{"id":529,"date":"2017-11-12T22:10:50","date_gmt":"2017-11-12T22:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/?p=529"},"modified":"2017-11-12T22:15:33","modified_gmt":"2017-11-12T22:15:33","slug":"where-there-be-dragons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/21st-century-skills\/where-there-be-dragons\/","title":{"rendered":"Where There Be Dragons"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>Where There Be Dragons can be considered the Gold Standard of experiential education. I travelled with three other colleagues to their “Rocky Mountain Seminar<\/a>” to learn more about how we might begin to lean into risk<\/em> and how we might\u00a0deepen our ability to learn service before giving service.\u00a0<\/em>Nestled into the foothills of Boulder Colorado, it was an ideal location to rethink the paradigms of our programming.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Over the course of four days, I met some incredible people working in incredible\u00a0schools across the United States. We were brought together by the growing<\/span>\u00a0importance of educating global citizens, by the knowledge that we can do more in this area, and that there is still so much to learn about this aspect of education.<\/p>\n Going to the RMS allowed me to put a critical lens on the protocols and processes for international excursions; and it gave me the necessary language to reinforce our approach to community involvement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n My big take-aways from the weekend – and there are too many to account for here – are disruptive in that they ask us to reimagine our students’ experiences and learning by investing more in the how we get our students to that learning.<\/p>\n (1) Lean into risk.<\/strong> <\/p>\n discussed the role that risk plays in allowing our students to be reintroduced to their own selves through discovery. Through carefully curated experiential learning, our students can feel they cross over<\/p>\n when on the brink of discovering what they are capable of. In their experience, they are taking a high actual risk, while simultaneously, the instructors, mentors and chaperones on that same experience know that the actual risk is miniscule.<\/p>\n Program leaders should never feel that they are experiencing risk, but our students should perceive that they are…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n (2) Practice with the Risk Team.<\/strong> Having a team practice their protocols and systems allows you to focus on caring for the students should something go wrong. In the end, it is the students that are the number one concern.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n (3) Rethink Service-Learning as “Learning Service” We read several articles, one that struck a chord with me was “To Hell with Good Intentions<\/a>” Written in the 60s by Ian Illich, as an address to the Conference on InterAmerican<\/span> Student Projects. He addressed the crowd of upper middle class volunteers to\u00a0“…challenge [us] to recognize your inability, your powerlessness and your incapacity to do the “good” which you intended to do.<\/em>”<\/p>\n
\nIf experience teaches, then embedding a high perceived risk<\/em> with low actual risk<\/em> into excursions is a huge lever that we can press for our students. At WTBD, we<\/p>\n
\nAs with any excellent programming, there is a system and structure in place. When we are teaching a lesson and something goes wrong in the classroom, there are protocols to follow and people in place. We practice fire drills and hold & secure drills so we know what to expect and how to behave effectively to reduce harm and injury both during and afterwards. The same must be in place for international excursions: know who is on your team, and practice scenarios. In this way, the team is less emotional and reactive should a crisis occur. This was underscored by reviewing case studies and lived experiences at WTBDs, and it was so valuable.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>During the four days many of us shared our programming and the inspiration and goals that underpin those programs. We were given opportunities to examine our own programming with a critical eye, and tackle the question “How might we rethink how our students learn service so that they do no harm.”<\/p>\n