国产成人综合久久免费导航

Dear Keystone Community,   

Ron Berger is a teacher, carpenter and author in the eastern United States. He wrote a wonderful book “An Ethic of Excellence” which reflects on the concept of craftsmanship and its relationship to education.  

A recent blog post by the Global Online Academy used a quotation from Berger to introduce the value of student artifacts and models of excellence in learning. 

“When our students leave our schools and enter life, they will no longer be judged by standardized tests. They will be judged for the rest of their lives for two things: the quality of person they are and the quality of work that they do." -Ron Berger 

This insight was particularly resonant earlier this week as we celebrated the completion of the 10th graders’ Personal Projects. The Personal Project is a central element of the IB Middle Years Program. It creates an opportunity for students to dive into an area of interest or passion and apply sustained effort to produce a high-quality product or artifact over the course of nearly a year. In the two days of exhibitions, students showcased their exhibitions for families, teachers and their schoolmates. The projects were incredible and diverse, representing the rich tapestry of remarkable human minds and hearts of our students. I was spellbound going from table to table learning from students about the process and delighting in their excitement about their learning and growth.

Berger describes five critical pedagogical ingredients for building a culture of excellence in schools. All these five elements are visible in the Personal Project, and I am happy to share, are embedded throughout a Keystone education. First is assigning work that matters. When students can see the purpose of their work, that it has meaning in the actual world, and can be applied to their lives, their motivation increases along with quality and persistence. Second is to study examples of excellence. It is important for students to see high quality work, either of professionals, like their teachers, or of other students who have preceded them. That is why the opening session of the Personal Project exhibition is open to all 9th graders who are beginning their PP journey—they start that journey by seeing examples of excellence to which they can aspire.   

Third and fourth are building a culture of critique and feedback and requiring multiple revisions. Excellence is achieved through formative assessments followed by careful improvement. As professionals, we know that we are assessed on the quality of our work and our ability to continue to improve—it is critical that this be true for students in schools as well. Throughout the PP process, students meet with their teachers and peers and solicit feedback as they continue to iterate their approach and adapt and develop their products.   

Finally, Berger emphasizes the opportunity for public presentation of work. The motivation that comes from an authentic audience for your work is a powerful nudge towards excellence. Ask any child (or adult!) if it feels different to be preparing something for a teacher (or boss) or for your classmates (or colleagues). When we are sharing or exhibiting our work with an authentic audience, we just work harder—we become more excellent.   

It has been wonderful to see these values of student learning in action at Keystone this week! In embodying this “ethic of excellence”, we are building our students’ capacity for craftsmanship as they shape our shared future.  

Warmly,  

Emily