“It [Project-Based Learning] creates an aspect of authenticity, because we are creating something for an audience.”
- High Tech High teacher in Most Likely To Succeed
On Wednesday, August 21 the members of our School Committee gathered together for a retreat at the Flint Library in Middleton. Guided by Superintendent Dr. Mike Harvey and Committee Chair Tasha Cooper, the purpose of the retreat was to inspire critical and creative thinking about our education system and set goals for the upcoming year.
To that end, we watched and discussed the documentary film Most Likely To Succeed, from Director Greg Whiteley and Executive Producer Ted Dintersmith. Their website says: “The film explores compelling new approaches that aim to revolutionize education as we know it, inspiring school communities to reimagine what students and teachers are capable of doing.”
We were inspired. We discussed connections between Masconomet and the featured school, High Tech High; we shared our perspectives on the history, challenges, predictions, and purpose of public education today; we touched on assessment measures, variations in time-block structures, school ranking systems, the skills that foster success, the nature of success, the path of a student’s education, and the flexibility involved in innovation.
Then we closed by working together to draft goals for this year. These drafts will evolve over the next couple meetings, and then we will share our goals with you, our community, and continue to use them as our guide.
We encourage you to check out Most Likely To Succeed, too. There will be public viewings of the film at Masconomet this year. Learn more and view the trailer here: teddintersmith.com/mltsfilm
If you have questions, please contact our committee chair, Tasha Cooper, at tcooper@masconomet.org.
