It takes a community to raise a school – where do you fit in?

One of my life missions is to encourage life-long learning, promote alternative learning environments and inspire people to live their dreams. Self-directed, curiosity-based learning is something I have experienced all my life and it’s one of the reasons I built the Reinventing School Challenge.

In recent times there has been a renewed focus globally on the 3 R’s – reading, writing, and arithmetic, however if our young people are to fully participate in today’s global community, young people must also master the 4 C’s – creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. These are skills we all need, young and old and they will be experienced during the challenge.

Mission: Encourage life-long learning, promote alternative learning environments and equip you with 21st Century skills

Freedom to learn is the next challenge

The Reinventing School Challenge is a project that uses design, collaboration, technology, play and social media to engage and empower young people to effect positive change in their school community. This challenge provides a space to freely share ideas and great examples of what is transforming and can transform learning environments.

I want to ensure that the entire community feels welcome and able to participate. While students and educators are most likely to be attracted to the challenge, teams can participate from many other organisations or groups. We will not grow as a country and no real education transformation will take place without the entire community feeling some investment and ownership of the change and this includes young people. We must all engage, collaborate and communicate the needs and issues around learners today so we really facilitate a positive outcome. Student needs must be at the centre of what we design and that’s why they are at the centre of this challenge.

Groups, teams, families, communities

Students, teachers, parents, subject matter experts are all invited all to to collaborate. Form or join a team and research, ideate, design, remix and prototype new possibilities and reinvent the school experience. Follow the step by step guide or do it your way.

I'm sure your school and community has a wealth of talent, experience and resources that can be applied to a social innovation challenge like this so please do get involved and shine!

Social inclusion, community building and sharing knowledge are all elements this challenge promotes. Great benefit comes from connecting young people with leaders in their fields, experts and those in the wise age, the third age of life. Diversity makes magic happen, I’ve witnessed this countless times. Feel free to select your team aiming for diversity. A team can be made up of your class, a global mix, a mix of different aged students and parents, local business people or subject matter experts. As you wish.

Learning happens everywhere

There are so many venues for social and blended learning that it would take forever to list them all. I’m sure you know many of them. The Reinventing School Challenge can be facilitated in lots of these learning environments. 

Everything you need to guide you is online here, and all it takes is you and a small team of enthusiastic participants to make it happen. Ask some kids, get a team together and spend a few hours on the challenge each week at work or school. Ask the seniors at the local aged care home, ask your local council person, ask the design team at the local print shop, ask your local doctor.

The first challenge begins Sept 12 and submissions close Nov 7. Most promising ideas/examples will be posted on the site on Nov 28 2011. You can register a team now and get your very own page to showcase your team’s ideas.

I'm currently applying for a small grant to promote and nurture the ideas deemed to have potential for most impact so we can provide a few schools with some funding to turn them into learning objectives and outcomes.

Please do use the social media buttons to share this with your colleagues, family and friends.

I look forward to hearing from you. Brendan O'Keefe – Curator http://potentiality.reinventingschool.com.au