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Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
Thomas is a funny student. He’s your typical class clown. Part of the time, his head is in school. Most of the time, it’s in music…rap music.
For weeks, Thomas has been trying to find the right project to work on. He may not be your typical academically-engaged student, but he is motivated when it comes to projects where he can express his creativity.
When he proposed that he wanted to do a community service project for a fourth-grade class, we were all intrigued.
“I want to make a CD with rap music about some of the lessons taught in fourth-grade.” Thomas proposed.
After spending time at the local elementary school learning what fourth-grade curriculum entailed, spending countless hours in a recording studio with his mom, and getting the album printed, Thomas presented his CD, “Schoolhouse Rap.”
I will admit, I listened to it for weeks!
A senior project in intergenerational learning/community service; a graduation requirement. His senior project reflection stated how hard it was to make sure that the lessons he rapped about were accurate and meaningful. Fourth-grade students were now dependent on his music to learn a lesson on math, English, history, and even life!
Intergenerational Learning and Teaching is one of our six pillars.
This form of teaching has been going on for millennia. If you’ve ever been taught by someone older or younger than you, you’ve experienced an intergenerational learning and teaching moment.
Passing down knowledge and skill is one way humans have preserved their advances in technology, ideology, and culture. Without this, each generation would literally “reinvent the wheel.”
At Academy of the Renaissance, intergenerational teaching and learning is at the heart of our Apprenticeship Program. Students, teachers, and community members are all integral members in this program.
Middle school students will have opportunities to teach or mentor elementary school students. High school students will mentor middle school students. Students who are given opportunities to mentor or teach others will develop a sense of responsibility as well as reinforce their own learning (similar to Thomas’ experience).
Novice teachers will be inducted through an apprenticeship program to learn the curriculum, pedagogy, and academic culture of the school from veteran master teachers. This will ensure that any classroom transitions will be smooth for all teachers and students.
Community members, which will include industry experts and students’ parents, will be part of the intergenerational teaching and learning program. Whether we bring the world into our classrooms or our classrooms into the world, Academy of the Renaissance believes learning takes place everywhere!
