EXPLO Elevate shares good ideas, practices, and wisdom to help schools and their communities flourish.
Dear Friend,
The countdown until winter break (at least in this hemisphere) has begun and with it brings final projects, exams, grading, comments, concerts, parties, services, gifts, cards … the list can feel almost endless. I hope amidst all that needs to get done that you can let joyful moments find you.
Wrapping a Successful Pilot at the Applewild School
In Search of Deeper Learning chronicles the quest of award-winning professor Jal Mehta and accomplished educator Sarah Fine to uncover deeper learning in America’s schools. What they found is that deeper learning is more often an exception rather than the rule, but that powerful pockets of deeper learning exist in America’s schools and are often found on the fringes – in extracurriculars and electives. Their critically acclaimed book has led many to ask, “How do we bring what lives on the periphery to the center of the school day?”
That’s a question EXPLO tried to answer this fall when it partnered with the Applewild School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In between math, ELA and other courses, seventeen 7th graders immersed themselves in a complex crime scene simulation as part of EXPLO forensic science. You can read more about the pilot here.
This pilot was a proof of concept and we’re now interested in expanding the conversation. We learned a lot from this test and we want to learn more. We’re in the early design phase of this work and want to talk with school leaders who are trying to make the move from delivering content to creating experiences that prepare students to think, adapt, and lead in an unpredictable world. Reach out. We’d love to chat.
Well-Being
New Research on What It Takes to Lead The Good Life
What if pleasure and meaning aren’t the only key ingredients to the Good Life? Pleasure comes and goes. Aristotle advocated living a life of reason and virtue and in this view the rational mind dominates. We pursue achievement, purpose, and meaning, but these pursuits can leave us, well, exhausted. Emerging research is revealing that an important component of the Good Life is psychological richness, something Dr. Lorraine Besser calls, “The Interesting”. Besser is a founding investigator of these studies and author of The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life. Join me on January 15 at 8p ET as I talk with Besser, a popular professor at Middlebury College, and ask her, “Should schools be helping young people develop a life of psychological richness? And if so, how?”
Strategic Decision Making: Martin’s What Would Have to Be True
You’re at a crossroads. A decision needs to be made. Whether it’s your team or the board, individuals have staked out positions and no one is on the same page. Each person has a different opinion. Frustration and paralysis are beginning to set in. There is a way to break the log jam. It’s time to pull out Roger Martin’s What Would Have to Be True (WWHTBT) framework.
Edtech Insiders has published a market map of generative AI use cases in education covering instructional materials, teacher professional learning, student support, teacher practice support, assessment and feedback, and social tools. Plus there are emerging use cases in academic coaching and advising and portfolio creation.
Wharton Online in collaboration with OpenAI just launched AI in Education: Leveraging ChatGPT for Teaching with renowned AI expert Ethan Mollick and Dr. Lilach Mollick, an expert in AI pedagogical strategies. This is a beginner level course for college and high school instructors covering teaching with AI, assessment design, and prompt engineering. It’s free on Coursera. (If you’re not familiar with Ethan Mollick, he’s someone you should add to your follow list.)
Belonging
Radical Hospitality
While we are in the season of thankfulness, I want to give thanks to Archmere Academy. A four day visit there last month left quite a mark on me. The reason? Their commitment to radical hospitality – a principle that’s both a deeply held value and a living, breathing action. Drawing from the ancient monastic tradition of welcoming strangers, radical hospitality at Archmere means one simple, powerful thing: you are not a stranger. Every interaction, every conversation carried an unspoken invitation: "We want you to join us, and we genuinely want to know your story." At Archmere they understand that true belonging begins with curiosity – showing genuine interest in the other. I’ve never seen a school community with such a high level of trust across students, faculty, staff, and parents. It’s remarkable.
There is a Finnish saying that I find myself returning to again and again:
That learned without joy is forgotten without sorrow.
Ross and I are working with schools across the globe and one vital ingredient to ensuring you are a genuinely forward facing school is a high functioning leadership team. Join us and Tung Trinh, Dean of Faculty at the Collegiate School (VA) in June. We are designing this experience for both inspiration and to equip you with highly practical skills and tools to deliver on your vision.
Will you be in Nashville at NAIS Thrive in February 2025? Let’s connect! Julie Faulstich, my presenting partner and I will be diving into the complex dance between heads and boards at 11a on Friday, February 28. (The old lanes aren’t working anymore.) I’m there for the full conference and would love to grab a coffee and chat. So reach out. I love a great conversation!
EXPLO, 932 Washington Street, Norwood, MA 02062, USA, 781.762.7400
