The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning

What do you think of when you hear the term 'learner agency?' You might envisage students having some "voice" and "choice" around what they learn, or where they sit in class. And while that's a nice start, learner agency is more than allowing students some choice in what they learn. It's about involving them in every step of the journey. Imagine a school with... 🙌🏼 Student- run electives. 🙌🏼 Seventy + student led businesses to carry out the school's day to day operations. 🙌🏼 Timetables that are created and carried out by a student design team. 🙌🏼 A school board that includes young learners. 🙌🏼 100+ Individualised Learning Plans that students co-design. That's Templestowe College, or more affectionately known as "Take Control" College in Australia. It's one of Hundred.org's top 100 most innovative schools in the world. And Peter Hutton was the mastermind at its helm. I was lucky enough to sit down with Peter to learn more about how he built this kind of learner agency; and how we as learner-centered champions can heed the lessons to build more student agency in our classrooms and schools.

Connect with Peter: LinkedIn, Twitter

Join Future Schools: https://futureschools.education/

Take the 12 Shifts for Learner-Centered Classrooms Scorecard: www.transformschool.com/12shiftsmastermind

Peter's Bio: Peter is a maverick, a free radical, a challenger of the status quo. His strength is in transformational insight and supporting educational leaders to build innovative and adaptive cultures. As a person with dyslexia, Peter sees the world differently. Co-founding the Future Schools Alliance in 2018, Peter now works with a community of 100 member schools to significantly improve the lives of young people by transforming the education system to promote purpose-filled empowered learning and equip them for times of exponential change. Peter was the former Principal of Templestowe College which has been recognised by Finland's HundrED organisationas one of the most innovative schools in the world.

Good projects aren't that tough to create.

But somehow we always seem to overcomplicate them. (Me included)

What if I told you that the best project prompts could fit on a single post-it note?

Project-Based experiences that have students staying in during lunch, working late hours in the evening, mastering curricular standards, and producing awe inspiring work that makes adult jaws drop.

These are the kind of project-based experiences Gary Stager has educators around the world designing through his Summer Institutes and brilliant book 'Invent to Learn' on a regular basis.

I sat down with Gary to discuss the book and how we as learning experience designers can:

• Design curricular rich project prompts that fit on a single post-it note
• Create learning environments that resemble more cocktail party than they do classroom
• Design projects that are 'sharable,' and live on well beyond their expiration date
• Release the shackles of subjects, specialists, timetables, curriculum standards and assessment that often stand in the way of deep and meaningful learning
• Act more as 'ethnographers' to capture and document student learning, rather than teachers who deliver instruction

Get Gary's Book 'Invent to Learn': https://inventtolearn.com/

Learn more about Gary: http://professorgarystager.com

Connect with Gary on Twitter: @garystager

Get the Free PBL Design Starter Kit: https://transformschool.com/pblstarterkit/

Gary's Bio:

In addition to being a popular keynote speaker at some of the world's most prestigious education conferences, Gary Stager is a journalist, teacher educator, consultant, professor, software developer, publisher, and school administrator. An elementary teacher by training, he has taught students from preschool through doctoral studies. In 1990, Dr. Stager led professional development in the world's first laptop schools and played a major role in the early days of online education. Gary is the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute for educators. Dr. Stager is co-author of Invent To Learn – Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, called the "bible of the maker movement in schools," by Larry Magid of CBS and The San Jose Mercury News. Invent To Learn has been translated into nine languages. Dr. Stager's most recent book is Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50: Future Visions of Education Inspired by Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon's Seminal Work. When Jean Piaget wanted to better understand how children learn mathematics, he hired Seymour Papert. When Dr. Papert wanted to create a high-tech alternative learning environment for incarcerated at-risk teens, he hired Gary Stager. This work was the basis for Gary's doctoral dissertation and documented Papert's most-recent institutional research project. Dr. Stager's work has earned a Ph.D. in Science and Mathematics Education and he collaborated on a project that won a Grammy Award. Recently, Gary was invited by Fondazione Reggio Children to lead a public seminar on education in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Gary is also on the advisory board of the NSF-funded project, BJC4NYC: Bringing a Rigorous Computer Science Principles Course to the Largest School System in the US. Dr. Stager also maintains the world's largest archive of text and multimedia by Seymour Papert at The Daily Papert.

How do we build 'future ready' students? Answering this question requires us to change a lot of the underlying structures that govern schools.

Schedules. Curriculum. Learning Experiences. Age groupings.

What if you could start from scratch and build from the ground up?

That's exactly what Cameron Fox, Head of School at Verso International School did to build future ready 'citizen designers.'

