Our HAEd intern, Michael Angeloe, interviewed one of our newest HAEd members and recent Harvard 2021 graduate, Tony Shu. Tony founded the non-profit Breaktime with Connor Shoen. Tony is a 2021 Forbes 30 under 30, Boston’s 25 under 25 and is also a current Scholar now in China studying global poverty. Read More>>>
Rana Arshed Hafiz, Co-Chair of NYC Chapter, sits down for an interview with Dr. Jennie Weiner. Listen to the episode.
Our HAEd intern, Michael Angeloe, interviewed one of our newest HAEd members and recent Harvard 2021 graduate, Tony Shu. Tony founded the non-profit Breaktime with Connor Shoen. Tony is a 2021 Forbes 30 under 30, Boston’s 25 under 25 and is also a current Scholar now in China studying global poverty. Read More>>>
Rana Arshed Hafiz, Co-Chair of NYC Chapter, sits down for an interview with Dr. Jennie Weiner. Listen to the episode.
We are currently recruiting for the following global and local positions. Please note that Harvard Alumni for Education is a volunteer organization and all positions are unpaid. To apply for one of these positions, please email leadership@harvardaed.org with the title of the position you are interested in, your CV, and a brief description of (1) why you want the position, (2) your prior relevant experience, (3) what you hope to accomplish in the position.
Director of Membership
The Director of Membership shall maintain a record of all HAEd members and will facilitate the process for new member recruitment. The Director of Membership supports organizational growth through solicitation and enrollment of new members, renewal of continuing members, and coordination of efforts to increase and maintain membership. This person also manages active, ongoing membership lists across all electronic platforms, for various purposes including but not limited to operational expansion initiatives, Harvard Alumni Association reporting requirements, etc. Approximate time commitment 2-3 hours per month.
Director of Chapters
The Director of Chapters (DOC) shall assist the Leadership Team in the recruiting and vetting of new Chapter co-President candidates; assist in the onboarding of new Chapter co-Presidents; and provide assistance to Chapter co-Presidents as needed. The DOC will assist the Director of Membership in tracking membership growth across HAEd Chapters, and propose strategies for growing existing Chapters’ membership base. Approximate time commitment 5-8 hours per month.
Co-Chair, India, NYC, LA, and Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter
As a co-chair of an HAEd Regional Chapter, you would oversee communications with, recruitment of, and support for HAEd members in India. Co-chairs oversee the organization of a minimum of 4 annual events in their geographies. We also encourage recording at least one podcast episode for the SIG and posting at least one blog post per event on the HAEd blog. One of the events would include staffing a table at the biannual Global Networking Nights (January 2020). Additional events could include a panel and/or streaming an Askwith Forum. We encourage Chapter co-chairs to work closely with the Clubs in their geographies, in order to co-sponsor/co-brand events in order to increase visibility and awareness of the HAEd brand. Please note that due to the state of the pandemic all events are being held online. Approximate time commitment 3-5 hours per month.
Undergraduate Student Liaison
The Undergraduate Student Liaison shall keep the Executive Committee up-to-date on the activities of the undergraduate student organizations with related missions, establish and/or facilitate connections between the SIG and related undergraduate student organizations, organize at least one on-campus event per calendar year, coordinate outreach efforts to Harvard students and perform other duties
as assigned by the Executive Committee or President. Approximate time commitment 2-3 hours per month.
Graduate Student Liaison
The Graduate Student Liaison shall keep the Executive Committee up-to-date on the activities of the graduate student organizations with related missions, establish and/or facilitate connections between the SIG and related graduate student organizations, organize at least one on-campus event per calendar year, coordinate outreach efforts to Harvard students and perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee or President. Approximate time commitment 2-3 hours per month.
By Xinyi Zhang
Director of Diversity and Equity at Harvard Alumni for Education, Boston Chapter
In November 2020, the Harvard Club of Dallas sponsored a virtual event, also supported by Harvard Alumni for Education, titled Equity of Advanced Learning Opportunities: Improving Diversity and Enacting Justice in Public Education Gifted and Talented Programming and Services. Around 50 people attended the event.
A panel of Texas-based experts discussed the definition, history and impact of Gifted and Talented Education (GT) programs and services. While the definition of "gifted and talented" and legal requirements vary from state to state, in general, GT programs involve research-based curricula and instruction needed by students with above-level ability in order to achieve their full potential. Speakers shared research on underrepresentation of Black and Latinx students in GT programs and the solutions to improve the status quo. It is essential for educators, researchers, community leaders, and policy makers to achieve educational equity for all students.
