Category: Uncategorized

In July, we hosted 90 partners and colleagues for the Summer Design Institute, three days of learning, designing, and growing as professionals and adult learners within the Building 21 Network.

We welcomed teachers and administrators from across the country, as well as many partners and supporters from across the region and beyond. This year’s focus, was personal and professional agency; participants were challenged to own their design, architect their professional development, and arrange an individual conference path. Participants chose sessions, conversations, and conference offerings that maximized both their preparation for the year to come and personal growth.

After a day of introduction or reintroduction to CBE and the Building 21 design principles, participants decided how to spend their time.

Some worked in teams to create interdisciplinary studios ready for feedback from their peers. Others attended a mix of sessions and workshops, deepening their understanding of youth development and Building 21 systems. Many combined these two paths, allowing time for design and planning and time for learning and personal development.

In addition  to Network leaders, school-based design and culture experts and our partner Teaching Lab assumed responsibility for workshop facilitation. The Institute leveraged this internal expertise and partnership to offer more choice and conference pathways for participants. This flexibility allowed teachers and administrators to meet their unique professional development needs and interests. It also allowed for teams to come together by grade-team, content area, or interest, regardless of school or affiliation.

From Restorative Practices to Instructional Coaching, Peer Mentoring to Data-Driven Decision Making, Google Sites to Trauma-Informed Care, participants chose from an array of offerings (see collection of offerings and resources here) and were able to learn new skills and dialog with peers and partners about important elements that support the Building 21 instructional model.

On the final day, teachers, either solo or in teams, had the opportunity to pitch their design for feedback from their peers.

Using a modified tuning protocol, participants in the audience asked clarifying questions and shared their reactions to studio concepts, providing teachers with ideas, resources, wonderings, and encouragement.

A highlight of the week were some special guests!

Building 21 graduates, attending Kutztown University and Penn State, and current students joined the Institute to provide feedback on teachers’ design work and insight on the skills and mindsets needed to succeed in post-secondary education and career. Teachers had an opportunity to pitch their studio ideas to the students and discuss their Building 21 experiences and hopes for the future. Stepping into this leadership role came naturally to this group of young men and women and encouraged teachers to seek student voice as they design for their learners.

We look forward to sharing more about our teacher' studio design and outcomes throughout the year. And, to all teachers and school leaders, we wish you well as you begin the 2019-2020 school year.

As

we countdown the days to summer break, school leaders are thinking about summer opportunities for staff professional learning and development. Many of our innovative school peers offer or seek out opportunities to improve their practice and to help teachers further personalize learning for students. Summer feels like a “reset” – a time to re-energize your passion for teaching and learning and to recharge your school’s commitment to its mission and values.

At Building 21, we offer teachers and leaders in our Network a Summer Design Institute. This summer’s Institute will be our fifth, and each one has taught us a little more about designing learning opportunities for our team that are meaningful and engaging.

Here are ten of our takeaways:

Create community and build relationships

Your team’s energy and interconnectedness can sustain positive momentum.

 

Whether you have a network of educators or you’re building culture among a small staff, think about the best ways to facilitate supportive and dynamic relationships across your team. Just like young people, adults learn best when they feel connected.  No matter the level of experience or content area of expertise, educators benefit from sharing their experiences and exploring their learning edges in an open and trusting environment. Think about creating opportunities for your team to launch these relationships during summer PD and continue these connections throughout the year.

Focus on design

Summer PD snaps you back into “school mode”. And teachers usually arrive at PD with the same burning question, “What do I need to be ready for September?”

A PD experience that facilitates the design of studios, units, projects, or plans for the upcoming year helps teachers feel grounded and ready. Working through an intentional design process, while free of school-year distractions and supported by school leaders, strengthens a teacher’s design muscle and acumen. Our Institute concludes with a “pitch” presentation of each teacher’s studio, a PD deliverable that requests teachers document and share their design work. We provide both internal and external design feedback and celebrate their hard work.

Incorporate opportunities for connections & resources

When asking teachers to design projects that connect learning to the real-world, enlisting the expertise of industry partners can go a long way.

