Our learning at THINK Global School starts with a question. If the lessons of the great classical well-springs of knowledge – the Greeks under the tutelage of Socrates, the Sanskrit term upanishad which derives from upa- meaning nearby, ni- meaning at the proper place, and shad or sad, meaning “sitting down near a teacher in order to receive instruction,” or the timeless teachings of the great philosophers of the Far East, Confucius and Mencius, still revered in statuary, art, and text in Asian centers of learning, and whose wisdom helped sustain the longest continuous civilization in human history – all emanate from a mastery of the learning process, then how shall TGS begin its work to prepare its students for passionate lifelong learning in the 21st century?
At TGS, learning is not an event. It is a process. TGS’ learning methodology seeks to inspire learners to embrace the learning process passionately, to excitedly engage themselves in the search for meaning and understanding, and to build the necessary tools and confidence to act boldly to shape the future in ways that each of us knows is fundamentally right, just, and responsible to all who come after.
At TGS, the learning process starts with teachers as master learners, role models for apprentice learners. We can truthfully call it “learning in the world through apprenticeship and service.” Master learners impart their passion for the craft of learning in new and innovative ways, but in the final analysis, learning is what it has always been, since the time of Socrates, the Upanishads, Confucius, and Mencius – all learning is social.
Among our challenges as we approach the launch of TGS in September of this year, is the development of a clear sense of what it means to be educated in the 21st century. The phrase “21st century skills” has become something of a marketing tag line, with many different uses and meanings spread by a wide range of groups, advocates, and writers.
Some think the phrase “21st century skills” is a statement about the importance of technology in our lives. Still others see it as a measure of reform of existing pedagogical practices. And some use it as a catch-all for updating an educational strategic plan. It seems that nearly every institutional mission statement includes some reference to “21st century skills,” along with other catch-all phrases like “global education,” “good citizenship,” or “community.”
So, what are the core skills we want learners to develop at TGS? Critical thinking, collaboration, communication, personal responsibility, respect for ideas different from our own, openness to new ways of thinking, doing and problem solving, social-emotional intelligence. These are objective skills. We can observe them. We can measure them. They can be developed, just as a person can learn to read, write, and produce sums, and they are essential skills to the physical and spiritual well-being of 21st century citizens.
At TGS, we will respect our faculty as master learners, our students as learning apprentices. This model of apprenticeship requires that we deeply commit ourselves as faculty to the learning process. There are several models that we can reference here and perhaps the model we have centered on is
a learning philosophy known as Theory-Action-Reflection. While this may be a little too abstract for our construct of a learning experience in the world, it nonetheless embodies the main ideas behind a learning process. Theory-Action-Reflection closes the loop.
Taking it a step further, we can break the process down. Again, we start with the over-arching questions, the themes that set us on the road to learning. Here are some examples:
What caused people throughout history to move? Is there a common thread to the story of mass migrations of peoples to populate all corners of the world, and for later generations to repeat the cycle of movement and migration? Learning from the past, what can we understand about current and future mass migrations? What is the immigrant experience?
What led emerging civilizations to shape their environments and build their greatest monuments? Working with tools and materials, how did they go about solving the most complex engineering challenges? How did the logic of numbers become philosophy, and philosophy become the logic of numbers? Why are human civilizations perpetually driven to shape their worlds in images of their own imagination? What can we imagine in the future as solutions to mankind’s most challenging and enduring problems?
Questions like these offer the entry points into the learning process. They support the through-lines for learner-constructed knowledge. Breaking down Theory-Action-Reflection allows us to look at learning as a set of interdependent steps. Each question raised requires a response based on some core knowledge, attained through research. So, as learners we must master the research process. This requires digging deeper into the questions and looking for base knowledge in many dimensions. Excellent learners never stop at the first mediated level of core knowledge, but relentlessly pursue an understanding by drilling down, to primary documents, foundational evidence, or base concepts, if necessary.
As a learner builds understanding through research, there’s an evolving sense of design. This is the creative part of the learning process. Learners are by definition designers, of things, of ideas, and of concepts. Without a conceptual grasp of new ideas, concrete solutions to problems or challenges in the real world cannot be achieved. So, 21st century learners must be able to master the design processes that are the primary functions engaged through brain-based learning.
With a mastery of the design process, learners can develop their understanding of the issues. Development means fleshing out ideas, moving quickly and effectively through iterations of conceptualizing and synthesizing, until ideas, solutions, and knowledge takes on form that is complete and full. This is a confidence building process. As learners master the development phase of learning, they become fully empowered to express ideas and challenge existing authority.
No matter how well they master new ideas and concepts, the nature of learning requires a social interaction that enables learners to effectively and confidently present their constructed knowledge. This presentation process requires learning the art of effective communication, collaboration, self-expression, and emotional intelligence. It comes as learners have developed a strong sense of identity, an awareness of who they are, what they represent, and how committed they are to strong ethical and humanistic values.
As the learning process unfolds there is a constant looping back that reinforces and validates the process. No one can be a strong learner, a life-long learner without being aware of this process of learning as it unfolds. This metacognition is essential to the strengthening of the process of cognition. It is the closing of the loop. This step in the learning process requires reflection and a personal response to what has transpired. This self-reinforcing process allows the learner to grow, to connect, and to thrive at meeting the challenge and moving the bricks of human progress forward.
At TGS, our faculty is dedicated to the art and process of learning. We strive to be master learners in the world and through our communal experiences. As master learners, we’re prepared to bring on board our learning apprentices, and to share the passion for life-long learning and experience that will grow a strong and sustainable learning community, a tradition of learning that will serve as a beacon on the future for learning communities around the world.
Posted by: Steve Wilmarth, THINK Global School’s Dean of Faculty & Students
Australia. For anyone who has not been there, the name may bring up images which have mostly been imbedded into our conscience by the media. A giant island in the middle of the ocean, pretty much on the other side of the world from us, where things are upside down and backwards from our perspective, where their summers happen during our winters, and vice versa. Where we’ve heard their drains flow in the opposite direction to ours because of the gravitational pull, and where the cars drive on the opposite side of the road compared to our conventions. A place that is teeming with wildlife that is both exotic and unique, and with a climate that is both beautiful and extreme. We have also been exposed to Australia through the Olympics, and through the accomplishments of their amazing athletes. And there is, after all, the graceful Opera House, a beautiful display of architecture and culture. It is a landmark that, although conceived in the 1940s and completed in 1973, has futuristic angles that echo the notion of a vibrant and modern city that is Sydney. But the fact remains: for many who have not been there, the idea of traveling to Australia is like traveling to a far-away, distant land.
