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This article delves into the idea that a successful learning experience that has a positive relationship with the student must be individualized. Every student is different, and every student has unique talents and strategies of learning. The author explains that Gardner's Multiple Intelligences should be applied in the classroom. The current school system only fits linguistic and mathematic learners, and forces the other types to fit in anyway, damaging their self esteem and promotes a negative relationship that child has with school. If teachers took advantage of the multiple intelligences to approach learning, then all students would learn more efficiently and society would benefit from these students' contributions; not losing them as casualties to our current school system.

This article, written by Eric Sheninger (a high school principle), discusses the wide-spread standardization of our education system and how it is steadily destroying it. It talks about how the system of standardization is based off the century-old model focused on industrialization, which produces students that lack creativity, fear failure, and work to do only as they are told. The focus is on test scores, viewed as the only determinant of success. Students are leaving school unprepared for the world awaiting them. The solution according to Sheninger lies in intrinsical motivation. If students and teachers are motivated not by test scores or pay raises, but by creativity and innovation, students will find relevancy and meaning in their education.

I like how this article focuses on ways students and teachers can work together to improve student engagement in high schools. I'm also impressed by how much of what it suggests is already being done in IGSS! 

I read Zhao's book, "Catching Up or Leading the Way", before applying to the IGSS. The book is about how American students are still on top because the US creates more innovative students while China only creates good test takers. In this video, Zhao discusses why testing is a poor way of measuring education. He goes on to talk about how only testing math, science, and reading does not accurately measure education because many students may be proficient in creative writing or art, two very important skills for any citizen who cares to be an active member of society. He adds at the end that schools should not be rewarded for better test scores, but they should be rewarded for using innovative ways of education. This is important because this is what IGSS is doing and although we may not have the perfect solution to all education reform right now, it is critical that we keep shooting the subject from different angles.

This study on the effect teacher and peer relationships have on academic achievement is rather wordy and full of citations, but it has interesting implications about the learning environment. It connects a student's social life to the classroom by considering students of different ages and how they interact with others.

American scientists are sensationalizing (presenting something in an exciting way to get attention, that might not be as accurate) their studies- isn't this what students do? By trying to be the best, we join every club, even if we're not interested, take all the hardest classes and cram for them, try to do everything we can to make ourselves stand out for colleges. At New Trier, even if you're incredibly smart, it doesn't matter unless you're incredibly smart by 'New Trier Standards'. Students are always trying to out do others and themselves, running the risk of burnout, depression/eating disorders, and general unhappiness. Asghar says the reason Miley Cyrus at the VMAs was so shocking was because she was being so textbook American- the only way to get noticed is to be the loudest. We set our standards so high that even when perfection is attained, it's not good enough- not a 4.0 GPA varsity athlete who also does community service is good enough- he is only good enough if he gets full ride to Harvard and becomes a top notch lawyer, too.

Later this year, each of you is going to be researching and working on a project you care about.  Here's an example of a student who is in an early stage of that sort of thing.  And its an issue that matters.

This essay discusses the value of a discussion based education. It argues that class discussions teach students how to learn as opposed to a lecture based class which emphasizes the regurgitation of content. Especially relevant to seniors as the article also touches on the economics of college and the value of small classes over large lectures.

On this page, it discusses Howard Gardner, a Harvard graduate, and his philosophy of Multiple Intelligences. All six different intelligences, according to Gardner, are equally important and should all be explored in schools. I find this interesting and thought provoking because in many schools, only mathematical and linguistic intelligences are explored and expanded upon, even though not every student learns best that way.

A brief (11-page) summation of a new way of teaching called Learning in Depth, created by Kieran Egan. The general idea is that in first grade a child will be given a simple, broad topic such as spiders or rocks. Then, that child will study and do projects on that subject for the next 12 years of their school career. It's quite radical, but I think it has a chance of revolutionizing the way we learn. Some of the benefits that they mention are its capacity to build a community of scholars and experts, its emphasis on individual responsibility through independent research, and the fact that it gives the students something to be proud of (their expansive knowledge). I'm especially interested in this idea because I have begun to question the depth of the learning we receive in school and this seems to be at least a STEP in the right direction.

I know that not everyone is sold on our Mobile Learning program, and I find this article really does a nice job of illustrating how the iPads can be used effectively to improve the learning experience, and I suspect IGSS will be one place where we see some of these ideas come to light at NTHS.