On Friday night, November 8th the two-day school integration conference in Hartford held an open panel at Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker titled, “Harnessing Diversity’s Potential: Employing Student-Centered Learning and Technology to Achieve Equity and to Build 21st Century Skills.” Principal Peter Dart opened with welcoming remarks and then Susan Eaton introduced the panel. In her introduction Susan spoke of the importance of working together and how all struggles should be tied together instead of everyone working in isolation in order to work towards greater racial, social, and economic. With that statement she introduced six different panelists who employ their own methods of student-centered learning in order to achieve equal opportunity in education, which would lead to a more equitable society.
Robert Cotto, from Connecticut Voices, was the moderator for the panel discussion and asked each panelist to introduce him/herself and briefly discuss his/her method for student-centered learning. Nicholas Donohue, CEO of Nellie Mae Education Foundation, was the first to speak and said that his organization promoted very high student agency by teaching mastery and competency in the use of technology. Shandra Brown, Principal of CREC Museum Academy, then said how Museum Academy has collaborations with museums in Hartford, in which they use their ideologies to engage students in art in order to educate them in not what to think but how to think. Alicia Iannucci, teacher at Quest to Learn, spoke about how this school, which many have called the “xbox school” promotes situational learning using technology because “life is one large game.” Barbara Cervone, Founder and President of What Kids Can Do said that the goal of the program is to change people’s views on what children are capable of because they are part of the solution to equity in education. Helen Soule, executive director of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills discussed the importance of career skills, self-direction and the 4 C’s: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Lastly, Melissa Giraud, digital media and learning strategist and consultant, spoke of media projects and radio stories and the significance of increasing opportunities for student internships that count for credit.
Robert Cotto then asked the panelists “Why are these methods well suited for racially/culturally/economically diverse schools?” Shandra Brown explained how at the end of the year each student has to present in front of students, parents, and community partners and how students politely critique one another in which they ground opinions in evidence “without seeing color.” Melissa Giraud discussed described her experience teaching in a Northern Mexican neighborhood in Chicago, in which she took the students on a trip, many of whom were flunking out of school, and had them make national scripts through interviewing. Melissa explained the significance of having students construct their own knowledge that is relevant to them. Nicholas Donohue ended the panel discussion by explaining that education is a politically and culturally constructed system that is becoming more individualized. He said that although the technological aspect is significant for increasing equality, it will not work until our society’s current cultural set of values and beliefs are challenged and shifted.
