Tag Archives: Pace

A Gold Medal in Interviewing

Motivating a Tribe: Interviewing, Uncategorized

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One of our objectives this session was to “Ask Questions that Motivate a Tribe or a Nation” from a stage.  In other words, we asked the Eagles to learn how to interview someone in front of a live audience.

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First Eagles studied great interviewers, from William F. Buckley to Oprah to Jon Stewart, noting the strengths and weaknesses of each.    Then each Eagle wrote (and re-wrote and re-wrote) an email inviting a hero to come to Acton  for a 20 minute live interview.

Once the invitation had been accepted, it was time to research, draft and send powerful questions and prepare for the week long Interview-A-Thon.

During the week Eagles heard from a globe trotting CEO; a Navy Spy; an award winning architect; a not-for-profit CEO who is changing lives in Africa; a world changing Bicycle Entrepreneur and many others.  Each had an inspiring Hero’s Story of trials and perseverance, as the Eagles made for a rapt audience.

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One of many highlights was Nikita interviewing her long time hero, two time Olympic Gold Medal Winner Garrett Weber-Gale.  Afterwards, Garrett couldn’t wait to send the video to his mother.

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Who knows? Perhaps we sowed the seeds this week for a future Gold Medal Winner.

 

Hearts v. Brains

Art, Civilization, , , , ,

What’s inside you?  What’s important?

This is Acton- take a side!  Learn, choose, defend, learn more, listen, and  maybe change your mind.Image

It’s July 8th.  Most friends are out of school, and unlike the peers of the Elementary School Eagles, most of these friends are old enough to be left to their own devices (of course, school starts again for those friends about 3 weeks before Acton starts… hard satisfaction to enjoy right now).

But at Acton, it’s cool despite the heat.  The Eagles gamely undertook a mini-project, Hearts V.Brains, and will compete for most persuasive argument on Wednesday.

During free time, they played in the rain.

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A grand sweep of the classroom in anticipation of our move to the new Studio yielded a happy surprise- Eagles’ pastel paintings of their earliest selves, done early in the school year.  As we focus in on our year-long exploration of whether the past determines the future, we lucked upon these remnants and touchstones that help us delineate the journey and the lessons learned.

So what is it- hearts or brains?  We’ll find out Wednesday from the Eagles, but for now, see below, this makes me happy in both ways and I hope it has the same affect on you.

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The pros and cons of adaptability

Core Skills, Testing, , ,

Standardized tests for highly unique individuals?  Hmm.  Data gathering is interesting, and Eagles, parents and guides share curiosity as to how the learning that happens at Acton translates when compared to schools that “teach to the test”.  The Eagles underwent zero prep for these tests, and are not used to working with a timer ticking down the seconds.  “Is the point to understand the material, or to check a box before the timer runs out?”  one Eagle wondered aloud.  The vibe in the learning studio Monday morning was icky with stress.Image

Tuesday morning was better.  A fun Othello craze swept the room during free time.  Venting during debriefing discussions seemed to help. One Eagle who’d been in tears on Monday wore a relaxed smile on Tuesday.

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But adaptability can be bittersweet.  A Krishnamurti quote comes to mind: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”  A bit dramatic for these circumstances perhaps, but the worst part of the testing process from a cultural standpoint has naught to do with the tests themselves and everything to do with the disintegration  of the disciplined independence the Eagles have so carefully cultivated over the course of the year.  Heroes in charge of their own destiny reverting to asking permission to use the restroom?  Alas.  But one morning of testing was all it took (and we’ve got three).  Fortunately, the days come fortified with afternoons as well- stay tuned for a more upbeat report on what’s been happening during the less robotic part of the week (hint:  speaking of independence…).

Our class journey into History became 3-dimensional for the Eagles on Friday, when they left campus for an expedition to the Alamo.  For an hour and a half, the Middle Schoolers explored the Alamo with an audio tour tool to use as they wished.  This was a terrific opportunity for them to exercise their skills as independent learners, sometimes exploring in pairs or clusters, sometimes going off alone to study details that grabbed only their attention. Some spent more time in the shrine, some became absorbed in the museum displays… and quite a few were captivated by the Koi.

At a given time, we all rejoined for a guided Alamo Battlefield tour filled with stories of early Texas history and details about the battle.  As always, Eagles came up with probing and creative questions that took the group deeper into the lives of the heroes and bystanders whose lives were changed by the events and decisions made.

