Lise's Lens: December 12, 2024

As I continue my journey through China, I am determined to learn as much as I can about this vibrant nation. At the same time, I continue to keep my eye on recent trends in education in the US and beyond.

WHAT I’M READING
 
  • A link to this Edutopia article with education research highlights from 2024 caught my eye in a recent newsletter from NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools). The article touches on topics including student attention spans, the importance of getting outdoors, teenage mental health, and yes — the effectiveness of AI chatbots as learning tools. And while there were a few snippets here and there that surprised me, I found that most of these “new” findings were very much in line with the progressive pedagogy we as progressive educators have been practicing for years — i.e. the importance of group work, leaning into failure and mistakes, and taking learning outdoors! It makes me really proud to know that we are already leaders in these areas.
     
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
 
  • Traveling through China has been illuminating for me. I have very quickly realized how much I didn’t know, and have yet to learn, about this incredible country. I recognize that China is a huge country, with a rich, complex history, and one could study it for years and still not know all there is to know about it. But my trip has made it increasingly obvious to me just how watered down many people’s understanding of it really is. Meeting with families and alumni, and spending this time on Chinese soil has provided me with so much awe and inspiration. I will return home next week with a whole list of topics that I am looking forward to investigating further, and it feels very exciting to have a whole new world opened up to me in this way. Just don’t hold your breath about me learning Mandarin; my being (basically) tone deaf has not served me well so far!
     
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
 
  • Research and studies on the impact of AI on teaching and learning are everywhere these days, and I will admit I approach the stories coming out with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. But it’s so important that the faculty and I keep tabs on what is going on — like Khanmigo, an ai-powered teaching assistant recently profiled by 60 minutes. I am in favor of using these tools for good, and learning to work with them to make learning more personalized and equitable… but I am not yet convinced that a machine can take the place of human, face-to-face instruction (of course, I might be a little biased!). The CBS segment is an interesting watch, regardless.

WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
 
I have met so many lovely CSW families in China, it’s hard to choose just one photo. Here is a collage from my travels so far!
 
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