| Philosophy of Education |
Jim Nourse |
| We learn best when we are engaged in authentic work whose purpose we understand and
whose outcome we have a personal stake in achieving. Effective schools engage students
with open-ended questions and real problems that touch their lives. Effective schools
hold students to rigorous standards while at the same time committing their resources
to helping each student find success. We learn best when we connect the lesson learned to other lessons or experiences in our lives. Effective schools seek first to know their students well - their concerns, their strengths, their aspirations - so that the learning begins with the personal. Effective schools then expand students' understanding with experiences that weave a fabric of many disciplines, many perspectives. Students may be asked to examine the tree, but the school ensures that they understand the forest. We learn best when the connections made are not only intellectual, but also social and emotional. Effective schools are truly a community of learners, where each member understands that personal growth depends upon the growth of the group. These relationships are created not just within the school, but also with the adults that live and work in the greater community. From these models, students develop both a sense of place, and a vision of possibilities and responsibilities for their lives as adults. We learn best when we have become independent learners. Effective schools act as midwives - drawing from each student his or her passions, talents and interests, and helping the student develop his or her voice. Learning is seen as a partnership, a dialogue - and the goal is to empower life-long learners. For students to choose the life they wish in a rapidly changing world, they must be able to retool with new knowledge and skills, working with new people in new situations. We learn best when we leave our comfort zone, when we risk mastering a new skill, when we learn from our failures. Effective schools model this intellectual risk-taking and see failure as an opportunity for growth. We learn best when we reflect on that learned; when we take time to mull over the essence of something, discarding certain pieces and keeping others. Effective schools teach their members how to reflect on their learning, and that reflection becomes habit. That reflection also leads to the willing exchange of feedback among all members. Effective schools are driven by a shared vision of the skills, dispositions and knowledge each graduate will master. All curricular and instructional decisions are made to ensure that each student will achieve that mastery. Effective schools have, at their core, a staff that is committed to the growth of each student and that embraces the craft of teaching. Teaching is both a science, and an art form. Like the scientist, good teachers are intentional. They ground their strategies in the latest cognitive research. They plan backwards from articulated goals and objectives. They keep one eye on where the students are, and one eye on where they should be. Like the artist, good teachers create new ways of looking at the world. They lay out on their canvas their passions and perspectives, drawing the student into the work in hopes of illuminating the student's own way of seeing the world. They trust their instincts, and are willing to risk sharing themselves with their students. Effective school leaders are, at once, life-long learners, passionate and effective teachers, and stewards of a vibrant learning community. |