If you have partners or connections to industry, consider inviting them to participate in a part of your PD. Allow your team the space to explore how partnerships can add dimension to their units and help incorporate authentic learning and career connections. We are still fine tuning our approach but have landed on coordinating a culminating session where teachers “pitch” their project concepts to a combination of external design experts, school leaders, and partners for feedback and ideas about industry connections.

Feedback, feedback, feedback

In the su

mmer, all things are possible. This sentiment, while positive and energizing, can lead to scale and scope challenges when teachers implement their plans.

We have found that structuring time to provide direct and actionable feedback helps teachers focus their projects

and design units that better engage their learners. It is also important to examine a project plan for access and scaffolding. Will

all

learners be able to access the content and activities? Are the right pieces in place to scaffold an experience? Or is there too much scaffolding and the teacher should up the level of student independence and project rigor? Devoting PD time to both giving and receiving feedback will help teachers fine tune their plan and feel confident when implementing. 

"Just in time" versus "just in case"

Often PD can look like an experienced educator standing in front of teachers working her way through a slide deck about a set of strategies and tools that will be crucial…someday soon. While the information is essential, it is hard to absorb and then perfectly recall when it is needed. We try to think about how we can build PD experiences for our educators that require essential learning in an authentic context

now

and not “sometime down the road” or “just in case”.

Example: building a Google Site for your studio. Rather than presenting on how to build a site in one session and hoping the teachers will recall this information when they need to build their site in the fall, we integrate the building experience into PD. All of our Institute materials are found on a site, which provides visual examples and requires teachers to use the technology as their students will. We have the teachers start building their sites and imbed small training modules throughout PD. We have veteran teachers share their work as best practices for inspiration and mentor new teachers through this process. And we provide feedback as a part of our process. This learning in the moment, coupled with the experience of being in the position of a user and not just a designer, helps our teachers retain the skills and strategies covered in the summer.

 

Differentiate

Planning summer PD comes with an inherent tension. While you want your whole team to learn and grow together, some introductory content or step-by-step design processes will feel repetitive for veteran teachers. Teachers, who have been a part of your team for awhile, don’t want to hear the same thing year after year.

Ask your teachers what they are hoping to take away from the experience and how they would like to participate. We have found it helpful to include a short experience inventory within our registration that allows all participants to rate the topics we plan to cover from

"Extremely Valuable"

to

"I'm ready for the next level"

and also allows returning educators the option to volunteer to be a design mentor for new teachers during PD. This data then helps our team plan sessions and experiences that will be compelling and valuable for all participants.

Use your veterans wisely

Along the same lines, we can use the data from our registration inventory to identify meaningful roles for our returning teachers.

For this year’s Institute, some of our returning teachers will serve as design mentors for our new teachers. Some of our veteran teachers and Lab School leaders will plan and lead sessions on school culture, CBE, and studio design. Engaging and involving our broader team of school leaders and educators in PD increases our resources and the personal touchpoints we have with our new team members, creates a meaningful role for our veterans, and, through this teamwork, strengthens our community and relationships.

Create a culture of adult development

The best programming and learning experiences in the world will fail to move the needle for adults if we do not nurture and develop the necessary underlying mindsets and perspectives that enable teachers to grow.  

During PD, we spend time talking about adult development and how we can grow as educators and people to better serve our community. Through sessions on race and class, cultural competence, growth mindset, and trauma-informed care, teachers examine their own beliefs and mindsets and how these impact their practice and the world beyond the classroom. We have found that carving out time to focus on adult development creates a powerful experience for our team.

PD is an investment. Protect it.

Plans made in the summer sunshine can feel like a dream when school realities hit. Think about your accountability and support strategies now. You’re about to invest a week of coveted vacation time and resources to bring your team together and plan for next year. Without intentional check ins, additional time for design and “real time” plan adjustments, and the promised support of leaders and partners, this work is at risk. Now is the time to let your team know the accountability plan to ensure the work stays on track. For successful implementation, it is essential that teachers have opportunities to design and collaborate throughout the year.

