iFp NEWS
It's Time to Take a Risk
Illustrated by iFp Mentor Julia
Our current education system has been around for a long time. It was created to teach factory workers to be punctual and do their work the correct way. With so much innovation, potential, and need for creativity going on nowadays, doesn’t that educational system sound like the opposite of what we need?
Illustrated by Teen Creative Ashi
What’s needed
Students, teachers, school administration, and the general public are incorporated into this topic. We all have things we want to have implemented in the educational system, as well as things that we need to be changed.
We, as students, think that the relationships between students and educators is crucial for an engaging learning experience. These relationships are important because it gives students a sense of individuality instead of being a number on a report card. In order for them to show their individuality, they should be given room to demonstrate their creativity. The people who are able to provide that space are the educators, administrators, and anyone else who has the influence to make those crucial decisions. Additionally, educators who build positive relationships with students and teach using the best of their abilities will give students a more enjoyable learning experience.
Standardized tests showcase how well we can memorize and understand information for that grade level. Standardized testing does not focus on the creative mindsets that we need. Students have the potential to show educators and politicians, who are the people that decide what they learn, that they can be creative. Being creative is an important 21st century skill. Our job opportunities are being based around creative thinking.
Teachers are the ones that help us get prepared for life, and teaching is one of the most important professions in the world. What teachers want from their students is respect. We need to appreciate the fact that they are here to teach us and are here for us. The way to solve these types of problems is not to just raise the salaries of educators and administrators. As said before, engagement between students and educators does not just relate to students, but relates to educators as well, as they are the ones that are also in the classrooms, and the leading the engagement.
Because the times are changing, society as we see is changing rapidly. The growth mindset of innovation is becoming more important than the fixed mindset of industrialization. Since the creation of computers and the internet, the whole world is practically at our fingertips. It has gotten significantly easier to acquire information and because of that, the world doesn’t really care about what you know anymore, but what you can do with that knowledge. Our education system today was not set up to teach students how to use information, but only how to make sure it’s credible for a specific assignment. It’s very easy to find information on the internet, but to synthesize the information that we get and to create our own ideas with it is not exactly what schools are focusing on. It should be, if we want to make the way we learn more relevant to our society today.
Illustrated by Teen Creative Ashi
What does it all mean?
While there are many different types of learning styles in the world, we want to first focus on three small but impactful learning strategies/styles to be tried out in our schools. We’ve seen these learning strategies being used in other public schools around the country, and they have had many positive effects and impacts on the schools without tampering too much with the system that already exists.
The socratic seminar is one of the strategies that we would like to implement. We’ve actually experienced something similar to this in our schools, as socratic circles. However, the biggest difference between these two activities was that in the one we wanted to implement, there was significantly less teacher involvement. The students are the ones that are left to discuss what they want and lead the conversation. They get a voice in the conversation instead of being told what to say and answer. Little rulesets like saying ‘I understand’ instead of ‘I agree’ help students learn to have a conversation, respect, and listen to other people and their opinions. Additionally, this gives teachers a way to see students shine in different ways from just standardized testing, writing on paper, or talking to the teacher one on one.
Student-led conferences can make a huge impact in the relationships between students, teachers, and parents. This would be in place of parent-teacher conferences. Students are the ones to lead the conversation around their school life, whereas in a traditional parent-teacher conference, parents and teachers would discuss the students’ grades and behavior without the student themselves being involved or knowing what exactly the student is going through in the class. The students would take time to reflect on the work that they did instead of throwing it away once they get a grade. They will then present some works to the parents and teachers. Not only does it improve the student-parent-teacher relationships, but it improves the way students are able to present their work by using their voices instead of being just on paper or on the screen. Students can focus on what they need to grow and make them present in the conversation about how they do in class.
Passion projects provide an environment for creative thinking while allowing students to develop and work on their own projects. Often, students relate their projects to subjects that are relevant to real world jobs and skills. Passion projects give students one day a week to do an independent project on something they are passionate about without restrictions. By letting them research their passions, they can become experts in what they are interested in, while also finding more passions they can hold on to. During the research step, students take notes about what they are researching. This can also be a record of students actively participating, and these notes can help teachers learn what the students are interested in. The students can then turn this research into presentations, galleries, demonstrations, or videos. This helps students with their presentation skills, while allowing them to express themselves in the way that they are most comfortable. This type of project can be adapted for various learning levels, and is encouraged by other teachers who have tried this method before.
Illustrated by iFp Teen Creative Jeanne
The Next Steps
In order for us to move forward with more innovative teaching styles, we need to remember that it’s good to take risks. The types of tests and grades that we have now either tell us that we pass or fail. This sets up students to always think in grade point averages and not in comprehension. Even if we do everything 100%, it doesn’t mean that we can fully understand what we learned. Life isn’t like that. We need to take risks in life. If we have the fear of failing, then we’ll never be able to learn!
Who’s Impacted the Most?
Illustration By: iFp Teen Creative Maxwell
One of our through-lines or guiding themes for this project is Equity versus Equality. We define equality as treating every student the same. Equity means making sure every student has the support they need to be successful. Today we will explore some of the disparities between the Port and Kendall Square. These communities are two blocks away from each other, yet worlds apart. The inequities have been highlighted even more so with the pandemic.
From a student perspective, I noticed new school buildings are being built which is cool. However, no major changes have been made with the way we learn. Has thought been given to what ultimately fosters learning and creativity? I have attended school committee meetings and there is often talk about integrating the new space with the learning, but that’s not what we are experiencing.