In this episode, Cameron unveils the 🪄 magic and teaches us how to:

• Craft a simple, yet aspirational vision for learning experiences
• Co-design spaces that allow for them to flourish
• Ditch the traditional timetable in favor of longer learning blocks that allow for deeper learning and human-centered design
• Build 'future ready' skills in students
• Transform your classroom/school into a public exhibition space for their work

Connect wtih Cameron: LinkedIn, Twitter (@HeadVERSO)

Learn more about Verso: http://www.verso.ac.th/

Enroll in the Free Edu-Transformer Book Study: https://forms.gle/crK4r8DHk6MZ7Twy7

Cameron's Bio: Cameron is currently the Founding Head of School at VERSO International School, Thailand - the first international school in the world to develop its conceptual blueprint in partnership with the world's leading design and innovation company, IDEO. Cameron has been involved with this pioneering school project since its inception in 2015, leading a team of international learning designers as they re-engineer a traditional US college-prep curriculum into a progressive, competency-based program using project-based learning and human-centered design practices. Originally from Scotland, Cameron spent 26 years working as an educator and international school leader in Hong Kong before moving to Bangkok in 2019. He was the Head of School at the American International School in Hong Kong for more than 15 years and is an experienced WASC Chair who regularly leads visiting committees to international schools across the EARCOS region.

How do you make student work public?

That's a scary proposition for many of us as educators.

But what if it's not for us to decide?

What if we turned over control of the whole process to our students?

Letting them choose the work, the medium, the format, the audience, and the script. What would happen then?

In this episode, I sit down with MYP Coordinator and student empowerer Alison Yang to learn more about how to curate public exhibitions, and how to:

• Exhibit student work seamlessly in in-person AND remote environments
• Help typically shy students come to life
• Empower students to own the process while we gently guide in the background
• Get kids excited to share their learning
• Manage the project process using tech tools so easy, a caveman could do it

Alison's Blog: www.alisonyang.com

Alison's Post on Creating an Exhibition in GatherTown: https://alisonyang.com/8-steps-to-organize-a-virtual-exhibition-via-gather-town/#Conclusion

Connect w/ Alison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonyawenyang/

Alison's Bio:

Alison Yang is an MYP Coordinator at KIS International School, Bangkok Thailand. Additionally, she is also an MYP/DP Workshop Leader and Field Rep, BQC Reviewer, Mandarin ab initio Examiner and MYP Language Acquisition Teacher Support Material Contributor. This is her 18th year working in the IB programmes. She is an active IB Educator and has been actively involved in IB activities and presented in various conferences. She deeply believes that evidence and research-based educational approaches can enhance educational practices and maximize student learning. She is interested in developing self-regulation of students.

Are you the lone innovator in a school that doesn't get project-based learning? How do get more on baord for PBL and scale it across the school? David Moore, a school leader, PBL practitioner and vintage car enthusiast got an entire community behind project-based experiences by converting his school's car park into a Formula 1 Race Track.

Learn about the incredible and inspiring story of Faith Lutheran College, and how David transformed it from a place with declining enrollment, to one of the most sought after schools in the region. Learn how to:

• Turn skeptical parents into your biggest believers.
• Stay competitive with schools who have infinitely more money and resources.
• Help 100% of staff feel ready for their first PBL experience through a 10 minute activity.
• Use the power of exhibition to accelerate onboarding for PBL.
• Transform archaic, siloed subjects, into real world, mixed-age courses.

Connect with David: LinkedIN

Learn more about Faith Lutheran College: www.faithlutheran.qld.edu.au

Take the 12 Shifts for Learner-Centered Environments Scorecard: www.tranformschool.com/12shiftsmastermind

David's Bio: David Moore, Deputy Head of Secondary School - Learning. He has been teaching for the past 35 years in both the Public and private schools systems in Queensland, Australia. For the past 20 years he has been at Faith Lutheran College Redlands where he was a foundation teacher, moving through the curriculum pathways to the position where he is today. He is passionate about curriculum and learning being done differently so that students enjoy learning. The learning program designed at Faith creates courses based on a student's ability not their age with Soloed subjects combined in a PBL environment.

How can one project unite previously isolated teachers, build SEL and cross-disciplinary skills in students, and transform a community?

Welcome to the Sensory Therapy Games and Toys Project by the Year 5 Team at KPIS International School.

In this episode, I unpack the project with the 5 person teaching team to discover:

• The starting point for cross-disciplinary learning design
• How to seamlessly integrate content across a range of subjects
• Build SEL skills
• Assess student learning
• Foster greater collaboration amongst teachers and students

Learn more about KPIS International School: https://kpis.ac.th/

Learn more about the upcoming PBL Design Certificate Course and enroll a team: https://transformschool.com/pbl-intermediate-blended-learning-immersive-coaching/

When a girl from Cuba arrived in Lua's PBL class, she had zero English.

But within two months, because of a hands-on project, she was able to deliver full presentations in her second language.

In this episode, I sit down with Lua Yaganagi and her adorable students, in a mixed-age primary PBL classroom in Rizhao, China to hear how projects ranging from building a class garden, to designing Olympic Games helped students:

• Acquire reading, writing and listening ESL skills.
• Grow in confidence.
• Co-teach their younger peers.
• Discover their personal passions.
• Improve their English speaking vocabulary.