Then a well-earned lunch on the Riverwalk, in a restaurant chosen by the winners of our series of History Challenges.  The two winners also had the privilege of choosing a streamlined menu with options within our budget, and the responsibility of navigating the group to the chosen establishment.  (Yes, we made it!).

The ride home gave all a chance to reflect and share surprises and take-aways from the Alamo.  Oh, and (at least in one car) to listen to music at exceptional volume.  Who says hard work and fun can’t go hand in hand?

The inspiration that comes from guiding others

Collaboration, Communications, Core Skills, Culture, Guides, Hero's Journey, Independent Learner, Math, Reading, Socratic, Writing, , ,

The word “inspire” means to “to breathe life into.”

Our Middle School Eagles are full of life already, but have been even more inspired lately by earning the chance to guide Acton Elementary School Eagles in Math and Reading.

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It’s important to note the word “guide” versus “teach.”  We believe the deepest and most powerful learning comes from having a Socratic Guide as your partner, rather than suffering a lecturing adult teacher posing as an expert.

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Our MS Eagles earn the right to guide an elementary school Eagle by completing a Learning Badge challenge.  Each Learning Badge challenge earns the right to 30 minutes of guiding time, which comes with a learning covenant and feedback on the Guide’s performance.  Complete a dozen or challenges and you earn a Learning Badge.

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Our MS Eagles consider it a privilege worth working hard to earn, and are lining up to do so.

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All Eagles will move from the Independent Learner badge to Running Partner to Socratic Guide to Project Guide to Curriculum Creator, until by high school each Eagle is capable of running a school (or company or non-profit) on their own.

Think of it.  An army of bright young people guiding each other, delivering “learn to do” and “learn to be” skills and lessons better, faster and far less expensive than adults.

You might even call it a revolutionary idea.

From Tribes to Prison

Psychology Quest, Quests, , , ,

Today we continued the Psychology Quest by recreating (with kinder and gentler oversight) the Stanford Prison experiment made famous by Zimbardo, with Eagles tribal loyalties still fully intact.

During launch, Eagles were informed that there were secret police among them, armed with the power to arrest for a “lack of intention” or even on a whim.  Tension was in the air during Core Skills.

Mid-morning, we paused to run the Prisoner’s Dilemma, and discussed what game theory can teach us about human nature; how “past determines the future” and the importance and fragility of trust.

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Then, at 11 AM, one Eagle donned a hat, reflective sunglasses and a badge and made the first arrest.  Soon, another arrest followed and more Eagles were deputized to serve as jailers.

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At first, all of those jailed were Oranges, leading to charges of prejudice.  Then a few Reds filled out the prison. Only a few Eagles remained as bystanders.

Grievances were filed.  Privileges taken away. Punishments levied.  Punishments increased.  Soon a few guards – surprisingly some of the kindest Eagles – began to let power go to their heads.  Duty became cruel delight.

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One Eagle prisoner agreed to denounce his tribe (photo above as an Eagle changes his tribe colors); in a real prisoner’s dilemma bind, an Eagle ratted out an innocent classmate; another prisoner agree to become an informant in return for pay and privileges.

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Before long, a number of Eagle prisoners were in solitary confinement.  And even some taunting began.  It was time to call the experiment before things got out of hand. (Guides commented how eerily the posing mimicked photos from Abu Graib.)

During a lengthy debrief, it was clear that powerful lessons had been learned, like:

  • “Given power, a human will become an animal;”
  • “Power hides the truth;” and
  • “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

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Then it was time to heal the tribe.  In a powerful ritual, the Eagles tied their tribal bandanas to a rope that was used in a trust exercise, and then following a discussion about and photos from Abu Graib and how each of our shadows can cause us to treat fellow human beings as objects, we buried our shadow objects and reunited a tribe.

Understanding the power of Tribes and Shadows.  Feeling the power of a Shadow unleashed. Turning Shadows from projection to Gold.  All experiences that leaders who will someday change the world should experience, long before they hold the corrupting influence of real world power in their hands.

Only the Shadow knows

Culture, Hero's Journey, Journey maps, Psychology Quest, Quests,

Today our Eagles explored their “Shadow,” the unclaimed part of the psyche that leads us to project our fears and worries on others.