Emily Villamar-Robbins, HLS ‘03, moderated the discussion. Emily is a parent of two GT-identified public school students and a volunteer for local and state organizations supporting public education and GT education. The panelists included Dr. Kristina Henry Collins, core faculty for Talent Development at Texas State University, Dr. Fred A. Bonner II, Professor and Endowed Chair of Educational Leadership and Counseling in the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at Prairie View A&M University, Dr. Todd Kettler, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology in the School of Education at Baylor University, and Dr. Jaret Hodges, Assistant Professor of Gifted Education at the University of North Texas. More information about the panelists can be found here.
Dr. Todd Kettler first introduced the definition of gifted education and the reasons why gifted programs are critical for equity in Texas public schools. A strong gifted education program has four elements: grouping, the use of acceleration, an established curriculum, and measurable goals and outcomes. Dr. Kettler suggested that the reasons some schools do not have these four elements are due to excessive local control and minimal accountability. Dr. Fred A. Bonner II added that it is important to look at the context (people, places, situations) when examining what it means to have equity in gifted programs in both rural and urban areas.
Next round of questions and discussion focused on underrepresentation in gifted programs. Black and Latinx students are underrepresented in many gifted programs in Texas and across the country. The panelists shared with the audience the causes of this problem and its long-term impact on the students that miss out on these educational opportunities. Dr. Kristina Henry Collins offered Frasier’s “4 As” to explain the overwhelming barriers: Attitude (who gets to be gifted?), Access (who knows about these opportunities, and to what extent are they available?), Assessment (are evaluation tools designed to “see” them?), and Accommodation (is programming culturally responsive?). Dr. Bonner argued that this problem is not going to be solved if we do not examine the systemic pipeline between PreK-12 education and higher education, and he explained the importance of bridging the gap between PreK-12 and post-secondary education.
At the end, the panelists shared their thoughts surrounding the solutions of inequity in GT programs. Dr. Collins emphasized the importance of framing the work before starting the work. First, we need to understand that giftedness is a social construct just like race. Next, we need to understand the differences between diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice, and what each word means for social action. The third step is reframing and differentiating between the terms discrimination and racism. As we engage in anti-racism work, we need to examine the historical positions of racialized groups in America that have been historically marginalized. Dr. Hodges shared some advocacy steps to make changes. He stressed the importance of individual advocacy for state-level changes through face to face meetings with state representatives, senators, and members of their staff. He suggested that parents share their stories as parents, and that they share the personal impact of a policy on themselves, on their children, and on their community. Another way is to be involved locally. He recommended that parents go to their school board meetings and invite other parents to go together as a group.
“Texas policy right now – and it has for 30 years – defines gifted students as those who are performing at a remarkably high level, as well as those who show the potential for performing at a remarkably high level,” Dr. Kettler said. “Most school districts’ identification systems exclusively focus on the performing side, not the potential side… the students who are already performing more often are performing because of educational opportunity, which is tightly associated with socioeconomic status… you can come up with ways to look for potential. That is different than looking for performance... even if we just got it to be 50-50, half and half, we would make drastic improvements.”
The author wants to thank Emily Villamar-Robbins for additional information shared.
The LA Chapter of HAED and the First Gen SIG co-hosted a workshop by Rashmi Singh on creating a vision for 2021 on Feb 6, 2021 . Rashmi facilitated this workshop for participants to find clarity, access their deepest yearnings, and align with and harness the energy of synchronicity, co-creativity, and flow to make 2021 a great year. Participants went through a mix of meditative exercises, individual reflections and break out groups to create their goals for the new year. The event was attended by 20 participants across different cities in the US and internationally!
Rashmi, an HGSE (IEP) graduate, is an educator, organizational strategist, and a certified transformational coach, facilitator, and leader. She has coached leaders from all over the world and is passionate about generating powerful transformations for gifted entrepreneurs and game changers who are on fire to uplevel their impact and to break through to their next level of visibility, relationships, recognition, and financial success. Rashmi is also an award-winning singer, actor, and writer and works in New York in TV, film, and theatre. She was recently selected for the Tribeca Performing Arts Center Writer-and-Performer Residency. More about her at www.EverythingRashmi.com
We are currently recruiting for the following global and local positions. Please note that Harvard Alumni for Education is a volunteer organization and all positions are unpaid. To apply for one of these positions, please email harvardaed@gmail.com with the title of the position you are interested in, your CV, and a brief description of (1) why you want the position, (2) your prior relevant experience, (3) what you hope to accomplish in the position.
