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hen Alex wakes up, he is genuinely excited about his coming day at school. As a 16-year-old student, he is looking forward to working with his fellow classmates exploring the question that was posed in his class yesterday. Alex really enjoys his time learning from his fellow students and his teacher. He feels like he is traveling with them on a collaborative learning journey. He remembers his school before the great pandemic of 2020. He remembers the dreariness of attending an endless array of lessons being “taught at” by his generally enthusiastic yet often exhausted teachers. He and his fellow classmates diligently completed assignments and tasks with a sense of compliance combined with a nagging feeling of wasted time because the “lessons” being taught did not connect in any meaningful way to their lives now or in the future. They endured the school day to get on to the more important things of soccer practice, video games with their friends, and curating their Instagram and YouTube channels.  

Then the pandemic of 2020 erupted like Vesuvius and learners, both students and adults, had to adjust to the dramatic circumstances. Existing models of instructional delivery were no longer viable, time was limited and modes of communication were completely digitized. Teachers were forced to find creative and more effective ways to share knowledge, structure learning experiences, assess virtually, give meaningful and timely feedback, and be explicit about how the learning connects to the world around them.

When Alex returns to his school post-pandemic, there is a noticeable change. Teachers and administrators allow more independent exploration and choice in his learning in which he is able to demonstrate his thinking in various ways rather than just completing prescribed assignments. All adults communicate a clear and explicit message both in words and actions about the purpose of each lesson and how it connects within a local and global context. Both students and teachers display compassion for each other’s well-being and empathy for various learning styles. Problem posing and problem solving in areas Alex is passionate about frame the daily learning activities and the teacher is a guide, facilitator, and advocate in supporting students in developing both academic and personal competency. Alex can see the relevance of each learning experience and is encouraged to find opportunities to share his thinking with his peers regularly.  

The story above outlines the vision we are striving to achieve as the new, better normal of learning in schools. At Zurich International School (ZIS) we believe that with crisis comes opportunity. The pandemic of 2020 hindered us from continuing many practices which we knew needed change, and provided a seminal opportunity to begin the process of improvement guided more by best practice and less on traditional models. As we begin this new school year after five months of lockdown and isolation, we have redoubled our commitment to continue making the ZIS experience for every student more relevant to the current reality, responsive to changing conditions, and personally significant for the learner. In response, we have seen our community members step up how they leverage technology to expedite what is learned by using a flipped classroom approach to deliver content, expand how and when feedback is given using consultancy protocols, and maximize opportunities to demonstrate their understanding and skills using visible thinking routines.  

Additionally, increased options for STEM projects related to sustainability concepts and active Maker Space projects serve to increase student agency and make explicit connections to real-world problem solving. With a toolbox that includes state-of-the-art facilities, a talented and growth-oriented pool of educators, a set of key learning principles and dispositions, and a deep commitment to doing what is right instead of what is easy, we set goals as a community to embark on this bold, courageous, and necessary journey of making Alex’s story the “new normal” of learning within our school. We invite all schools to begin the journey as well.

About
Ji Han
:
Ji Han is Director of Curriculum and Learning at Zurich International School (ZIS).
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.

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Aspiring to a Better Normal At ZIS

September 21, 2020

W

hen Alex wakes up, he is genuinely excited about his coming day at school. As a 16-year-old student, he is looking forward to working with his fellow classmates exploring the question that was posed in his class yesterday. Alex really enjoys his time learning from his fellow students and his teacher. He feels like he is traveling with them on a collaborative learning journey. He remembers his school before the great pandemic of 2020. He remembers the dreariness of attending an endless array of lessons being “taught at” by his generally enthusiastic yet often exhausted teachers. He and his fellow classmates diligently completed assignments and tasks with a sense of compliance combined with a nagging feeling of wasted time because the “lessons” being taught did not connect in any meaningful way to their lives now or in the future. They endured the school day to get on to the more important things of soccer practice, video games with their friends, and curating their Instagram and YouTube channels.  

Then the pandemic of 2020 erupted like Vesuvius and learners, both students and adults, had to adjust to the dramatic circumstances. Existing models of instructional delivery were no longer viable, time was limited and modes of communication were completely digitized. Teachers were forced to find creative and more effective ways to share knowledge, structure learning experiences, assess virtually, give meaningful and timely feedback, and be explicit about how the learning connects to the world around them.

When Alex returns to his school post-pandemic, there is a noticeable change. Teachers and administrators allow more independent exploration and choice in his learning in which he is able to demonstrate his thinking in various ways rather than just completing prescribed assignments. All adults communicate a clear and explicit message both in words and actions about the purpose of each lesson and how it connects within a local and global context. Both students and teachers display compassion for each other’s well-being and empathy for various learning styles. Problem posing and problem solving in areas Alex is passionate about frame the daily learning activities and the teacher is a guide, facilitator, and advocate in supporting students in developing both academic and personal competency. Alex can see the relevance of each learning experience and is encouraged to find opportunities to share his thinking with his peers regularly.  

The story above outlines the vision we are striving to achieve as the new, better normal of learning in schools. At Zurich International School (ZIS) we believe that with crisis comes opportunity. The pandemic of 2020 hindered us from continuing many practices which we knew needed change, and provided a seminal opportunity to begin the process of improvement guided more by best practice and less on traditional models. As we begin this new school year after five months of lockdown and isolation, we have redoubled our commitment to continue making the ZIS experience for every student more relevant to the current reality, responsive to changing conditions, and personally significant for the learner. In response, we have seen our community members step up how they leverage technology to expedite what is learned by using a flipped classroom approach to deliver content, expand how and when feedback is given using consultancy protocols, and maximize opportunities to demonstrate their understanding and skills using visible thinking routines.  

Additionally, increased options for STEM projects related to sustainability concepts and active Maker Space projects serve to increase student agency and make explicit connections to real-world problem solving. With a toolbox that includes state-of-the-art facilities, a talented and growth-oriented pool of educators, a set of key learning principles and dispositions, and a deep commitment to doing what is right instead of what is easy, we set goals as a community to embark on this bold, courageous, and necessary journey of making Alex’s story the “new normal” of learning within our school. We invite all schools to begin the journey as well.

About
Ji Han
:
Ji Han is Director of Curriculum and Learning at Zurich International School (ZIS).
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.