Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia and visit Westminster School and Woodward Academy which were two schools mentioned in Grant Lichtman’s #EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education.  From reading Lichtman’s book, I was eager to see these two schools in person, Westminster School with their “Synergy 8” program that is a “transdisciplinary, community issues, problem-solving class” (Lichtman 150) and Woodward Academy with their “‘beta version design lab,’ … and student-teacher paired design teams (who) worked on issues related to ‘building a stronger school community'” (158).

From the moment I drove onto campus, both of these schools had me in awe.  Their sprawling campuses and red brick buildings made me feel as if I was on a college campus.  Both schools are K-12 with 1,850 students (Westminster) and 2,700 students (Woodward).


So what did I learn in my 2-3 hour visit at each school?  What are they doing that we are not?  What can we learn from them?


Time and Space. 


Time – both schools had a block schedule with time in their daily schedule for tutoring, activities, advisement, etc.

Having time in the daily schedule for students to connect with teachers, collaborate with peers, or just chill was something that both schools felt was important (which is reflected in their daily schedules).  Not only is this important time for students, but also for teachers so that lunches remain as a time to chat with colleagues and decompress.  


Aside from tutoring and advisory time being planned into the daily schedule, both schools also used a rotating block schedule with longer class periods that allows for students to get more in-depth into their projects (and also makes it easier for teachers to plan project based learning lessons). 


Not only was time a big factor in creating a more innovative learning environment, but so was — Space.  


In order for teachers to implement more of an innovative/design think approach to teaching and learning, there has to be the right space.  At Woodward, not only did every teacher have his/her own classroom (with furniture that he/she picked out), but there was also a design lab that teachers could bring their classes to for weeks on end.  This room had raised desks (which allowed for students to sit or stand), walls covered with whiteboards, and shelves of supplies for students to use for prototyping.  


At Westminster (lower grades), two of their computer labs had been converted into maker spaces with shelves and shelves of materials ranging from straws to sheets of colored foam and a wall with tiny-sized hand tools for the children.  Here, STEM and design thinking was at the heart of their curriculum for the lower grades.  


Although I have more to share, I am going to end this post here.  I realize we have some limitations at Carondelet in terms of time and space, but what can we do with where we are now?