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If we had a “do-over” on the structure of schools, what would we create? What kinds of things would we focus on? The things on the left side of this image or the right? For most people, it’s a no-brainer—of course kids learn better under the conditions on the left, and these are the things we profess to believe in. So why do we still mostly do the list on the right?
We were fortunate enough to have Will Richardson give a talk for us in November. My big takeaway from the evening is that the gap between what we believe is best for kids and what we actually do in schools is “not funny,” as he says. There are real consequences in real kids’ lives for not doing what we know is in their best interests.
Starting The Learning Cooperatives was our attempt at a school structure “do-over”. We do our best to stay on the left side of that list and we have seen the benefits in our teen members’ lives.
I recommend the entire video, but my favorite part is between 8:54 and 14:30. Enjoy!