The Firke Files

I got to be a “fly on the wall” while the upper school faculty discussed the meaning of “rigor” (and its place in our mission statement) yesterday. It was a real treat for two reasons.

It was a pleasure to see that despite the many details still to be fleshed out over the course of the spring, the reports from the small group discussions indicated big areas of nearly universal agreement. The sense of the room is that rigor happens when students are active, fully engaged learners of something that is important to them. It can be arts, or science, or literature or anything. What is important is the student’s level of engagement, the student’s ability to “lose” himself/herself in the subject. Kind of like being in the flow for an extended period of time. The challenge may not always be pleasant — there may be an element of anxiety or struggle or even pain in rigor — but it leaves the student with important new knowledge and a sense of accomplishment.

The second great thing to see?

The faculty modeled rigor in their meeting. Active, fully engaged members of a discussion of something that is important to them. It was a wonderful “show, don’t tell” moment for this observer, and I appreciated being able to see it.

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I recently had the good fortune to have dinner with Peter Cobb while we were attending a professional conference. Peter has forty years of experience with independent schools, and we enjoyed a conversation that touched on a number of topics relating to current issues in education.

We spoke briefly about redefining the curriculum in schools in terms of literacies instead of academic departments. I’ve had a chance to do a little thinking since that dinner conversation, and here is the list of essential literacies that I’ve come up with (in no particular order):

Communications/Rhetoric

Students need to be able to speak and write effectively and persuasively, and to listen well.

Problem solving

The content of our math and science courses is important, but so are the problem solving skills that will let our graduates deal with the issues that will arise over the course of their lifetimes.

In addition to this general literacy, I want to add

Information/Statistical

This literacy will allow our graduates to use their problem-solving skills in a fully informed manner when dealing with data and texts.

Cultural.

Students will need to know the historical/political/economic forces that have led to the creation of the current societal structures and processes.

Multicultural

The title of Thomas Friedman’s latest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, reminds us that our children will live in an increasingly interdependent global community. Literacy in a second language (and culture) will be essential to full participation in that world.

Aesthetic

Our students need to know the language of design, structure
and presentation in both visual and performing arts.

Ethical

None of the first six literacies mean much if we don’t raise
children with a strong moral compass.

I realize that I could have had more or fewer than seven, depending on how concepts were grouped. Different labels could have been used (visual or technological or digital or…), and certainly these seven could be more fully fleshed out. Finally, we must also recognize that any list of essential literacies has to be open to discussion and change. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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