Social Media Manager
The Social Media Manager generates, manages, and curates content for existing and future social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, and email list serves. This Manager is responsible for coordinating with the Director of Communications and Marketing to take advantage of all messaging opportunities (i.e. upcoming conferences, events, etc.). Approximate time commitment 3-5 hours per month.
Director of Chapters
The Director of Chapters (DOC) shall assist the Leadership Team in the recruiting and vetting of new Chapter co-President candidates; assist in the onboarding of new Chapter co-Presidents; and provide assistance to Chapter co-Presidents as needed. The DOC will assist the Director of Membership in tracking membership growth across HAEd Chapters, and propose strategies for growing existing Chapters’ membership base. Approximate time commitment 5-8 hours per month.
Co-Chair, India, Sub-Saharan Africa, and China Chapter
As a co-chair of an HAEd Regional Chapter, you would oversee communications with, recruitment of, and support for HAEd members in India. Co-chairs oversee the organization of a minimum of 4 annual events in their geographies. We also encourage recording at least one podcast episode for the SIG and posting at least one blog post per event on the HAEd blog. One of the events would include staffing a table at the biannual Global Networking Nights (January 2020). Additional events could include a panel and/or streaming an Askwith Forum. We encourage Chapter co-chairs to work closely with the Clubs in their geographies, in order to co-sponsor/co-brand events in order to increase visibility and awareness of the HAEd brand. Please note that due to the state of the pandemic all events are being held online. Approximate time commitment 3-5 hours per month.
Undergraduate Student Liaison
The Undergraduate Student Liaison shall keep the Executive Committee up-to-date on the activities of the undergraduate student organizations with related missions, establish and/or facilitate connections between the SIG and related undergraduate student organizations, organize at least one on-campus event per calendar year, coordinate outreach efforts to Harvard students and perform other duties
as assigned by the Executive Committee or President. Approximate time commitment 2-3 hours per month.
Graduate Student Liaison
The Graduate Student Liaison shall keep the Executive Committee up-to-date on the activities of the graduate student organizations with related missions, establish and/or facilitate connections between the SIG and related graduate student organizations, organize at least one on-campus event per calendar year, coordinate outreach efforts to Harvard students and perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee or President. Approximate time commitment 2-3 hours per month.
by Shu Cao Mo HGSE EdM ’15 and Zijun Wang
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, affects many people, and children in particular, are most vulnerable to trauma. In China, millions of children have been victims of sexual assault. Those who are exposed to chronic trauma suffer the impact of subsequent trauma, leading to longer-term health issues. Given the rise of domestic violence during the overall high stress environment of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the recent high-profile case on child sexual abuse, HAEd Greater China Chapter’s Co-Chairs Weiqi Zhang (HC BA ‘10) and Shu Cao Mo (HGSE EdM ‘15) decided to use the occasion of International Children’s Holiday in China to host a virtual conference on PTSD and Sexual Health Education. The conference was co-organized with Splash Institute, a community health imitative that aims to destigmatize trauma and pleasure in female sexuality, and sponsored by Global Changemakers, a nonprofit based in Switzerland.
Dr. Aldrich Chan, clinical neuropsychologist and founder of the Center for Neuropsychology and Consciousness (CNC) based in Miami, gave a keynote address that offered an introduction to PTSD and the impact of trauma on the brain. Based in Hawaii, Singaporean musician and storyteller Jasmine Chin (HGSE AIE 16’) harnessed the power of stories, inspiring the audience to reflect on collective cultural trauma. The conference ended with a workshop on Sexual Health Education by Nicole Inglis, a health promotion facilitator on the Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion team for Alberta Health Services based in Alberta, Canada.
Here we’ve selected some key points to share with the Harvard Alumni for Education community:
You can’t just let the sleeping dogs lie Trauma doesn’t go away when those who have suffered ignore, forget or even push the original traumatic event away. When children repress traumatic memories, their brain structures—affected and molded by past experiences—will still dictate their PTSD behaviors, driven by their nonconscious memory. Some cultures place a high value on social harmony and trauma is not openly discussed. It is critical for people living in these cultures to seek help from mental health professionals. In almost every PTSD study, hyperactivity is found in the amygdala, part of the sympathetic nervous system which activates the fight and flight mode in our bodies. Psychotherapy allows these individuals to heal the damage in the hippocampus and amygdala by developing different interpretations and reducing the negative emotional impact associated with the experience.
