Leaders of the future - itslearning

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with world-renowned technology consultants Richard
Scoble and Ewan McIntosh and presentations at Autodesk’s
headquarters in San Francisco.
Special recognition for them and this project includes CEFPI
– Special Recognition for Outstanding Accomplishment (USA)
and Lancashire Business Environment Award (UK) – Highly
Commended. They are currently shortlisted for other Community
Responsibility and Environmental Champion competitions.
This is what learning should be about: a project with value
and relevance that has really engaged the team, collaborative
working with other young people and adults, ambition, student
led learning, aspiration and global links. There is no doubt
that the experiences that these young people have gained on
this project will have a major impact on them personally, their
confidence and their plans for the future.
This level of student engagement is relatively rare in the
US, although some of that is beginning to change. But even
then, the discussions do not achieve this level of detail and
understanding. The fact is that our young people really do have
very clear views, high aspirations and some really good ideas.
They have challenged their staff, construction partners and the
community.
This really is how it should be in every project. Everyone in this
project has learnt a lot - and this should translate into ongoing
continuous improvement on future projects and ambitions.
There were many people in the audience who agreed with the
CEFPI president’s closing comments that started with “Wow”
but ended with wondering if there were several hundred people
in the room that wanted to offer the team jobs straight away.
Most decided that maybe she wasn’t joking!
I have seen a lot of versions of student engagement - this is
the best example of real meaningful engagement that I have
seen and will be hard to beat. Just a massive well done to the
students and staff of Accrington Academy and Class of Your
Own who supported them.
Class of Your Own is a company specialising in projects and
workshop concerning sustainability, construction and industry
issues. Workshops with schools enable learners and their
teachers to address sustainability in a very practical way. Judging
by this work, they are really succeeding.
The presentation was only the start. For the next two days the
young people manned a small exhibition describing the plans in
detail. This allowed hundreds of professionals to talk, question,
probe and explore the project in real detail with the team - they
certainly held their own and impressed everyone.
These students are used
to success. Whilst on this
trip of a lifetime, they
were also moving on to
San Francisco to work
with companies there.
Their itinerary included
breakfast with Pulitzer
Prize winner Thomas
Friedman, conversations
Reprinted with kind permission from Gareth Long
Gareth Long is a freelance consultant with major experience in
the UK and abroad working on transformation and new school
design. He has advised foreign governments on education and
works with international experts on design. As a secondary
head, he was dedicated to improving failing schools. Read his
blog at blog.garethl.com and visit www.garethl.com
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