Is there a politician you truly despise because he or she seems “dogmatic?”  Carl Jung would say this is a part of you disowned at an earlier age, more than likely because you were shamed when you exhibited a similar behavior.  (Shadows also show up as the dark or scary characters in your dreams.)

Shadow projections cause us to blame others.  Shadow projections are the root of scapegoating.  Shadow projections waste an incredible amount of energy that could be put to a more positive use.

The antidote to your shadow is to turn the negative into a positive – “dogmatic” becomes “principled” when the cause is just;  “laziness” becomes “rest” when used wisely; “silliness” becomes “fun” with a different perspective.

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Above Eagles trace their real shadows.  The interplay between symbols and ritual in the real world can help reveal new insights in the inner world.

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Here Eagles turn “dark” shadow images into their positive counterparts.

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Why does this matter?  Because our young Eagles are going to change the world.  Having the tools,  intentionality and courage to take an inner Hero’s Journey provides reserves of moral judgment and energy for the times our Eagles will need them the most.

Making Waffles, Planning Parties and Standardized Tests

Core Skills, Detective Quest, Hero Story, Hero's Journey, Quests, Socratic, ,

Today the Middle School Eagles had a self organized Waffle Party – each bringing recipes, supplies and equipment.

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Yes, we had Core Skills today. Yes, we practiced how to pitch for an apprenticeship. Yes, we reviewed “lessons learned” from the Detective Quest.

We even had an inspiring Hero Talk from our Acton Academy Guatemala Guide Daniel, who challenged our Eagles to concert their dreams into reality – today!

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Life is short.  Our Eagles worked hard these last six weeks. So as we near the end of this six week “sprint,” celebrating achievements — and learning about cooking waffles and party planning — is well within the Acton curriculum.  Even if it never shows up on a standardized test.

Keep Away Today; College Tomorrow

Hero's Journey, ,

Today our Eagles took advantage of a beautiful spring day for a spirited game of keep away.

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“Keep away today; college tomorrow?”  You might take that as a philosophical observation about the ephemeral nature of childhood.  True, but not the whole truth.

Our Eagles are so far ahead academically that many soon will be taking college courses in high school (Maria Teresa at Acton Academy Guatemala, age 14, already is taking Harvard, Stanford quality level from Coursera, Udacity and EdX.)

Yesterday, a major accreditor announced that five MOOC’s (massive open online courses) may know be taken for college credit (note – most MOOC’s are free!)

The courses:

  • “Introduction to Genetics and Evolution” and “Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach,” from Duke University.
  •  “Pre-Calculus” and “Algebra,” from the University of California at Irvine; and
  •  “Calculus: Single-Variable,” from the University of Pennsylvania.

Expect hundreds more such courses, from elite universities, to follow soon.

Our Eagles will be well qualified for a four year, on campus experience at an Ivy League university; many of our families may choose to invest the hundreds of thousands of dollars required for such an enriching experience.

But the whole concept of a college education is changing so rapidly that the brightest and most motivated students may soon be able to gain all of the academic value from a college experience for pennies on the dollar.

If this comes to pass, our Eagles will be at the front of the line.

Writing their own stories, in every way…

Core Skills, Culture, Detective Quest, Launches, PE, Place, Quests, Storytelling, Trouble, Writing, , , ,

Do what you say you’ll do, or follow your conscience?  Do you have the courage to be honest about your choices?  In this morning’s huddle, Eagles discussed adding a West Point-style honor code to their governance documents.  At issue in particular is internet use during free time.  While exploring the repercussions of offering our bodies junk or nourishment, and to what degree the level of tidiness reflects the learning space as a “landfill” or a Studio of Excellence, this age group is facing decisions re drawing boundaries for their interaction with the Web.  Student-generated guidelines will be introduced tomorrow after a town hall-style debate, and the decision is firmly the students’ to make.  Guides and parents stand together watching this important process, reinforcing the message that this is serious, the community is involved, and we absolutely trust you to argue with each other until you create an agreement that’s right for you.

