Annabel Lucy Smith, Consultant, The American School in London www. annabelsmith.org.

Annabel Lucy Smith, Consultant,

The American School in London

www. annabelsmith.org

Community Collaboration for Learning and Change

The ModelAcademic, Experiential, Collaborative


Equip young people to live a good life.Widespread emphasis on global, character, leadership.Need to fulfill school mission / motto.Questions of identity, individual & community; TCKs.College Admissions.Skills delivery – no more powerful medium. Academically

challenging - Nobel Laureates. Community-building inside school & out. Escape the pressure of grades and academic achievement.New model, & role models, of social entrepreneurship.Shifting learning to new venues; technology to connect.Reality as hook for passion & purpose: everyone does best

work & likes themselves.


Why (now)?

Combine academic and experiential learning.Collaborate and partner.Engage all students in global learning and the urgent

issues of the day.Mainstream all programs, make them rigorous,

intentional and progressive.Join the dots to maximize existing programs, resources

and people.Rethink community service as community learning,

community interaction and community partnership.Redefine community as an asset rather than a deficit.Create a portfolio of sustained local and global

community partnerships.


Key Approaches I

Link global and local community interaction directly to curriculum.

Create intentional shared language.Emphasize student leadership and student voice.Develop tools for evaluation, feedback and record-

keeping.Understand that we can do harm as well as good.Story telling, witnessing and community mapping.Celebrate relationships, share experiences, create

publications.Making ‘the other’ real.Project-based, NOT counting hours.


Key Approaches II

Map your local community – who lives there, what are their stories?

Presume nothing. Ask, listen & talk. Recognize and encourage expertise in others.

Focus on people, they’re the point.Remember you’re working with vulnerable people.Be thoughtful and careful. Do no harm.Use athletic model: seasons, coaches, parent

evenings, emotional support; celebration.Reflect, record, talk it out, celebrate, find the

learning, evaluate. Have kids teach one another.Develop a code of conduct.


Community Partnerships

Believe in a single story or reinforce stereotypes..Take people out of their context. Paint walls other people can paint for wages. Wear your sunglasses, sanitize your hands, get

your phone out, just hang with your friends.Expect it to be quick or easy or to always run on

time.Do hit and run, voluntourism, tokenism or

trophies. Pay anyone or give students credit.Apologize.


Community Partnerships: what not to do

Dedicated tracks, electives or Foundations courses.English / Social Studies, Science, Math, Languages,

Art & Design etc. Assembly speakers / guests to reinforce.Storytelling & witnessing.Germantown Academy electives.Taft: Service Learning class, Senior Projects, Global

Scholars Program. ASL: Foundations, SL program in MS + class,

electives – Global Issues, Alternatives (Experiential Education week)


Linking to Curriculum

Case Study 1:

Taft Service Learning Elective

• Community-based once a week, classroom-based 3 times a week.• Orientation to neighborhood.• Orientation from Head of School.• Weekly briefing from social worker.• Collaboration with teachers.• Project-based triangular partnership. with another Taft partner.• Visits from local government experts.• Regular journaling & project-based assessment.


“Countries plagued by civil war and the Aids epidemic in Africa seem to need our attention so much more than Children’s Community School, but in reality we cannot solve the problems of Africa or even the city of Waterbury on our own. That has been the most difficult concept to grasp: how limited we are…” Barry Clarke ‘09

“Before class I never appreciated how important it is to take initiative. It only takes one person to start a movement. Knowing the problem is the first step toward serving, and I believe that in class we have learned the problem and are ready to find our way to help.” Julie Foote ‘09

“Although we assisted with physical tasks, like serving meals and organizing the food storage, the biggest help was probably in just making a personal connection with people who came there for a meal. It seemed to really brighten their day to have someone acknowledge them and talk with them. A lot of these people seemed really lonely.” Sam McGoldrick ’09


Taft and Children’s Community School

Plan

Act

Reflect

Share

ASL MS Service Learning Program

• 5th Grade Homelessness

• 6th Grade Clean Water

• 7th Grade Human Rights

• 8th Grade Micro-Finance


Year 1 Pilot:

173 Students; 9 3-season 24 Coaches; 8 3- season 16 Projects 12 Partner Organizations


The American School in London: Community Opportunities

ASL Local Community Partners Year 1

Kilburn Park SchoolThe Winchester ProjectDoorstep Homeless

Families ShelterWestminster Refugee

Consortium St John’s HospiceWhizz Kidz

St John’s Wood Adventure Playground

SparksSolace Women’s AidQuintin Kynaston SchoolRight to PlaySwiss Cottage School


Protesting 60-80% cuts

ASL and The Winch

“I enjoyed being able

to connect with the kids and seeing them open up and start to trust me” 11th grade boy

“It made me really step back and take a look outside just the ASL community”12th grade girl


ASL and QKRobotics

Green Cities

Cooking Club

Joint School Councils

Right to Play Basketball

Triangular with Winch – Harlem Learning Journey

Multiple points of contact

“I loved getting to know QK students and being able to form my own opinions on the school.” 10th grade girl

“My favorite part was creating friendships and finding an alliance between ASL and QK.”12th grade girl


Learning together in another venue: Students from 2 schools &

a community centre visit New York

http://vimeo.com/33226212

ASL, The Winch and QK

The Harlem Learning Journey



Ask. Have a plan. Collectively, identify: goals, reasonable timeframe, success

criteria. Develop appropriate tools for assessment – digital passport,

experiential cv, Senior Projects. Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate: regular feedback from all

participants. Organize data, share & celebrate. Make changes & adapt. Recognize young people & community members as experts. Track impacts in other venues.


How do we know if it’s working?(Where’s the learning & change?)

Audit Join the dots. Talk with community leaders, identify potential, mutually-

beneficial partnerships & projects. Pilot. Expand to the willing. No need for huge up-front spending. Move towards tipping point – create opportunities to share

this work – publication, film, testimony. Bring parents in early, get everyone together, partners,

students, coaches, parents. Participants become advocates; peer learning. Develop school signature approaches & partnerships.


In Short..

“Nothing human is foreign to me”


Terence:

Annabel Lucy Smith, Consultant, The American School in London www. annabelsmith.org.

Documents

Transcript of Annabel Lucy Smith, Consultant, The American School in London www. annabelsmith.org.