"Good vibes only"

We try to celebrate hard work whenever we can. And we aim to create positive associations with the Summer Design Institute through small and thoughtful touches. This year, the Institute will incorporate offsite networking gatherings (i.e.. “Pizza and Design” and a closing celebration) and time for teambuilding, mentoring, and personal check-ins with leadership. Think about the unique and positive touches you can add to make your team’s experience memorable and fun. And don’t forget the power of sharing a meal to build community.

Creating professional learning experiences that develop a community of educators committed to designing personalized learning for all students, expanding their mindsets and beliefs, and building strong relationships to grow as a team is challenging and rewarding.

We wish all educators and school leaders a productive and recharging summer. If you are interested in learning more about Building 21's Summer Design Institute, please reach out to kate@b-21.org.

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CivicEngagementAward-e1556893890180.jpg

“Students and staff at Building 21 were honored Monday by the state for its student voter registration drive. The drive signed up 58 students, representing 87 percent of the students who were eligible to register. That earned the school a gold level Governor’s Civic Engagement Award.”

Building 21's accomplishment was highlighted in two articles this week:

Paul Muschick: Allentown high school deserves ‘A’ for developing next generation of voters

Ten High Schools in Central and Northeast Pennsylvania Receive Governor's Civic Engagement Awards

“Do our students have a fair chance?”

Reimagining the high school transcript and the impact on college admissions

As college recruiters sit down to review applicants and choose their incoming freshmen class, how will a mastery-based transcript stand next to a traditional transcript and GPA from another school? Will those around the conference table understand the nuances of competencies, proficiency, and growth? Will they enthusiastically accept a different set of graduation requirements and a new way of understanding a student’s high school journey or will they look at this transcript with scepticism, casting it aside for an applicant with a more traditional profile?

Two minutes.

At the end of a long, winding, rich high school journey, a student has two minutes to prove her merit on paper. Imagine you’re that student. Perhaps you get an essay or interview, a chance to explain how and why your contributions to the incoming freshmen class will enhance that institution. Perhaps you have a school counselor who advocates for you, reaching out to the college to articulate the CBE model and your growth and mastery. But ultimately your transcript must convey your accomplishments in efficient and concise terms, familiar to a college recruiter. This decides your post-secondary path.

So where do institutions of higher education stand on reviewing mastery-based, competency-based, or proficiency-based transcripts?

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and the New England Secondary School Consortium (NESSC) were the first to seek an answer. In 2016, they convened a group of admissions leaders from selective colleges and universities, including Harvard, Babson, Tufts, MIT, and Wellesley. The result –

“Overwhelmingly, these admissions leaders indicate that students with proficiency-based transcripts will not be disadvantaged in the highly selective admissions process. Moreover, according to some admissions leaders, features of the proficiency-based transcript model shared with the group provide important information for institutions seeking not just high-performing academics, but engaged, lifelong learners.”

You can read the outcomes of the meeting

here

.

Since then, more work has been done. In 2017, the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) was founded.

It is a network of member schools seeking to change the game by creating a “digital, high school transcript that is mastery-based and that reflects the unique skills, strengths, and interests of each learner”

(

Mastery Transcript Consortium

).

What MTC hopes to do is take “the transcript from a flat, two-dimensional accounting of student time spent on single subjects and a listing of grades without context, to an interactive, digital transcript that highlights mastery of both content and interdisciplinary skills.” Once complete, a Mastery Transcript will reflect “learning that is deeply personalized, student-driven, based in authentic engagement and designed to educate the ‘whole student.’”

Building 21 recently joined the MTC.

As we move away from translating our competencies to traditional grades (read more here) and credits and move towards a purely competency-based model, knowing h

ow our students will be viewed by college admissions teams is essential. We shared our newly developed graduation requirements, a set of experiences, skills, and competencies that equally value core academics, as well as, the skills and mindsets necessary to be successful in today's world, which have been adopted by three schools from different districts in our Network. This provides a springboard for the conversation around what should be included on a Mastery Transcript. We are working with MTC to develop a prototype that could be used by CBE schools across the MTC.

