Realizing the "New Normal"

Mental Models
All of us have mental models of what we believe to be reality and normal.  It is these mental models that shape our perceptions, beliefs and cause us to do and think what we do and think.  For some, their mental models are grounded in historical perspectives. 

"You are now what you were then" is a concept that who you are now is based on the historical event you lived through growing up.  Your starting point in life impacts how you view the world.  

In schools today there are several generations teaching children of generation Z. Teachers in their 60's, 50's, 40's, 30's and 20's are trying to relate and teach a generation whose starting point in life includes the iPhone, online streaming, artificial intelligence (AI), and driverless cars. In some instances there are teachers suffering from future shock teaching kids whose normal is dynamic, accelerating change.  Think someone who grew up listening to Three Dog Night, working with someone who listened to Disco and Grunge teaching a child who listens to Classical Baby and watches Nickelodeon .   

Emerging Themes for System Redesign
The current system of teaching and learning "sifts and sorts" children by chronological age not by their aptitude or ability.  Children are measured and evaluated within cohorts of their own age group and not by their passion or skill sets. 

The assumption is that at a certain age, children should be at a certain academic achievement level.  Children move from holistic learning in elementary to more subject specific content frequently learned in isolation in high school. The desired outcome of learning should be a continuum of engaged, creative thinking and doing.  

A new perception is emerging that the abilities of children are underestimated. There is a realization that they are capable of so much more and at an earlier age.   

Bel Aire Elementary kindergarteners and 2nd graders, video chatting, using Google tools to write code and create graphs with students at St. James Regional Catholic Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is amazing. Over 812 miles away, coming from different social, economic and ethnic backgrounds, these young people are learning and creating. Can you imagine what these young people will be capable of, and what they will expect from schools, when they enter 12th grade?    

"Wildcat Drilling" is the phrase TCS is using to describe the process of focused conversations with stakeholders to define current conditions and perceptions on teaching and learning.  A special "shout out" and THANK YOU to THS seniors Jarrett Wooten and Griffin Basham for redesigning the Design TEAM logo well to include 7 drops of oil, one for each TCS campus: Tullahoma High School, East and West Middle School, and Bel Aire, East Lincoln, Farrar and Robert E. Lee elementary schools. Sharing their skills and abilities is greatly appreciated and valued, a very professional job!

THS Senior Abby Nelson, serving on the Tullahoma Mayor's Youth Council, brings representation and a fresh perspective to city government.  Articulate and bold, her reflections are valued and respected by community leaders.  

From elementary students connecting across the country to learn and create to high school students demonstrating proficiency and ability with digital design tools to modeling courage and servant leadership, TCS is on the move. 

The task going forward will be to take these and other emerging themes and deliberately build them into a new design for education. This will mean identifying pedagogy, practice and the creation of structure that is flexible and supports 21st century teaching and learning. Foundational will be what is it we want kids to know and be able to do, how do we know they know it and what do we do if they don't? How do we identify student strengths and talents and then connect these to passions and professions? In short, how will we empower ALL kids to THINK, LEAD and SERVE? 

Teaching and learning, the next frontier. Follow the TCS story. Its six year mission, to explore, design and make operational a new design for education.  To boldly go where no man has gone before!