When using metrics such as grades and test scores as a proxy for success, we often find they aren't enough if students don’t have a sense of who they are, what their strengths and goals are, and how to navigate their life path.
Sofia, a college student and featured panelist at the Aurora Institute Symposium, shared how she is thriving in college compared to many of her peers. She credits this to the agency and exposure she had in high school at the San Diego Met School through a variety of courses and internships that helped her shape her concept of what she loved to do (and what she didn’t).
Listening to Sofia was a Bright Spot on its own, but I want to highlight the structures that made her real-world learning experiences possible, including designated time for internships, mentoring, and meaningful courses.
With Gratitude,
P.S. We have a really special webinar coming up on November 21st that will explore how to use storytelling as a tool to build engaged learning communities (inside and outside your school walls). Be sure to register here, so you don't miss it!
Structures That Make Real-World Learning Possible
At the San Diego Met School, located on a community college campus, students attend classes three days a week and "leave to learn" at their internships on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is a hallmark of Big Picture Learning Schools.
On a recent visit, I sat in advisory, a 45-minute block in the schedule set aside for learners to connect with their adult mentor and a small group. I listened as students reflected on their unique experiences. Each student shared how the variety of opportunities is helping shape the people they are becoming.
Based on their interests and goals, students choose from a variety of internship opportunities (thanks to community partnerships), such as:
Hair salon assistant
Teacher aid
Retail business aid
Health aid
One student noted that because of her internship, she has become more confident as a person and in her choices thanks to the support of her peers and teachers along her journey. She is now pursuing her studies in theater education!
As I listened to each story, I noticed how the school schedule was designed to prioritize relationships (interpersonally and with oneself) and meaningful learning to meet the needs of each learner.
Sofia showed why this matters when talking about her college peers. She mentioned how many of them felt lost once they got to college. They spent all their time in high school focusing on the traditional metrics for getting into a good college, and not having the time or space to reflect on who they wanted to become.
Now, they aren’t having fun because they just did what they thought they had to do to get in but didn’t have a sense of what classes to take that made them excited and helped them achieve their goals.
Sofia shared that because she had internships, she knew she was interested in film and could take classes that reaffirmed her goals and built her skills. Addressing the hundreds of educators in the room, she said: “There’s nothing you can lose by giving kids opportunities to internships—the worst that could happen is that they realize they don’t like something.” And what an important lesson that is to learn!
How are you making time for the kind of authentic, real-world learning that will help young people gain exposure, develop skills, and grow their confidence to navigate their path to success? Share your story here.
Resources to advance your learner-centered practice
🎙️ Live Recording: Clark Street Community School Student Panel From the Aurora Institute Symposium. "A really big deal to me is connecting my learning inside of school to real world applications outside of school. [At Clark Street], I am more confident in being able to see the connections between my learning and how to apply it to the real world." Learn how you can capture the true depth and richness of learner-centered learning.
👩💻 Design Real-World Learning Experiences. "Explore strategies such as project-based learning, design thinking, place-based learning, inquiry-based learning, passion projects, and more to co-design real-world learning experiences with learners." Check it out.
🛠️ Authentic Learning Matrix. "This tool is designed to support teams to develop plans for advancing learners through an Authentic Learning continuum, from connection (transactional engagements with the community) to empowerment (authenticity is embedded in learning)." Access the tool.
Learner-Centered Collaborative, 1611 S Melrose Dr., STE A #334, Vista, CA 92081