In general, symptoms of PTSD include Intrusions, Avoidance, Hyperarousal and Negative Mood and Cognitions. These individuals experience high incidences of violence, abuse, relational difficulties and suicide in later life. To suffer from PTSD does not necessarily require past physical or sexual trauma: emotional trauma such as neglect can cause an equal amount of disorder on the brain. The brain structure and function are damaged to varying degrees based on the impact of trauma.
Dr. Chan shared different medical interventions with the audience, from psychosomatic therapies to the latest Stellate Ganglion Block. One account described curing a male patient of sexual abuse PTSD and how the process of re-balancing the nervous system takes time and patience. He concluded with a discussion of his current research focus on the Default Mode Network, which has the potential for effective diagnosis and intervention strategies of PTSD in the near future.
Storytelling gives me my power back How to face trauma in the immediate loss of one’s power? Jasmine Chin (HGSE EdM‘15) comes from a family lineage of hardy Hakka women, who did not bind their feet and fought alongside men as warriors. However, as a child in school and at home, she had grown accustomed to remaining silent so as to be liked and to escape the shame of disapproving authority figures around her. Jasmin Chin shared the story of how she moved courageously from the horror of a silenced and devastating experience to regaining her voice and strength in her early adulthood. She wielded her superpower of a caring personality to fight for justice, with the aspiration of preventing future gender-based violence.
Below is the sharing of her story’s final chapter.
“It’s been exactly 9 years since I first told this story, and I’m still telling it today. I’ve told it so many times, in so many ways, but it always makes me feel vulnerable, heartbroken, outraged, and empowered altogether.It sees and listens to The Child.It heals and believes The Survivor.It breaks and strengthens The Warrior.This is The Power of storytelling, not just for me, but for all of us.”
After watching Jasmine’s performance, the audience was left with a sense of “awe,” “catharsis,” and feelings of “swirling powerful” (quoted directly from the audience). One audience member even said: “you have been kissed by pain in your life, and as a response, you sing songs to it.”
It’s important for parents to talk early about sex with their children
Sexual health education expert Nicole Inglis, who has taught at public and religious schools in Calgary, Canada, framed her workshop around the following questions: Why do we need to talk about sex and sexuality at home? What do we talk about? How do we talk about it? Children begin touching their genitals as early as four-years-old. It’s a result of natural curiosity, feel-good sensations as well as about our inherent sexuality as humans. Moreover, since modern day media is so saturated with sex, the question of sex inevitably comes up between children and their caregivers. Studies have shown that when children receive good sexual education, they start having sex at a later age, have fewer partners, and are less likely to contract Sexually Transmitted diseases.
She emphasized the importance of knowledge in reducing shame around sexual health education and in sexual violence prevention. Nicole Inglis told the story of a child going through physical changes before learning anything about what happens during puberty, and that she got so terrified thinking that she might have developed breast cancer. Many girls, if they do not receive any sexuality education, think that they are dying when they see that they start bleeding. The emotional and social changes that accompany physical changes are equally massive.
Nicole Inglis also warned current and prospective parents of the danger of not using correct names when teaching children about their private body parts. She shared a sad incident from her own teacher training workshop where a female student of one of her trainees had a few years earlier disclosed being sexually abused by her uncle, but since she couldn’t find the proper word for her private parts, the teacher had missed the incident and failed to take any follow-up action.
The key in sexual health education is for parents to be open to sex-related conversations, which include, but are not limited to: for whom pornography is made; what age-appropriate sexual behavior means; how family religious tradition influences sex. Instead of making sex conversation with their children into one big thing, parents should catch little teachable moments in life to inform and enlighten children about sexual health over the years.
After the conference, HAEd Greater China Chapter and Splash Institute created WeChat discussion groups that enable participants to have ongoing interactions around the topic. If you are interested in being part of the conversation, please reach out to Shu Cao (shucao@splash-institute.org) or Zijun (zijun@splash-institute.org).
by Austin Volz HGSE EdM ‘13 and Julia Higdon HGSE EdM ‘12 and EdD ‘15, Staff, Avenues Research and Development
Education in general and teaching in particular involve significant complexity. They require navigating not only the complex science of how we learn, but also questions around such things as motivation, self-esteem, and preparing for an uncertain future. The Elements of Education is a concise toolkit to help navigate this difficult terrain. In the 50 chapters ranging from Self Assessment to Project Based Learning and from Intelligence to Direct Instruction, educators can find an introduction to the concept, one recommendation for further reading, practical Dos and Don’ts as well as a choice quote to inspire reflection. Each element is a short, but information rich, two pages.
As many are adapting their instruction and operations in response to COVID-19 measures, we want to remind teachers to focus on the foundation of how we learn while adapting to a new medium of instruction. We’ve selected three elements here to share with the Harvard Alumni for Education community.
