…what IS a successful future? How do we, as those who went through a 20th century school system design engaging learning experiences that authentically prepare and inspire students into their future?

THIS is our ReDesign challenge.

First step…collaboratively learning about what it takes to have a successful future. We have to know what the best thinking is in the real world in order to shape successful futures with our students.

Two inspirations follow:

Jaime Caspa is the Educational Evangelist at Google. His message proclaims the power of education…when done in service to where our students are living now and as adults. Listen to his thinking about the place of technology and thinking in education. Get inspired by his challenges to educators today for our students who will lead tomorrow:

21st Century Thinking Skills…or should we just call them skills?

The 21st century launched with great fanfare and fear…remember Y2K? Many districts boast that they are preparing students for the “21st century” by using the skills of collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking in their coursework. But are these really what students will need? Will our class of 2030,sitting on carpet squares today in their kindergarten classroom, find that they can link their success to the information we presented today? Or is there more…?

Here’s what the World Economic Forum says:

ReDesigning means we continually reflect and adjust our thinking (cognitive flexibility?) as a system, as leaders, as educators to align how students are learning with the way people are working outside the boundaries of a school district. My eyes go to the top three skills needed: complex problem solving (holding the #1 spot), critical thinking and creativity.

How do we ReDesign Aurora in Future Tense?

The future is NOW. Today makes a difference in the lives and futures of every one of our students. To that end, the Lead Designers in our Teaching and Learning team are creating ways to engage leaders that will enlighten their sense of how the world outside of education works, and what we must do to work in similar ways in order to influence classroom learning at high levels. Here’s where the team is on the journey thus far:

1. EdVentures…Taking instructional leaders into working, learning and collaborative spaces in downtown Denver is the brain child of Noah Geisel (VersesEducation). Field trips for educators are filled with opportunities to see how industry and educational partners are working — their processes, their spaces, their thinking about work, future and success. Teams of designers and leaders capture their experiences in order to bring the learning back to their work and their current design projects. We reflect on how our thinking has shifted in the experience and what it means for tomorrow’s work.
2. Collaborative Learning…Stagnation of thought and processes have no place in education. We have to be committed above all else to have flexible thinking, relentless hunger for innovation and research, and consistent ways of capturing this into learning experience for others. Our learning is focused on 21st century skills (which is shifting as I write this post), design thinking and the Culturally Responsive Education themes (Noguera).
3. 21st Century Work Process at the District Level….HOW we do our work must reflect the way work is happening outside of education. From directors to designers…from offices and departments to collaboration spaces and design teams…from silos and property to open source thinking and collaboration in service to our students.

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY

What do we call “this”? 21st Century skills is no longer relevant as a moniker for this work…How do we name these skills? this mindset? this culture shift? in such a way that it reflects our commitment to preparing students for this new economy?