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5-Competency-Sets-details-300×300.png

The work of NEBHE, NESSC, and MTC has elevated this conversation like never before. The momentum is strong to create a transcript that represents the learning and growth of our students, capturing the full narrative of their high school journey in a concise and compelling way. But challenges remain. When navigating the college admissions process, Building 21 schools encounter obstacles for students with CBE portfolios of learning. Our school counselors balance advocacy with compliance, as their ultimate goal is to secure our students’ admission to the post-secondary institutions of their dreams. Last year, one of our counselors reached out to a popular university among our students to see if they would join the transcript conversation and provide feedback on the essential elements of a Mastery Transcript. Their response – 

“Unfortunately when it comes to the transcript, only at grades/GPA (math, science, english, social studies/art/humanities, and world language). We no longer require transcripts for the admissions review process and will only use them to confirm graduation and the grades/GPA students entered when they submitted their Self-Reported Academic Record.”

While it takes time to change minds and hearts, the growing network of hundreds of MTC member schools brings a powerful voice to the conversation about the value of a Mastery Transcript. Our students will be our best ambassadors, for as they begin to matriculate to schools across our region and country, they will undoubtedly demonstrate that the mastery of the skills and mindsets captured in our graduation requirements, beyond core academics, sets them apart. And colleges and universities will want to know more about their high school journey.

Last Friday’s Town Hall Meeting brought surprise and celebration to Building 21 Allentown. Penn State Lehigh Valley leadership and the Nittany Lion hand-delivered an acceptance letter and scholarship award to Marilyn Reyes, a senior student who has committed to attend PSU-LV. Marilyn is the first student from Building 21 Allentown who was accepted and committed to a Penn State campus. Dr. Tina Richardson, Chancellor, and Dr. Douglas Hochstetler, Academic Affairs Director, both were present to award Marilyn and celebrate with her family and the Building 21 community. “Marilyn has been on our radar for almost a year. She attended our Teen Entrepreneur Challenge last summer where she developed her entrepreneurial spirit. We know she’s a go-getter, and cannot wait to see what she does next,” said Dr. Richardson, before presenting Reyes with Penn State Lehigh Valley gift bag and vest. Marilyn is excited to attend PSU-LV this coming fall. She plans to study Agricultural Science and major in Agribusiness. “I first became aware of Penn State when I attended the Teen Entrepreneur Challenge at Penn State Lehigh Valley last year. I got to visit main campus during it and got to see how Penn State is very committed to its students,” said Marilyn. “I chose Penn State Lehigh Valley because then I can start college while living at home and then continue on to main campus after two years. It’s the best option for me. Today meant a lot to me, it shows Penn State cares about their students.” Tesla Comunale, Building 21 Allentown’s Assistant School Leader, comments on Marilyn’s accomplishments: “What makes Marilyn’s accomplishment so special to Building 21 is that Marilyn has committed to her dream school to pursue her dream career. A career she didn’t know existed before entering Building 21. She discovered this passion in a new Urban Ag course we began to offer two years ago. In addition, she pursued it further with the love and support from not only her family but also mentors she met in her internship and pathway studios. Marilyn’s story is a true example of how the work we do goes beyond our classroom walls. She took the opportunities in front of her and has created a pathway of success. We are so proud of her.” This senior class is Building 21 Allentown’s first graduating class. Five additional students from Building 21 Allentown were recently accepted to Penn State. Congratulations to Marilyn and all of the students and thank you to PSU-LV for celebrating the accomplishments of our students.

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_4326-300×225.jpg

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_6836-300×200.jpg

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_6842-300×200.jpg

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_6848-300×200.jpg

On February 6th, Building 21 students’ proposal for a Student Advisory Lunch Board (S.L.A.B.) took first place in the high school division of Design Thinking Philadelphia’s Compete 360.