Most helpful for teachers: Feedback
Feedback is one of the most important things that teachers do to help students learn. However, it can be burdensome, for teachers and students, and much of it is ineffective. What type of feedback is best and what amount of feedback is best?
While taxonomies of feedback abound, there are essentially two types of feedback: directive and facilitative. Through directive feedback, we provide concrete information to students and through facilitative feedback, we provide hints. The best type of feedback to provide depends on the difficulty of the task, the type of task, and the level and motivation of the student. Use directive feedback when the task is difficult, involves factual or procedural knowledge, when students are novices, or when they lack motivation at that moment. Deliver directive feedback as quickly as possible to build or sustain momentum. Use facilitative feedback when the task is relatively easy, involves transfer of concepts students have mastered to new contexts, involves abstract or metacognitive goals, when students are advanced, or when they have high motivation at that moment. Deliver facilitative feedback after a delay to allow students a chance to think first. Giving hints when a student is unmotivated, facing a difficult task, or learning something procedural can be frustrating and inefficient. Giving an answer when a student is motivated, advanced, or working on transferring knowledge from one context to another can be frustrating and demoralizing. Using the best type of feedback for the learner and the learning goals at hand can save a lot of irritation.
In both types of feedback, less is more. This should come as good news to the teachers who’ve stayed up all night writing feedback. Your goal when providing feedback is to give one or two pieces of information, or one or two hints, to allow students to take the next step in their learning. Copious or tangential feedback is a burden to produce and usually ignored.
Most surprising: Sleep Strategies
One of the biggest contributors to learning happens outside of school: sleep. As children enter their teenage years, their circadian rhythms change so that they are inclined to go to sleep later and wake up later as well. This change is called sleep phase delay. The table below shows the average length of sleep as well as wakeup and sleep times at different ages.
AGE (years) | DURATION (hours) | AVERAGE WAKE and SLEEP TIMES
3–5 | 11.5 | 7:00 am–7:30 pm
6–13 | 10 | 7:30 am–9:30 pm
14–17 | 9 | 8:45 am–11:30 pm
18–25 | 8 | 8:30 am–12:30 am
26–64 | 8 | 7:30 am–11:30 pm
64+ | 7.5 | 6:45 am–12:15 am
For teenagers and college-aged students, a school start time that is before 9:30am can result in significant drowsiness. In contrast, the effect of school start times after 9:30am has such a benefit that it is comparable to replacing a highly ineffective teacher with a highly effective teacher. While the logistical complexities of later start times should not be underestimated, setting an appropriate start time for teenagers and college students is one of the most overlooked ways to promote learning.
Most likely to change: Transfer
Transfer is at the heart of education. The goal is that students will be able to apply what they learn in class on Thursday afternoon to the situations they encounter outside school on Saturday evening. That is exactly what transfer means: the ability to transfer what is learned in one context to another, dissimilar context. Typically positive transfer is classified in two ways: near transfer for when the two contexts are similar (e.g. using the same reading comprehension strategies on two different texts) and far transfer for when the two contexts are not very similar (e.g. using the formula to calculate the volume of a cylinder to estimate the volume of a stadium).
The important thing to know about transfer is that it doesn’t just happen. As educators, we cannot assume that students’ practice on worksheets will automatically transfer to the world outside of school. More likely than not, it won’t. However, there are three main strategies you can use to help promote transfer.
Vary problem types- What is the best way to ensure that students transfer their learning outside of school? Provide them with opportunities to apply their learning in authentic contexts. For example, incorporate presentations to non-school audiences and design problems that resemble real-world applications. The greater the variety, the more likely transfer will occur.
Call out deep structures- Highlighting deep structures that apply across contexts and disciplines encourage students to bring their understanding to novel problems. For example, by calling out the difference between correlation and causation, students will be prepared to understand the concept across different sources of evidence and in different subjects.
Use analogies to bridge understanding- Analogies and metaphors can help students transfer their learning from one context to another context by providing a familiar bridge. For example, by using the analogous structure of the circulatory system when learning about traffic flows, students are more able to transfer learning to better understand the structure of similar systems.
The current concept of transfer depends on measuring the similarity between different contexts. As the research continues to develop, we suspect that we’ll see more sophisticated ways to measure different contexts and a deeper understanding of what teaching strategies best promote transfer.
3/50
The above are just a selection of 3 elements out of the 50 that are in our book. Education progress occurs not through educators adhering to one single approach, but through the ability to select the best tool for the job based on the best available evidence. If you’re hungry for more, the book is a good place to start. Feel free to reach out to Austin (austin.volz@avenues.org) or Julia (julia.higdon@aveues.org) with thoughts, insights, or questions.
