A Day in the S()S life at S()S.
Here is a time lapse video of a typical day for 75 students and 4 teachers.
Note the thinking on the walls, the hive of activity, and the variety of groupings throughout the day. Even some one-to-one tutoring at lunch.
SCH(school)OOL : NO SUBJECTS and NO PERIODS
The TVDSB SCH(school)OOL (school-in-a-school) promotes widespread collaboration, innovation and creativity in schools. This is a way to put ideas into action and remove some of the restrictions of traditional schools.
Think back to your time in public school. If typical, your school was likely quite fragmented with everything organized into distinct disciplines and departments. Your regular day was also highly segmented - cut into regular blocks of time - math, pack up head into science, pack up and head into English, pack up and so on and so on. This long standing approach in mainstream education has been identified by researchers, educators and students as falling behind the times. Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), like many School Boards across the country and the globe, are exploring approaches to better meet the needs and desires of students, staff and the broader community.
HISTORY:
In September 2016, educators in 8 schools across TVDSB launched various iterations of the SCH(school)OOL. This flexible and integrated approach consists of no subjects, no periods - just learning. Not for a special “genius hour” or as an “extracurricular club” but authentic learning every day, throughout the school year. While encouraging risk-taking the program remains inside the box of curriculum standards and respects and upholds existing collective agreements with all staff. Teachers are combining classrooms and integrating disciplines as students problem-solve their way through a series of community based challenges. Students are required to meet or exceed regular curriculum standards.
In the first year, 27 teachers worked with just over 400 students in 8 projects across our school board. The second year had 52 teachers working with 750+ students in 20 projects in 16 schools. In year three there are approximately 45 projects involving 110 teachers working with 1800+ students in 30 schools. Click on this link to S()S google map with pinned locations - click on a pin for a brief description of the S()S project going on at that site.
Projects have various combinations of teachers, subjects and students (mostly grades 9 & 10) ranging from grades 2 - 12
The short term goal: By October 2019, actualize widespread collaboration, innovation and creativity in teaching and learning practices. Entry level participation in the SCH(school)OOL opportunity available in each TVDSB secondary school. Extended level participation will be established in 20% (5 or 6) of TVDSB secondary schools.
CREATING THE CONDITIONS - offering teachers opportunities not obligations
The SCH(school)OOL challenge is presented as an opportunity or challenge for teachers - not an obligation. Conditions were created in the spirit of John F. Kennedy's challenge to his nation to "go to the moon in this decade". At that time no one knew how to get there let alone land and return. The technologies required had yet to be developed. Kennedy's challenge was to do things "not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies". It is in this spirit that the SCH()OOL challenge was presented.
The Challenge: A full cohort of students/teachers learning without subjects, learning without class or subject periods, all day and every day, and advancing through the regular Ontario education curriculum towards school graduation within one regular school year.
This is not a ministry or education centre roll out. This challenge comes with no directions or procedural manual. There are many unanswered questions. We have confidence that many smart and dedicated teachers in TVDSB will take this on and figure it out as they go.
While there are no directions on how to operate, the final experience for staff and students must meet the following specifications.
ENTRY LEVEL PARTICIPATION: Specifications to qualify as a SCH(school)OOL project:
EXTENDED PARTICIPATION: Additional Specifications to be declared the winner of the SCH(school)OOL challenge:
