The Professional Development Center at Eagle Rock will continue education renewal work at the Coalition of Essential Schools Fall Forum in Portland, ME November 5 – 7, 2015 and has limited appointments available to discuss what we do and how we might work together. Interested educators can tweet at us @eaglerockschool to set up a meeting. Additionally, we welcome you to attend our sessions at Fall Forum listed below:
Session C: Friday, November 6th, 9:00-10:15am
YouTH-Ink: Connecting Conversations Between Youth Using the Language of Poetry – Participants of the YouTh-Ink workshop will learn how to both join and create spaces where youth can create connecting conversations with others (both within and outside their own schools) using the language of poetry. Participants will learn to use a pedagogy designed to incorporate and reinforce academic knowledge through poetic art. Finally, participants will learn how personal stories can connect youth with each other to create political dialogue. The YouTH-Ink workshop models these connected conversations as it will be co-presented by Eagle Rock School faculty and students and their community partner Kane Smego (an internationally recognized spoken word poet). Youth are one of the largest and most marginalized groups in contemporary society. Their quantitative “inexperience” is the basis for the overlooking of their wisdom and insight, which are qualitatively unique. Youth often have perspectives on societal issues that are distinct from those of any other group, and which are often lost by the individuals themselves as innocence surrenders to adulthood and the conditioning to societal norms of thought. Youth-based spoken word poetry provides an outlet for the expression of these fresh perspectives during this critical period, and a means for their documentation through the written and spoken word. Our goal is not so much to “empower” youth through our teachings, as it is to stimulate them in finding their own ways to “empower” and give voice to themselves. In other words, we do not concern ourselves with teaching youth how to write good poetry, but rather seek to introduce them to as many tools as possible that may aid them in strengthening their communication skills, as well as “finding their voice” and their sense of purpose in society. “Finding their voice,” as we have come to call it, involves an exploration of diverse identities, both on and off the stage, in order to define oneself and gain a sense of self-worth and confidence. Considering this, the programs we offer are designed to be relatable and relevant to youth across the spectrum of race, class, gender, ethnicity, culture, and sexual orientation.
Session D: Friday, November 6th, 10:30-11:45am
How to Make Change Stick: The Secret Sauce in Implementation – Most change efforts (initiatives, projects & programs) fail during the implementation stage. What does it take to make change stick? Learn about the struggle of managing change and the tools for successful navigation through a case study of one of our partners with which we work. In addition to receiving materials on this successful innovation, you will also gain an understanding of how to implement any change in your local context.
Session 3, Friday, November 6th, 1:30-2:45pm
WHO Should Help Create Schools that Serve all Students? STUDENTS! –Eagle Rock is both a school and a professional development center — this unique combination enables students to facilitate school change across the country. Eagle Rock students play various roles to fulfill our national mission that all high school students be deeply engaged in their education. In this session, we will dialogue with you about the changes you’d like to see in your setting, and draw lessons and tools from Eagle Rock’s experience. You’ll walk away feeling inspired and able to draw from a rich toolbox for students and adults to partner together to create educational change!
About Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock, a nonprofit Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of the American Honda Motor Company, is both a school for high school age students and a professional development center for educators. The school is a year-round, residential, and full-scholarship school that enrolls young people ages 15-17 from around the United States in an innovative learning program with national recognition.
The Professional Development Center works with educators from around the country who are interested in engaging in education renewal and reform. The Professional Development Center works with educators committed to making high school a more engaging experience for our country’s youth.
We envision this country’s high schools as high functioning centers of engagement and learning. We accelerate school improvement and support implementation of engaging practices that foster each students’ unique potential and help young people use their minds well.
For more information please visit www.eaglerockschool.org and check us out on Twitter @eaglerockschool and on Facebook at facebook.com/EagleRockSchool.