By Michael Raspuzzi, Harvard MDE ‘18
Think back to the first time you were asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
For those who answered Olympic-level athletes, such as in swimming, there are local pools to jump in for practice at an early age, and there are plenty of coaches for supporting individuals testing the waters of the sport. Continuing through the first dive in and cultivating a passion for the pursuit of a challenge through competitions forms bonds across like-minded individuals. Repetition over years allows for leveling-up and establishes the basis for developing talent, making it clear by teenage years if an individual is on their way to the Olympic trials or not.
For those who want to cure cancer, in a traditional path, it would take decades for first exposure of practice in a clinical or lab setting. It’s not until the education process is finished and a professional practice begins that students can explore the latest methods of diagnosis and start a path for discovering a new treatment.
If the answer is scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, or innovator to solve complex problems for kids today, then there is currently little to no support for world-class training. There are no places to practice. There are no coaches to interact with. There is very limited access to like-minded communities for those too young to drive－even though they have an intrinsic drive－which ultimately limits the developing potential for personal passions and ability to problem-solve.
The Knowledge Society (TKS) is a global accelerator teaching teenagers PhD-level technology and world-class skillsets and mindsets to fill this gap in development. Celebrated as a School of the Future by the World Economic Forum, there are three different 10-month extracurricular programs that are structured around weekly intensive sessions that, like mini hackathons, expose curious teens aged 13 - 17 to different topics and frameworks. Session topics across the three programs include:
Year 1: Innovate
Science and technology as potential tools of change (AI, blockchain, gene editing, quantum computing, and more)
Mindsets to develop potential (bias to action, antifragility, gratitude, and more)
Skillsets needed to become a leader (prioritization, collaboration, pitching, and more)
Year 2: Activate
Identify and build frameworks to solve the world's biggest problems (climate change, inequality, perinatal mortality, and more)
Understand personal development through psychology, philosophy, and mental models (Aristotle, Laozi, Carl Jung, Socrates, and more)
Year 3: Disrupt
Develop knowledge and skills to execute on solving a problem by building a product (design sprints, customer development, UX/UI, marketing, legal, sales, and more)
Founded three years ago in Toronto by two brothers, Navid and Nadeem Nathoo, TKS has scaled to support programs in five cities, including Boston, where a team of coaches helps guide the kids through the weekend session and weekly practice facilitated by an online learning platform. Curated and published online modules allow for self-directed learning and individualized pacing for content. Students are encouraged to chart their own learning paths through their innovation journey.
While the internet helps democratize information for those fortunate enough to have access, information alone will not activate the next generation of innovators. Going from zero to one on solving difficult problems requires exploring knowledge across disciplinary silos, developing a focus area of interest for testing thoughtful hypotheses; cultivating skillsets of collaboration and leadership, and ultimately practicing mindsets that support resiliency needed to embrace failure time and time again.
As problems in the 21st century have evolved to be more complex, the need for cross-disciplinary changemakers is more pressing now than ever before. Harvard has begun to invest in this future of education through its first-ever collaborative program, the Master in Design Engineering, using a design pedagogy for an active learning and project-based curriculum. Master students from different backgrounds in science, technology, design, and consulting work collaboratively to prototype solutions to complex problems. Another example, the MS/MBA Biotechnology, celebrates the importance of individual learning across previously siloed professional learning models for business and technology in order to create the next wave of innovations in the life sciences.
The TKS programs are structured similarly, where students are encouraged to explore across different topics, work on real-world challenges together, build prototypes testing their ideas, and work to build their polymathic skills. In weekend sessions, they expand their breadth of knowledge and practice different skills. During the week, they increase their depth through building projects, individual mentoring, and the online learning platform. Ensuring the “realness” of the real-world challenges, TKS has global corporate partners who sponsor ongoing problems for real-time consulting challenges for the students. Past challenge partners include Walmart, Airbnb, Google Sidewalk Labs, Techstars, and the Barclays Center.
As a conclusion to the 2019 fall term for the first Boston Innovate cohort, TKS worked with the Harvard Alumni for Education group to co-host a panel on multidisciplinary learning where students shared their projects in a TED talk style stage with an open Q+A panel. With no prerequisites to join TKS, the kids below came in curious and ambitious, and in three months this is what they presented:
Mikey T., age 16, focused his work in connectomics for understanding digital biomarkers in Schizophrenia.