Nine students worked in two teams, alongside their mentor teacher, Kathleen Walsh, to learn and use all aspects of the design thinking process to address a problem in their community. Beginning in September, they often spent their lunches and time before and after school researching, creating their proposal, and preparing to present to judges at the DT Philly Showcase.

One of the teams, “The Dreamchasers,” chose to address the lunch experience at school – improving options and variety. The goal was to create a proposal that ensures school lunch provides enough nutrition for growing teens and tastes great. Their solution, “the S.L.A.B,” is an advisory board made up of students, who work with the kitchen manager, school leaders, and student body to improve the lunch experience.  

At the Wells Fargo Center this past week, both teams presented to a panel of judges. “The Dreamchasers” won first place; they brought home a trophy and a $2,500 prize to help implement their project. With funds to put S.L.A.B. in place, they hope to plan and implement “lunch events,” such as “Cereal Day,”  “Condiments Day,” and other ideas based on student feedback and interest.

Congratulations to “The Dreamchasers”: Tyquion Brittingham, Zakiyah Bufford, Lissette Caballero, Tayon Cortez, and Isaiah Terry. And congratulations to B21’s second team, “The Goofy Goobers”: Sincere Fullerton, Keno Glover, Maya E. Hazard, and Beyonce Palmer.

Over the past few weeks, both of our lab schools held their celebrations of learning called Mid-year Exhibitions. Celebrations of learning (COL’s) are extremely important experiences for our schools and our students because they give us a chance to pause and spend some time reflecting on our accomplishments and celebrating our students’ learning. For me, these celebrations are always bitter-sweet because, not only do I really miss teaching students, I miss the process of first getting students to discover something they are passionate about and then doing something they would have never believed they could do. To me, that is the essence of project-based learning and one of the foundational building blocks of our model. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. I love the process of helping educators solve problems when implementing a radical change in how school is structured. In some ways, it’s the ultimate expression of a creative process I have been practicing for my entire professional life. How cool would it be if all schools in our network held COL’s and those student projects were featured and shared with students from around the country? Also, it’s quite a rush to think that our work could be a catalyst for a larger movement in education… But…there will always a part of me that misses teaching. For now, I will live vicariously through our teacher’s experiences helping students find their passion. Here are a few observations and anecdotes from our mid-year exhibitions.

#1 STRATEGIC

One school had a fairly ingenious albeit simple idea. All students were responsible for exhibiting something during the afternoon exhibitions while school was in session but they asked for volunteers to exhibit during the evening. The evening exhibition was publicly advertised and was a little more formal. My guess is that the school is trying to increase the stakes by also increasing students’ exposure to the public. We had parents, industry partners, higher-ed partners, and other curious individuals attend our evening session. I would like to imagine that students could continue to volunteer to attend this future exhibition to market themselves to potential schools or internship providers.

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

#2 PERSONALIZED

I noticed a pattern this year that I haven’t seen during other exhibitions. There were several students exhibiting something they learned or created on their own time. One of our design principles was to create a school structure that credited learning that happened anywhere and wasn’t necessarily controlled or created by the school.

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

This student told me how he really wants to play football in college but he also wants to have a backup. He said he doesn’t really know what he’s passionate about but he really likes building and construction. He had the idea to take the blueprints of the building and create an accurate and complete scale model using the 3D printer in the makerspace.

“I’m doing this for y’all.”

He wants to print each section of the school and create an interactive scale model that can be displayed to show off our building.

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

This 9th grade student attended a summer coding camp where he learned Java. For fun, he created his first game which is a text-based fantasy strategy game. I chose to be the assassin and was quickly killed by the goblin. You can see Chip Linehan (Building 21 co-founder) in the image playing. He was smart and chose to be the knight.

#3 PASSION

The biggest indicator that we are on the right track is listening to students talk about their “passions” and the “impact” they want to have.

One 9th grade student was asked to complete a passion project in her Foundations Studio. She remarked that, at first, she didn’t know what to choose but that she was concerned about homelessness–particularly women that were homeless. She talked about the need to abolish taxes on feminine hygiene products in order to create access for women with low income. With some coaching from her teacher, she planned a process to raise money to create care packages for women, stocked with feminine hygiene products. This Spring, she plans on executing this plan and delivering the packages to local shelters.

