What If: August Recap

If you missed the campaign announcement, feel free to read more about the backstory here and sign up for the newsletter to make sure you never miss a question! We look at these questions as a way to inspire change and thought about the future of learning and to get an idea of what you’re wondering about, what you’re thinking about and more. If any of these questions inspire you to write, feel free to email [email protected] with your thoughts or a blog submission.

Another month of What If? questions has passed. This month we were interested in co-authorship, repurposing buildings and whole child approaches. We loved the answers we saw, but would like to hear from even more of you!

Here are a few of the questions we asked over the last month:

What if every learner could co-author their learning journey?

We have become super interested in the idea of co-authoring ever since the AASA Report of this year. Check out why students should coauthor learning experiences and, while you’re at it, take look at some coauthoring resources.

What if school buildings were leveraged as community centers or career centers after hours?

#GSWhatIf “What if school buildings were leveraged as community centers or career centers after hours?”

I love this question so much, it reminds me of one of my a-has when I started @BVCAPS, that the magic of the place is it is truly a microcosm of the community. #capsnet pic.twitter.com/KtZW3P1N3l

— Corey Mohn (@coreymohn) August 2, 2021

What if school buildings were leveraged as community centers or career centers after hours?

DC: Seems to me that this would help facilitate the integration of schools &the communities in which they reside. Better collaborations &prob solving.#GSWhatIf: https://t.co/VhrW6gQkZZ

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) July 27, 2021

What if tools could make it easier to frame issues, host conversations & craft agreements?

This question was inspired by our recent exploration of 20 Invention Opportunities in Learning & Development.

What if all learning was framed as social-emotional?

This question was contributed by our friends at Socrates Head of School from their distillation on All Learning is Social and Emotional.

Learning occurs through the heart & mind, the non-cognitive & cognitive, relying on the alignment of emotion & reason. This creates flow. Learning is purposeful, relevant & seamless. “What if all learning was framed as social & emotional?” #GSWhatIf: https://t.co/YXr7sNSdHl

— Dr. Patricia Griffin #HeartMindZone ❤️🧠💡 (@Drgriffin216) July 13, 2021

*Interesting!* Might imply collaboration, no grades, agency, and most of all meaning #GSWhatIf: https://t.co/1y5Q4YbjoB

— Marie Bjerede (@mbjerede) July 13, 2021

What if every high school grad had already experienced success in work?

If every high school grad had already experienced success in work, they would realize their strengths & interests, how relevant education is or could be moving forward, the importance of lifelong learning & more opportunities for the present & planning for the future. #GSWhatIf

— Dr. Patricia Griffin #HeartMindZone ❤️🧠💡 (@Drgriffin216) July 7, 2021

What if every high school grad had a mentor as they either entered college or the workforce? #GSWhatIf #Education #worldsbestworkforce

— Gloriann Heikes (@MrsHeikes) July 7, 2021

Now this is a #GSwhatif @Getting_Smart! @katiemartinedu https://t.co/qamGpfu6dJ

— Carrie Pratt (Mathes), Ed.D., CETL (@CarriePrattEdD1) August 22, 2021

Thanks for following along with these questions! Please let us know which ones stuck out to you and which ones you’re still thinking about AND be sure to sign up for the newsletter so you can catch all the questions.