Nina K., age 13, shared her ongoing work in human longevity, specifically how to use autoencoders to classify mitochondria activity before cells go senescent.
Mukundh M., age 16, presented topics on the intersection of machine learning and RNA sequencing for building the next generation of tools for drug discovery.
Faith I., age 15, talked about her work in metabolomics in adverse childhood reactions understanding how different pathways are activated.
Amelia S., age 13, discussed projects in space technology for resource mining on asteroids using spectrometers.
Each student is encouraged and empowered to forge their own path through the program. With a like-minded community and weeks of structured practices, they are equipped with the resources to prototype and test out what they want to be before they grow up. TKS provides a platform for them to explore, learn, focus, discover, and embrace failure as they push through uncertainty, spending time to figure out what they want to do and how.
If you are interested in learning more about TKS, learn more here. For those passionate about the future of education, there are full-time opportunities across Boston, New York City, Toronto, Ottawa, and more listed here. If you know an ambitious and curious teenager who would enjoy the program, applications are open here.
If you want to learn more or get involved with the TKS Boston program, connect with Michael, the city director, at michael@theksociety.com.
On January 15, 2020, the LA Chapter of the Harvard Alumni for Education co-hosted Global Networking Night in Los Angeles. This year, there were two separate events – an Eastside and Westside to encourage maximum participation and spare participants some crazy LA traffic!
The Eastside event was held in collaboration with the Pasadena City College. Apart from Harvard alumni, the event also had students from PCC. The event started with an introduction by Dr Gus Frias of the Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance. Chapter leaders of all Special Interest Groups gave a short introduction of the purpose and goals of their SIGs. Christine Gentry, co-chair of the LA Chapter of HAEd and co-chair of the First Gen SIG gave a presentation on First Gen Red Book – a special project that documents the Harvard experience of first generation alumni. Post the presentation, all Harvard Alumni introduced themselves. The evening ended with structured networking to allow participants to interact with Harvard alumni they might not have met before.
by Nicole Erb, Director of Chapters
A year ago, after moving across the country for my husband’s career, I found myself with some time on my hands. Because of our move, I had left a high-intensity position in an urban school district, and as I searched for a new job, I wanted to continue my professional development as an education leader. Luckily, it didn’t take me long to find the perfect opportunity.
I don’t remember how I first learned about the edX courses run by the MIT Teaching Systems Lab. For anyone not familiar with edX, it is a platform that enables learners across the globe to participate in online classes led by faculty from a variety of universities. I had never taken an online course, and I wasn’t sure that it would be for me. Two things, however, encouraged me to give it a shot. 1) The course, Competency-Based Education: The Why, What, and How, covered a topic I had been wanting to learn more about. 2) It was led by Justin Reich, who taught one of my classes when I was at HGSE and now leads the MIT Teaching Systems Lab.
From the first day the course opened, I was immediately reminded of how much I love being a student. I eagerly consumed the videos and readings that delved into the complexities surrounding competency-based education, and I equally enjoyed sharing my thoughts and responding to fellow classmates on the forums. In addition, the final assignment allowed me to begin outlining my vision for creating a new high school, which is one of my long-term professional dreams.
By the time the course ended, I had already signed up for the next two available classes: Envisioning the Graduate of the Future and Design Thinking for Leading and Learning. While I found that those courses were slightly less informational than the first class, they both still provided me the opportunity to reflect on my vision for education, explore helpful resources, and connect with educators around the world. After they ended, I couldn’t wait for the next course.
Unfortunately, waiting was inevitable, as the MIT Teaching Systems Lab didn’t have any new offerings last fall. Finally, though, the wait is over, and their next course, Launching Innovation in Schools, starts next week. My current work schedule, while flexible, gives me less free time than I had last year, but I am still looking forward to the class. The best part of the edX courses (aside from being free) is that they allow students the freedom to participate as much or as little as they choose.
Though I’m not sure how much time I’ll be able to spend on coursework this round, I am mostly excited to continue learning from other educators who are passionate about education innovation. If you’re interested in joining a discussion group around this topic (whether or not you’re able to take the course), I would love to hear from you! You can reach me (Nicole Erb) at nms790@mail.harvard.edu. To learn more about Launching Innovation in Schools or to register, visit the edX course site.
Harvard Alumni for Education is pleased to announce the launch of Last Call ED - a monthly virtual discussion about topics in education. The discussions will include guest speakers from the alumni and Harvard faculty communities on topics including:
What makes some teachers more effective than others?
How can we promote tolerance and understanding in our schools?
What are some creative ways to support underprivileged students?
