I recently discovered Grant Lichtman's blog "The Learning Pond" and have thoroughly enjoyed his perspective on education, pedagogy, and the potential for innovation. I was struck by an entry from earlier this year that posited three Foundational Questions that schools must ask. I've copied them below and encourage you to read his full post on these questions. What made me pause was that these are precisely the types of things that I know some of us think about with some regularity when we take the time to consider the "big picture" at Blair. They are also fundamental components of the accreditation process. And they raise the specter of the "value-added" conversation as well. Yet, I'm not certain that all of us in this community would answer these questions in the same way. Perhaps that's what we want as a community of educators and learners with any number of different foci to embrace, or maybe its just that the language isn't there to describe shared ideals in uniform terms, or perhaps they are a constantly shifting mark that need constant refreshing. Regardless, they made me think and I propose them as fodder for discussion in the months ahead:
- What are the essential learning outcomes or qualities of your students when they graduate?
- What is the desired relationship at your school between students, teachers, and knowledge?
- What is the differentiated value that your school offers to your clients?
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