What is it exactly that we are celebrating at our first Exhibition of Student Learning? Do you remember the old Science Fair? While many students certainly did their own work, conducted their own experiments, and should be proud of their efforts, far too often these events celebrated the wrong thing. They were driven by the perfection of the final product. Many students stood next to some unbelievable project with which they had little or nothing to do. Mom and dad were often the architects of these offerings because they knew it would be a big part of their child's science grade that semester and they wanted them to look good in front of the rest of the school. These students had a canned speech and rattled off a list of things they had prepared the night before. You remember.
Well...our exhibition IS NOT THAT.
It is instead a celebration of the process of inquiry and learning. It is an authentic opportunity for our students to discuss their struggles and successes, their curiosity and wonder, and communicate to all of you the thinking and learning that came to light along the way. They are not receiving grades for these projects. Rather they have received and will continue to receive formative feedback. In addition, they are developing the ability to provide constructive feedback to others. Will there be some imperfect results? Boy, I certainly hope so. Failure is the most optimum place for growth...so long as students aren't terrified of it. We're all going to make mistakes and experience failure along the way. Let's learn to improve and grow from those experiences.
This is our first attempt at this as a staff as well. Are there places where we can learn and grow and improve? For sure...and we will do exactly that in the months to come. But keep in mind that if we expect our students to take risks, try things, rise to challenges, and express creativity, then this process must become a foundation of our school culture. We must all participate and commit to the process of ideation, design, and reflection.
At Webster, we're going to take big swings, give kids real things to think about and real problems to solve, and challenge our staff to do the same. We're going to try things and reflect on the outcomes and be committed to growth mindsets. This is what the world is screaming for from our students. So...when you come for Exhibition on March 30, @ 6:00pm, you are coming to witness the beginning of something different...a more authentic exploration of learning. We are beyond excited to have you join us.