These monthly moderated discussions will take place online on the last day of the month at varying times to make it possible for individuals in different time zones and with different schedules of availability to participate.
“We are constantly trying to think of ways to provide value to our nearly 3,000 alumni members who are located all over the world and who work in all aspects of the field of education,” said Harvard Alumni for Education president Nell O’Donnell Weber (EdM 2010, EdD 2019). “While we have chapters in several cities across the US and in China, Sub-Saharan Africa, and India where we have concentrations of alumni, not all of our members are served by a local chapter where they can attend in-person events. By offering online events like Last Call ED and discussion and study groups around edX courses, for example, we can help Harvard alumni learn, connect, and grown together, no matter where they are in the world.”
The first Last Call ED event will be held on January 31st at noon EST and will feature Julia Higdon (EdM 2012, EdD 2015) and Austin Volz (EdM 2013) discussion their new book The Elements of Education for Teachers: 50 Research-Based Principles Every Educator Should Know. You can find more details here.
If you would like to suggest a topic or guest speaker for a future Last Call Ed event, please email harvardaed@gmail.com.
by Nicole Erb, Director of Chapters
Stepping into the writing center at 826 Valencia is like stepping into a child’s imagination. This isn’t too surprising, given that the organization’s newest location was in fact inspired by students. Before opening their Tenderloin center, 826 Valencia staff asked students for design ideas. The young authors suggested a treehouse with cozy nooks to read and write in, and 826 made it happen, putting their commitment to creativity and student expression on display for everyone who visits.
On a Friday morning in October, I arrived at the treehouse center to volunteer with the Harvard Club of San Francisco for 826’s signature podcasting field trip. During the field trip, students write original poems and record them as podcasts in onsite professional recording booths. If that sounds ambitious for a single day, it is! But this doesn’t stop the 826 Valencia staff, who use their masterful facilitation skills to ensure that every student feels like a poet and a podcaster by the end of the trip.
Though I left the classroom over three years ago, I am still an English teacher at heart, and working with the 5th grade students at my table that day reminded me how much I love mentoring young writers. Students had the option to write an “I Come From” poem or “If I Were in Charge of the World” poem. Both of my students decided to be in charge of the world, and their words captured the poignant truths that so often only come from our youngest thinkers. These students wrote and spoke about giving everyone a home, protecting the environment, canceling violence, and celebrating kindness. Those who are in charge of the world could learn a thing or two from these poets.
If you would like to hear more of the students’ ideas, you can listen to the 826 Valencia podcasts here.
A national writing organization, 826 offers opportunities for individuals and groups to volunteer at their local chapters in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, New Orleans, Ann Arbor/Detroit, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Check them out at https://826national.org.
Degree/graduating year - MEd - Higher Education, 2016
Location - Kalamazoo, MI
HAEd position - Detroit, Michigan Chapter Co-Chair
Current job - Executive Director, The Joyce Ivy Foundation
3 fun facts - 1.) Lost my last baby tooth on a college visit to Duke; 2.) Moved seven times before starting high school; 3.) Majored in Mandarin Chinese
Why did you join HAEd? I joined HAEd to find a local community of people who are committed to education who I could collaborate with and learn from.
What do you hope to achieve through HAEd? I hope to bring together individuals who are passionate about education so that together we can increase our collective impact!
How did you get involved in education? I serendipitously found my way to a career in higher education. After college, my first job was working at a boutique investment bank in Burlington, VT. It was not at all for me and after about one year, I started the hunt for a new job. While I was still working at the investment bank, I began to volunteer with my alma mater, Middlebury College, by interviewing prospective high school students. I LOVED being able to connect with students, learn about their passions, and help to guide them in their post-high school thinking. Knowing that I was local in Vermont, the volunteer coordinator at the Middlebury Admissions Office reached out to let me know that there was an opening in the office. It was around that same time that I had recently quit my job at the investment bank. The timing could not have been more perfect and I started as an Admissions Counselor within two weeks. The rest is history!
What is something that inspires you? In my current role, I work closely with high school women who are pursuing pre college summer learning opportunities. These young women inspire me every day with their curiosity, drive, intellect, and courage! They are the next generation of female leadership.
What is the most memorable experience you remember from your time at Harvard? I absolutely loved connecting with my cohort at Harvard, both in and outside of the classroom. Many of them are my closest friends and I know I can always pick up the phone to chat about anything...education or anything else!
What advice do you have for other Harvard alumni? Keep doing the great work you're doing! The opportunity to attend a place like Harvard is a privilege and my hope is that we can all use this privilege to make the world around us a little better.