Chip recounted his conversation with another student that was tasked to write a narrative essay. This task was part of a studio focusing on ELA competencies. He chose to write about a friend who committed suicide. When asked why he chose this topic, he said,

“I wanted to write about something that mattered.”

On his table, he had two jars. One jar was filled with little pieces of blank paper. The other jar was filled with the same paper but with notes of encouragement written on them. Passers-by were offered the choice to write something encouraging to someone and deposit it in one jar or take a note from the other jar if they were currently struggling. Impact doesn’t always have to big and complex.

A student’s passionate presentation on the impact of the African slave trade stood out amongst her 9th grade peers, who chose to exhibit their research on a major human rights violation in World History. Moved by reading about the slave trade, this student expanded her research and connected her learning to her family history in Nigeria. During her exhibition, she engaged in dialogue with her audience about the family members and history she and other African Americans would never come to fully know because of the slave trade. One of her project’s goals was to educate her audience on lesser known facts. She shared chilling stories of slave castles and images the massive ships used to transport Africans across the ocean. Her impact, she hopes, is that people will never forget about this human rights atrocity and will come to understand how it impacts the African American community today.

#4 TEACHER EXHIBITIONS

All of our teachers are asked to design studios which are project based units. Ideally, they design these studios in Google Sites so they can share them with teachers across our network. They are difficult and time consuming to create. One of our teachers created her first Google Site studio and was proud of this accomplishment. Always wanting to model for students, she set up her exhibit and talked with attendees about her accomplishment and how she will improve on her design next time. I would love for our exhibitions to include both students and teachers as they show visitors their hard work. I can imagine teachers from other schools attending as an informal professional development experience where they might find inspiration for their own classrooms.

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Studio-150×150.jpg

#5 CAPACITY OF 9TH GRADERS

My favorite exhibition was created by a 9th grader in his Foundations Studio. Maybe it’s because I taught 9th graders throughout my teaching career but I love seeing our youngest students get excited by an idea and run with it. Too often, I used to hear that 9th graders are too far below level for PBL and that they need basic skills before they can tackle complex projects. I just can’t tell you how damaging that misconception is…but that is a topic for another article. This student created a commercial for CBE that explains the difference between the “traditional model” and a “CBE model”. Why is this my favorite? This student clearly had a vision in his mind about what he wanted the commercial to be. There is evidence all over the place that indicates that this project was more than just a task given to him by the teacher. He cared about it. Not having an actual green screen, he created one using individual pieces of green paper taped to a wall. He scripted it before filming. He did multiple revisions to cut down the time so it felt more like a commercial. Probably the biggest indicator that he cared about this project was that he presented the video in front of all attendees and talked about how he would improve it next time. You will definitely see a revised version of this video soon. Enjoy his current draft.

PGlmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZHJpdmUuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS9maWxlL2QvMS1kQmw2UkdzcV9NSEgwR3J5Y0pKWloxcFhYemtqd0RtL3ByZXZpZXciIHdpZHRoPSI2NDAiIGhlaWdodD0iNDgwIj48L2lmcmFtZT4=

Each time our schools hold a celebration of learning, we see more students show more rigorous artifacts from their learning. COL’s are stressful and a lot of work and the fact they keep getting better is a testament to the mindsets of our school leaders and teachers and their unwavering belief that they can and should help students discover their passions and build agency to change their world. Yes, I really miss teaching but working with educators to create schools that embody our mission statement is just as exciting and just as rewarding as helping a student do or create something that empassions them.

Building 21 reinvents the high school experience

Building 21 Philadelphia was featured in The Philadelphia Tribune this month. Students report that B21 stands out for offering an experience that is challenging, connected to the community, and preparing them for their future. Read the full story here.

Please click the image to learn about the accomplishments of our amazing students and staff in 2017-2018.

https://271.4bc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Pages-from-Building-21-Annual-Report-2017-18-600×464.png