In week 7, guest speaker Jeff Hopkins came in from the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII). PSII is a school which offers more autonomy to students in order to get them more engaged with things they are actually interested in pursuing as a career, rather than learning broadly and about multiple subjects which may not always align with what you want to learn. Before this class, I had heard of independent schools, but never fully looked into what it meant in terms of content, environment, and other differences between public schools and school like PSII. PSII operates around the idea of students reaching a zone of proximal development.
As it alludes to in the name, students operating within the zone of proximal development are at their peak learning when they are outside of their comfort zone, but not too far. To reach this zone, teachers must understand three things: the zone of proximal development is different for each learner, it depends on timing and readiness, and it requires a variety of environments and methods in order to succeed.
After learning about the importance of student choice and voice in my other classes, I strongly connect PSII’s idea of student autonomy to desired learning goals and engagement. One concern I had with giving students choice and autonomy is straying away from the BC curriculum, as I do believe many aspects of it are very important; however, after this lecture I learned how it can be used effectively while working alongside student’s needs.
Although I have mixed feelings about teaching or doing my practicum at independent learning schools, I see the value and importance they bring to each community and student who is involved with them. I believe there is a lot of value both in teaching and attending these schools, and I can see how rewarding it could be to interact with the students who choose to study here.