Today, Jill Gough and I are partnering with The Kindezi School to forward PBL (project-based learning, problem-based learning, place-based learning, passion-based learning,…). Bob Ryshke, the executive director of The Center for Teaching, matched-up Jill and me with Dean Leeper and Kindezi. While Jill and I technically are providing the facilitated professional learning around the area of PBL, we really view the opportunity as a mutual-learning possibility. Just to peruse Kindezi’s website makes me excited for the partnership.

• The Kindezi Vision
• Kindezi Philosophy
• Reggio Emilia
• Students’ Rights

On Friday of last week, Jill and I ventured to Kindezi for a scouting session. We met with Dr. Leeper, and we toured the facilities and classrooms. Students and teachers were highly engaged, and there was a hum of intentional, active learning. We learned of endangered turtle projects, school protests over a cancelled recycling program (the students won back recycling!), and fund-raising efforts to support service men and women whom a class had adopted as pen pals.

Today, we are using a modified “Show-and-Tell” gamestorm session to 1) communicate about current practice, 2) calibrate current practice with research, 3) coordinate current practice, and 4) collaborate on future practice. Post-it notes and lesson study will be whirling and swirling!

To bridge today’s session with an upcoming follow-up session, we will be using this video provocation:

We are very excited about what we can build together!

Jill Gough’s follow-up blog post at Experiments in Learning by Doing