As a team of 19 walked into the room at Cayman International School Monday there was a definite mix of emotions. The dedicated learning block each week for two hours during the 2020/2021 school year for all 6, 7, and 8th grade students doesn’t even have an official name yet but so much thought and hard work has gone into trying to make this a reality. There was excitement, worry, confusion, apprehension, anticipation and everything in-between.

What if every Middle School team at every school in the world dedicated at least 2 hours a week to have students tackle complex issues that they care about and then plan and take meaningful action for a better future? Cayman International School is going for it and from my experience after 2 days of workshopping with the team I can’t wait to see what these students jump into. They have worked hard to articulate meaningful learning outcomes and are now taking steps to prepare themselves with the conceptual understandings, tools and progressions to bring this to life.

Nothing great ever happens if we don’t step out of our comfort zones and try something new. I commend these teachers and their leaders for doing so. Attempting to facilitate learning of this nature is not easy but with 6 months to role out they are taking the right steps to set the stage for success. In my experience of helping schools do this kind of deep, personal and meaningful learning the hardest part is staying flexible enough to allow for true student ownership, and the ability to fail and re tool, after all, that’s where the learning happens.

Many may have the perception that this amazing Caribbean island doesn’t have complex issues that kids can dig into in meaningful ways, but opportunity to impact community and country exists the world over. Whether it is coral reef, the island being inundated with cruise ships filled with 10 000 people a day, the landfill and waste, access to fresh water, wellbeing for residents, sea turtles, natural disaster relief, being kind to others, or sustaining a vibrant Caribbean culture, the learning and action opportunities are endless. What are these 180 kids from 11-14 years old going to do? Who knows, but given the opportunity they will surprise us, make an impact and learn how the world works, build amazing skills, and build character that gives them a future filled with endless possibilities. Like many schools around the world the staff are tackling their own complex issue in trying to find the time and training to do this well. What will they have to stop doing in order to do this well? What skills and tools need to be built to support the students in meaningful ways? We spent two days digging into systemic thinking and visualization and building a toolbox filled with support tools for students to dig into complexity. It doesn’t all happen in 2 days but I am confident they are off and running.

I very much look forward to watching this develop and wish to thank the CIS team for allowing me to play a small role in doing what’s right for learning and for our collective future!

What is your school doing to prepare kids for their future?

What would you like your school to do to ensure learning is authentic and meaningful?

What can we get out of the way to allow for more of this deep learning?