Articles about AI continue to swirl through the educational universe and beyond. Here’s one about student agency, as well as pieces about small acts of kindness and meaningful learning. Also check out a long list of recent faculty and staff professional growth activities! This newsletter will return in September with all kinds of summer updates.
Interesting Recent Articles
Eric Hudson, “How AI Can Support Agency in Our Students, and in Us,” Global Online Academy
This practical, interesting piece relates the potential of AI in the classroom to five principles of competency-based learning, such as moving from time-based to performance-based assessments.
"In an interaction of a few minutes, ChatGPT gave me a competency, learning outcomes, and performance levels to assess effective communication with AI. It took me longer to input these responses into GOA’s single-point and analytic rubric templates than it did for ChatGPT to generate those responses."
Allie Volpe, “Small Acts of Kindness Matter More Than You Think,” Vox
Reaching out to connect with someone else, whether by sending a text or bringing them a coffee, can have a more powerful effect than most of us imagine.
“Across the board,” says Marisa Franco, who is also the author of Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends, “in pretty much every act of connection, we tend to underestimate how much people will be receptive to our overtures in connection.”
A.J. Juliani, “5 Ways Teachers Can Make Learning Meaningful and Relevant”
This brief article, from the perspective of a teacher and a parent, highlights five ways that teachers make learning seem relevant: shared experiences, community connections, talking about transfer, finding new audiences, and meaningful feedback.
"Talking with kids about their current learning experiences and why they matter in the near and distant future is a huge piece of the engagement puzzle. These teachers do a masterful job of sharing how their learning will transfer."
Upcoming Summer Institute
- The Equity Institute, San Francisco, July 25-28, California Teacher Development Collaborative. This reimagined workshop (formerly Equity as Excellence) “is designed for educators to explore a range of innovative approaches to weaving social justice pedagogy and practices into the fabric of their school community. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of the Beloved Community and informed by Paulo Freire’s call for critically conscious teaching practices, we hope to embolden educators to disrupt the status quo in the service of creating transformational change.”
Recent Faculty and Staff Professional Growth
- English teacher and FLINT Advisor Emily Balliet was selected by The Partnership of Schools with Public Purpose to present her session “From Nay to Yay: Using Multimedia in AP Literature & Composition to Increase Student Engagement and Passion” at PSPP’s annual conference.
- School Counselor Kiara Best joined Learning & the Brain for their online conference Teaching Social Brains.
- Associate Head of School Sarah Cooper and Curricular Coordinator Reid Fritz attended the 2023 INDEX Academic Conference hosted by the Independent School Data Exchange.
- Head Librarian Meryl Eldridge and Librarian Claire LaPolt attended the Spring Meeting of Southern California Librarians of Independent Schools.
- Curricular Coordinator Reid Fritz completed two programs with California Teacher Development Collaborative: Practicing Equity as a Supervisor and Finance & Sustainability in Independent Schools: A Practical Approach to Management and Innovation. He also sat in on Independent School Management’s “Your Schedule and Conditions That Promote Durable Learning” webinar.
- In March, Global Studies Coordinator Ingrid Herskind organized a daylong Global Studies Risk Management Seminar in partnership with the Global Education Benchmark Group. In attendance were many faculty and staff from our peer schools, including a number from Prep: 11th Grade Dean and history teacher Megan Bowman, Reid Fritz, Sarah Cooper, science teacher Eric Kleinsasser, Dean of Students Beth Pattinelli, and French teacher Lauren Van Arsdall.
- College Counseling Associate Amanda Lem served as a facilitator with the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools at its two-day Office Assistants Program.
- Art teacher Melissa Manfull traveled to Foundations in Art: Theory and Education’s FATE Annual Conference 2023: Serious Play.
- Beth Pattinelli completed the ongoing Assessing for Equity Series organized by East Ed. She and Learning Specialist Ann Vradenburg also both joined Independent School Management for the online session “Evaluate Your School’s Ability to Support Student Well-Being.”
- John Pettersson, Director of Technology, traveled to the Annual Conference of the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools.
- Antonio Ramirez, facilities and dining support staff member, became certified through Luna Security Training Academy’s Security Guard Training Course.
- Lauren Van Arsdall took part in The Path to a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive French Curriculum seminar offered by the American Association of Teachers of French.
- Ann Vradenburg took the Mindfulness Foundations course put on by Mindful Schools.