Today saw the launch of Thursday morning Writers’ Workshops.  First project, tying in with the afternoon hands-on Detective Science quest: write a great detective mystery.  Eagles brainstormed about elements crucial to a great crime story, listened together to a classic Sherlock Holmes short, then revised their megalist to create their own rubric of excellence in crime/mystery fiction.  Agreeing that a detective (whether casual or pro) is a crucial character, they used StoryMatic to jump start ideas for character generation.  Until they didn’t.  Whoops- a Guide set a guideline without thinking it through all the way to make sure there’s an ultimate WHY.  Naturally many students rebelled; they can smell bogus a mile away.  In this case, the students were set free to use StoryMatic, or not.  Ask your Eagle which they chose.  The MS’ers take this seriously at least in part because they know that what they do matters, and that they, as brave and thoughtful adventurers, are creating a path for others to follow.

New path in PE: after an invigorating awards ceremony with certificates for Olympic Champions (whoever exceeded their previous best by largest percentage increase) and trophies for Best Sportsmanship (congratulations Ellie and Pace!), down to the field for….. Wiffle Ball!

Ms. Anna and Ms. Terri challenged the D.I.T.s (that’s Detectives in Training) to learn the science behind fingerprinting and analyzing data from footprints left at a crime scene.   Also a great lesson in following directions, as it turned out, and in cleaning as you go.
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Tomorrow, a look at goal tracking for the week, a Town Hall meeting, the journal reflection contest, history in the yurt and a more meaningful version of (offline) Game Time.

Learning to set your own standards

Critiques, Culture, Excellence-Best You Can Do, Town Hall, , , ,

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At Acton Academy, we turn over the governance of the classroom to Eagles.  Above, the past Council met with its recently elected replacements to discuss ways to inspire their fellow travelers to even greater heights.

Why do we trust the setting, encouragement and enforcement of maintaining incredibly high community learning standards to a group of students?  Because they govern themselves far better than if lorded over by adults.  And because we want our Eagles to be leaders, not rule followers.

So how does a beginning author or artist or game designer set their own standards of excellence?  By looking at world class examples and comparing those to his or her first attempts.

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Below, photos of Eagles creating and comparing prototype games.

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And most importantly, the criteria they developed to judge whether or not a game is “world class.”

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Here, an example of a group critique in action.

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Because if you can learn to set your own standards; set them high; judge your progress draft after draft, gathering honest critiques as you move towards excellence, you are well on your way to the mastery of any skill, craft or art.

Celebrate!

Communications, Core Skills, Critiques, Culture, Math, Writing, , , , ,

Our theme for the next four weeks is CELEBRATE!

Celebrate living in Austin; celebrate the holiday season; celebrate learning with friends at Acton Academy.

We started the day with dancing to Cool and the Gang – CELEBRATE!

Then we quickly settled into Core Skills, because fun and hard work aren’t mutually exclusive.  All Eagles are now up to speed on Khan, with many approaching the 107 skills needed by semester break.

Towards the end of Core Skills, Claire and Jack held a Zombie story critique session with their with fellow writers and illustrators.

Then followed PE, lunch and Project Time with Ms Anna, where Eagles created new prototype games, in preparation for the public Acton Game Exposition to be held three weeks from Friday.

 

At closing group, the following exchange took place:

Guide:  “What’s your biggest lesson learned on the first day back from Thanksgiving break?”

Eagle One: “It’s good to be back.  It’s boring when school isn’t in session.”

Guide: ‘How many students in Austin do you think feel the same way?”

Eagle Two: “Fourteen.”

Eagle Three: “No, more like forty, because you have to count the (Acton Academy) elementary students too.”

No Boredom allowed.  Fun.  Hard work.  Celebrating with friends.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

dragons and an election

Art, Communications, Core Skills, Culture, Film, Math, Reading, , ,

Tuesday mornings are core skills intensive, with an extra hour for students to work on foreign language, math, reading, and writing.  Today they also used some of that time to meet in their film crews as the deadline for getting their projects green-lighted for production approaches.

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Art provided a change of pace as students worked on their dragon drawings and studied dragon mythology.

It was election day, and a buzz of nervous energy permeated the room especially during project time when Ms. Samantha presented the opportunity to vote for or against an extra 30 minutes of morning silence in the classroom.  Many students were surprised when, despite some preliminary polling that indicated a likely majority against that extra 30 minutes, the final count was in favor of a full hour of silence during core skills.  Lesson learned:  a poll is a snapshot of the present rather than an accurate predictor of the future.

