thinkschools

I Want a School For Makers

Guest post by Josh Densen, Bricolage Academy

I can’t wait for Maker Faire, the two-day festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness planned that starts today in San Mateo, California.  It’s a little strange that someone trying to start a new charter school in New Orleans would spend the time travelling halfway across the country to the world’s coolest show and tell exposition. But in many ways, I doubt there is anything else I can do to better prepare me for leading Bricolage Academy, the proposed charter school I plan to start in 2013.

I have spent most of the last thirteen years working in urban public education. I started as a special education teacher in Oakland, California, later taught at a charter school in Harlem, and most recently led the local office of a national education non-profit in New Orleans. Still, I think a lot about the schools I would want for my own children and I find myself still searching.

The question now guiding me as an aspiring school founder is “How might we design a school that prepares children for the world 20 years from now?”

What would happen if we built a school that goes beyond the acquisition of knowledge all schools should provide? What if every student experienced an ongoing entrepreneurial and creative journey? And best of all, what if this was all done not after school, or during a special elective, but instead could be felt throughout the entire academic experience for every student?

That’s what brings me, a school founder who has never built a robot, hacked a computer, or designed jewelry to San Mateo fairgrounds this weekend.

My hunch is that, in twenty years, creativity and innovation will be essential. At Maker Faire, I’ll be searching for clues and insights about what we’re missing in our current antiquated classrooms. I’m excited to see how what a tinkerer built in their spare time can help us rethink education. What did they learn? Where did they fail? What lessons will they apply to their next challenge?

People often ask me what the ‘theme’ of Bricolage is. In my mind, school themes are often oversimplifications that allow people ease with categorizing, but reveal little about the school or its actual program: think “Arts-focused” or “Blended Learning” or “STEM.”

In response, I usually say that we don’t really have a theme, but that I want Bricolage to be a “school for makers,” then explain the maker movement as a great intersection between art, design, technology, engineering and creativity.  Sounds like a school every child deserves, and definitely one that I want for my own kids.

If you want to keep up with an innocent abroad at Maker Faire, follow the school on twitter at @BricolageAcdmy. 

I Want a Classroom Full of Craftsmen

Guest post by Ben Daley, High Tech High

“Probably the greatest and commonest mistake we all make is to forget that learning is a necessary incident of dealing with real situations.”

John Dewey (p. 4), 1915

craftsmanship
noun workmanship, technique, expertise, mastery, artistry
His carvings are known for their style, detail and craftsmanship.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/craftsmanship

“I want a classroom full of craftsmen. I want students whose work is strong and accurate and beautiful.”

Ron Berger (p. 1), 2003

Our country is currently mesmerized by “raising student achievement,” by which people mean, but are too savvy to say out loud, “increasing scores on bubble tests.”

Meanwhile, in too many traditional schools, some students take vocational courses where they receive narrow skill training for a specific occupation while other students take academic courses where they receive “college prep.” (And that we can predict which students will be in which track, based on the socio-economic status of their parents, might give pause to any defenders of such a system).

In contrast, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology famously holds the motto “Mens et Manus” (Mind and Hand). But using both your hands and your mind need not be limited to the elite accepted into MIT. All students should make things. They should tinker. They should develop a habit of craftsmanship.

At High Tech High, we aspire to help our students create amazing work that they present to a real audience and for a real purpose. We want our students’ work to be known for its “style, detail, and craftsmanship.” We want people to say, “a kid did that?!”

Maker Faire embodies the best of this spirit. Maker Faire is about “showing what you’ve made and sharing what you’ve learned.”

So, how can we take the energy and enthusiasm of the Maker movement and infect our schools? And please, not just an after school club. Isn’t this work important enough to happen during the school day and for all kids?

Ben Daley is the chief academic officer for High Tech High and a faculty member at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education.