12 Building Blocks for the Future of High School Infographic

12 Building Blocks for the Future of High School Infographic

Folks at ChangeX Education recently spent four months conducting user research, co-creation meetups, and community brainstorming sessions with students, teachers, parents and residents of San Francisco and Oakland. Their topic: #rethinkhighschool. Based on this research and their past experience at the forefront of maker education, the team designed ChangeMaker Academy, a 21st century high school model that emphasizes social impact, creativity, technical skill building, and entrepreneurship. Here are twelve core ideas of this school model:

1. Cohorts

Incoming freshmen are organized into cohorts with up to 25 students. Students may elect to form or join a new cohort after sophomore year.

2. Homeroom

Each Cohort has a dedicated homeroom. This flexible space is stocked with mobile furniture and supplies to enable cohort members to customize the room as their ideal Learning Lab.

3. Coaches

Each Cohort has a dedicated coach. Coaches help students craft Personalized Learning Plans (PLP) that translate and assess informal and formal learning in a standards-based framework.

4. Student Resources

Every student receives a laptop and an annual budget to purchase software, equipment and to attend extracurricular events and classes. Purchases are approved by the student’s Coach.

5. Makerspace

All students receive training in basic tool use. Access to laser cutters, 30 printers, robotics and advanced software help students bring their ideas to life.

6. Extended Access

The school building is a fluid space that’s designed more like a coworking office than a traditional school. Key cards facilitate safety and access from 8am-midnight.

7. Mentors

Mentors from the community provide in-depth professional and technical training through workshops and small-group tutoring on a part-time basis.

8. Counselors

Behavior therapists support the emotional development of all students. They focus on the mental and physical wellbeing of students rather than their class schedules or career plans.

9. OpX

This tool helps students and Coaches identify informal learning opportunities both online and in the community, connect those opportunities with standards and track progress toward graduation.

10. Prizes

Coaches can design school-wide challenges and puzzles to motivate advanced learning and build community. Winners may receive grants, prizes or an increased monthly budget. (Go get crazy with ‘em!)

11. ClassPicker

This tool enables students and school staff to pitch ideas for learning opportunities in the upcoming semester. These ideas can include new mentors. workshops, speakers and more.

12. ChangeX

This tool enables schools to run social impact competitions. Students learn about design thinking and entrepreneurship as they work in teams to develop original solutions to real problems.

“Only the jobs of innovators and entrepreneurs will be immune to outsourcing or automation in the new global knowledge economy.” It’s time to prepare students for a new type of work.