Where did the time go?

Exhibition, Galileo Trial, Math, Quests,

With gravitas and quiet excitement, the Eagles welcomed parents and grandparents into their classroom this morning to share their hard work from the past five weeks.  Students led their parents on math tours of Khan Academy, talked them through the scientific paradigm shift timeline they built together, and shared writing and art.  They demonstrated their rules of engagement and how they hold one another accountable for keeping the classroom a terrific learning environment.  The Eagles regrouped after a brief critique session with their running partners, and with the honesty, candor and courage they regularly show during discussion mode, shared their thoughts and opinions in front of a captive parent audience.

More courage about public speaking followed after lunch when the Eagles recreated the Trial of Galileo.  The Pope and his allies presented their case to a panel of judges, then Galileo and his allies presented their well-reasearched defense.  As in the real world, judges were faced with hard decisions- not just about the facts of the case but about their own ethics as well.  Would they let their opinions be bought for the price of gold?  Your Eagles can talk you through the outcome.

Congratulations to a remarkable group of young men and women on the first leg of their Hero’s Journeys at Acton.  Enjoy a well-earned week of down time!  See you on the 15th for our groundbreaking ceremony at the new campus (then back to Riverside campus for our launch of the next session).

Pitching your film idea

Communications, Core Skills, Film, Galileo Trial, Hero Story, Math, Quests, Signalling

Core Skills time featured lots of work on Khan Academy, as well as the Eagles  pitching their script ideas to the class. Later in the day, the Eagles voted to turn Charlie, James and Mason’s scripts into real films over the next few months

Later in the afternoon, Ms Anna continued to work with the Pope, Galileo’s team and our panel of judges to prepare for Friday’s trial, and Jasper’s dad David Herman came to give his Hero’s story about working in Hollywood, as well as sharing some tips on acting and directing.

We also implemented Pace’s idea of signalling what mode the class was in: Red for discussion time, with all Rules of Engagement in force; Yellow for collaborative time when students can mill around freely, as long as no one who is focused on work is being disturbed; and Green for free time.  Interestingly, we calculated that in the average day Eagles spend 1-1.5 hours in Red (discussion) mode; 1.5 hours in Green (free) mode (including the 30 minutes before class officially starts); and 4-4.5 hours in Yellow (collaborative) mode.

Spending 5.5 to 6 hours intensely “on task” every day is the reason we can pack so much discovery and learning into a single day.

Heroic Committments

Hero's Journey, Math, Quests, Reading,

This was an important day for our Acton Eagles.  We continued to work on journaling (today on the question of how “learning styles” and “love languages” affect Heroes’  Journeys and leadership styles); Khan Academy and “reading your favorite book,” as well as leadership challenges during project time (“untie the knot” and “comfort, challenge and panic zones”.)

Much more importantly, today each Acton Eagle signed the Contract of Promises; Rules of Engagement; Governance Framework and They Say-We Say rubric – making a deeply personal commitment to each of his or her peers.  Before doing so, each student reflected on how the Founding Fathers were really just ordinary people, with extraordinary courage, much like themselves.  We also discussed the bravery of the men and women of the Alamo, accepting Colonel Travis’ challenge and crossing the line he had drawn in the sand.  Then, one-by-one, and in complete silence, each Eagle came forward and signed the documents.

Note that these founding documents are the student’s creation.  In less than two weeks, our Eagles have proposed and debated principles, drafted and wordsmithed and finalized a series of promises and pledges that will govern their own learning.  Quite extraordinary for any group, of any age.

We still have many trials and challenges ahead: electing leaders for their skills and judgment rather than popularity; our Guides staying in Socratic mode; developing and reinforcing the habit of committing to learning goals and following through, especially when learning becomes difficult.  But the foundation has been laid – by the students themselves.

Building Community

Core Skills, Culture, Quests, , ,

At Acton Academy, we spend an enormous amount of time and energy the first five weeks building a powerful learning community, constructed by the students.

Today, we continued to establish the reading, writing (communications) and math rhythms for core skills, while Ms Anna launched the start of Project Time with a series of experiences that equip students to develop their own “rules of engagement” that will determine how the community governs itself.

Without knowing it, Eagles are absorbing the lessons and habits required to run a world class organization, while they learn.  Notice the intensity of concentration that’s already evident.