CHATHAM – The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has named 22 schools and districts as finalists for the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning pilot program, a program aimed at involving more students and teachers in deeper learning.
“We were thrilled that hundreds of schools and districts expressed interest, many of which completed applications for the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley.
“This reflects schools’ and districts enthusiasm for deeper learning, learning that is interactive, relevant, collaborative, and coherently aligned to Massachusetts standards.”
Chatham Elementary School was named as one of the 22 finalist.
Commissioner Riley outlined how deeper learning opportunities could help close achievement gaps and prepare students for a strong future.
The finalists were selected because they have already begun innovative work involving deeper learning and submitted creative proposals for how to enhance that work.
“Chatham Elementary School was chosen, in part, to lead the way with this state collective due to the team’s work with the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning Global Partnership,” says Chatham Elementary Principal Dr. Robin Millen.
“Since 2018, CES along with partners at Southcoast Educational Collaborative and NPDL educators from across the world, has been working to shift the role of teachers to that of activators of learning who design learning experiences that build on learner strengths and needs, create new knowledge using real-life problem solving and help all students identify their talents, purpose and passion.”
Within this deep learning design, learning experiences also focus on developing global competencies, which are the skill sets each and every student needs in order to flourish in today’s complex world.
These competencies include collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, citizenship, character, and communication.
The next steps in the Kaleidoscope Collective pilot program selection process include: a convening and training, which was held on December 10th, an event in each finalist district in which the school or district will convene community members to contribute ideas to the school’s district’s plan, and a January school visit.
All finalists that complete the three steps will be invited to join the inaugural Kaleidoscope cohort.
The cohort will run from January 2020 to June 2021, and members will receive professional development on implementing deeper learning.
The Department expects to name a second cohort for fall 2021.
Lessons learned from this pilot will inform efforts to bring deeper learning to more schools and districts in the future.
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