If we shift this lens into the Port we see the same ideology. Kids, teachers, and residents of the Port are living in an internalized bubble where everything inside the bubble stays the same but everything outside the bubble is shifting and adapting. This is a real crisis. Schools need to be a place where students can know that their creativity is being fostered. Once they leave the space they are confident knowing that they are productive members of society.
No one who resides or goes to school in the Port is less worthy or capable than anyone else who lives in the city of Cambridge. However, there is a significant difference in resources, programming, and statistical barriers separating this area from the rest of Cambridge. From our research, 2 Blocks reveals that education is an underlying factor in most of these issues.
According to the Cambridge Community Foundation’s Boomtown / Hometown report 2017 there are many data points that describe the inequities throughout the city. The article shows that 60% of white families are high-income households whereas over 65% of black families are low-income households. This correlates to the racial achievement gaps we are seeing in science and math. White students significantly outperform black students.
Overall we noticed the similarities between low-income and achievement and how living in a bubble can be both metaphorical and physical for many Cantabrigians. A more equitable investment of resources into the Port will change the trajectory of student lives!
Illustration By: iFp Teen Creative Maxwell
How Much of a Difference Can 2 Blocks from the Most Innovative Square Mile on the Planet Make? From our Research a lot!
Our story starts with the desire to address disparities in our community. In Cambridge we have struggling communities and thriving corporations existing in the same space and we wanted to think about how these disparities can be solved. We decided to focus on education because it is an important topic that we as students can relate to. With Harvard and MIT being some of the most prestigious schools in the world and companies like Moderna, Ideo and Google having major branches here in Cambridge, we want to make sure our schools reflect the same level of excellence. The Cambridge Public School District ranks right in the middle of public schools in Massachusetts despite having one of the highest per pupil expenditures.
Cambridge is a victim of the opportunity gap. The opportunity gap is when the arbitrary circumstances in which people are born - such as race, ethnicity, zip code, and socioeconomic status determines their opportunities in life, as opposed to all people having a chance to achieve their full potential.
A way to understand this is through the eyes of equality vs equity. Equality means that we can provide resources to everyone equally, but some students may need extra help to achieve their potential. Equity means providing extra support to those who are having a tougher time at school to make sure all students can reach their fullest potential.
Understanding equity doesn’t solve this problem on its own. Something has gone wrong in our educational system, something that needs changing. There are many professionals working on improving our school systems and many great ideas and positive changes have come from this. Here at iFp, we want to share our ideas on ways to combat the opportunity gap because we know that there is always more that can be improved.
Why should our voices matter? We don't have any degrees in education or years of research, but we have a powerful tool at our disposal: experience and perspective. As time goes on, the social structure of schools changes a lot. An expert in education might have solid ideas about student perspectives, but as students ourselves we know it first hand. This gives our ideas legitimacy.
So what are our next steps? Our mission is to see an educational system where everyone is able to bridge the gap between schools and innovative jobs in places like Google and Ideo. If these two institutions are able to inhabit the same space with only two blocks separating them, wouldn’t it make sense to show all of the students how they can reach these amazing jobs. We can't wait to ask whether this is a good idea or whether it's too controversial, we need to just do it! We can’t bring impact alone. We need the help of others to help bring about educational justice and break down the opportunity gap.
2 Blocks: Statement & Call to Action
How much can 2 blocks from Kendall Square - the most innovative square mile on the planet make? From our research a lot! 2 Blocks is a student led movement for educational equity. Too few Cambridge educated youth move towards innovative careers in our own backyard.
We are Cambridge Public Schools students and Teen Creatives of Innovators for Purpose (iFp). We believe our curiosity is not being cultivated to flourish in Kendall. We are committed to proactively drive this change!
STATEMENT
We believe that our future depends on our capacity to learn and our motivation to do so. As students and iFp Teen Creatives, we want to voice and explore ways to improve our educational system. We are incorporating many points of views from within our community to make the school district more equitable.
The 2 Blocks movement builds bridges between Cambridge Public Schools and the high tech corporations of Kendall Square only two blocks away. Our project highlights Equity vs Equality. While equality means treating every student the same, equity means making sure every student has the support they need to be successful.
We commit to:
Championing equity, leading by example and taking action.
Developing a love for learning and encouraging our peers to do so.
Proactively expanding our curiosity and encouraging our peers to do so.
Creating engaging digital tools that stimulate interest in learning tech skills.
We seek allies to:
Support policies that distribute resources more equitably.
Support removal of structural barriers to advance equity in education.
Build supportive pathways that encourage curiosity, motivation, and expression.
Provide access to key tools that will enable students to ride the 21st century innovation wave.
Our aim is for Cambridge to lay claim to the most innovative square mile and school district on the planet.
Let’s bridge the gap!
CALL TO ACTION
We are calling for committed young people in Cambridge Public Schools and allies to rise up in solidarity for educational equity. Too few Cambridge educated youth move towards innovative careers in our own backyard. It’s time for this to change.
The movement is in its formative stages, but here are some ways you can help:
Follow us on social media. Instagram: @innovatorsforpurpose, Twitter: @iFpCreatives, Facebook: @innovatorsforpurpose, LinkedIn: @innovators-for-purpose, Tik Tok: @innovatorsforpurpose Share this and forthcoming information.
Learn more about the movement: innovatorsforpurpose.org/blog
Check out our cool augmented reality installation “This Should Not Be.” that was inspired by the tragic murder of George Floyd. The project enabled us to use our creativity and voice to speak out on systemic racism. It’s currently on exhibit on the Cambridge Public Library’s lawn. innovatorsforpurpose.org/this-should-not-be
We will be sharing more information about 2 Blocks over the coming weeks.
In solidarity,
iFp Teen Creatives