For a full write up of Lua's Class Garden Project: https://bit.ly/3KGtgan

Get the free PBL Design Kit: https://projectbasedlearning.teachable.com/p/pblstarterkit

That's the power of PBL when learners are given an authentic problem to tackle.

In this episode, Christopher Bush, Head of Student Voice and Leadership at University HIgh School, unpacks the First Nations Project and provides ideas for how we as learner-centered practitioners can:

• Co-Create projects with students and experts in the community
• Break down the walls between school and community and find authentic problems to design projects around
• Help foster learner agency and voice in managing their own projects under the same driving question
• Scaffold experiences to allow for DEEP learning

Register for the 12 Shifts Webinar to unpack Learner-Centered PBL Environments: Here

Chris' Bio:

Chris Bush is currently the Head of Student Voice and Leadership at the University High School in Parkville. Previously working as a Leading Teacher (Curriculum and Innovation) at Prahran High School, Chris designed and implemented an agentic and engaging project-based learning curriculum focussing on various topics including Indigenous Perspectives, Sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Prior to this work, Chris worked for the Safe Schools Coalition Australia, where he designed and implemented National curriculum resources to make schools safer for LGBTQIA+ students. Chris is passionate about co-designing engaging learning experiences with his learners and listening authentically to their desires and interests, allowing those to drive their inquiries.

What if you were given a blank canvas to design a new school from the ground up?

How would students spend their day? What learning experiences would it include? What would the building look like? Would they even need a classroom?

Most of us don't have the luxury to build from the ground up, but with micro-schools, edu- innovators like you are beginning to re-imagine the schooling experience.

With their small, flexible structure, micro-schools are able to rapidly adapt and design more learner-centered experiences.

I sat down with micro-school founder Michael Ha, to learn about his brand new open age, experiential, project-based, personalized, biosphere and sustainability grounded 'Elements College.' Through our interview, you will learn how to:

1. Come up with the design principals to accelerate our own learner-centered environments
2. Build and scaffold self-management and self-directed skills in learners
3. Embrace the 6 C's and make them come to life
4. Connect learners to the Metaverse
5. Organize learning experiences that move beyond the four walls of our classsroom and into the biosphere
6. Build a reflective culture that allows for rapid prototyping and iteration

Learn More about Elements College: https://www.elementcollege.com.au/

Connect with Michael via LinkedIn (@michaelhaedu) and Twitter (@MichaelHaEDU).

Join the Micro-School Design Challenge with innovators around the world: innovationhub.school/reschool-sprint

Michael's Bio:

Michael believes that a bottom-up approach of rethinking education is the best approach to accelerate change, and is committed to share an open-sourced playbook on the development and ongoing operations of this learning ecosystem. Outside of Element College, Michael is the Executive Director of the Institute of Deeper Learning, supporting schools on the implementation of pedagogical practices across K-12 schools, foster staff professional growth, and facilitate the development of cultures of learning globally. Attesting to his commitment to professional learning, Michael is a Doctorate candidate (UNSW) in educational leadership. Outside of education, he is a founding member of Bank of Cancer Research, a social enterprise that aims to fund open-source cancer research.

What if we allowed students to design their own project-based experiences?

Formulate their own questions, connect with relevant experts, and find authentic audiences. What global IMPACT might they have then?

Fardeen Blaq, a 13 year old changemaker and global citizen, started managing his own projects at age 9.

In this episode, I sit down with Fardeen to learn more about his award winning 'Trailblazers' and SDG focused 'Global Blueprint' Project, and how we as educators can:

• Provide the time and space for PBL.
• Mentor students in achieving their project goals.
• Help students discover their passions
• Build the capacity in students to grow as global citizens.
• Get out of the way and help students develop as socially, emotionally, and globally aware citizens on their own.

Learn more about 'The Global Blueprint': https://www.facebook.com/TheGlobalBlueprint/

Learn more about Fardeen's Trailblazers: https://www.facebook.com/FardeenTrailblazersB

Free Student Process Guides for Passion Projects: https://transformschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Student-Guide.pdf

SDG Related Projects: https://transformschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SDG-Development-Guide.pdf

Fardeen's Bio:

Fardeen Blaq is a 13 years old changemaker from Nairobi, Kenya

He is the Youngest Diana Awards Recipient in Africa in 2020. In 2021 he was nominated for the Legacy Award. The highest Award in this program.

Fardeen is also a Kids Rights Changemaker.

In 2021 he was nominated and received recognition for being nominated for International Children's Peace Prize.

He is the HundrED Youth Ambassador for Kenya, and also the Country consultant for 3Dux|Design in Kenya.

He is the Ambassador for his football team, FARDEEN TRAILBLAZERS which he started at the age of 9 together with my father and his production house. Fardeen set my team as an Education through Football program implementing the FIFA Grassroots in Kwale County of Kenya. This was launched in 2017. Fardeen received recognition for the work that he continues to do to meet Global Goal 4 Quality Education.