In week 7, the founder and co-principal of the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII), Jeff Hopkins, came to class as a guest speaker. This was a very interesting and inspiring class, as PSII is not your typical school. Jeff explained that PSII is a school that operates to expand students’ knowledge by reaching the zone of proximal development. I learned from this class that the zone of proximal development requires three components: each student is different, students will learn and progress at different times, and students need a variety of learning environments and methods. At PSII all of these components are recognized and valued as students are free to learn at their own pace and learn in a variety of different environments.
Students who attend PSII are able to practice autonomy, which is something I think is very important for students engagement and participation. I know from experience that when I get to pick a topic that I want to learn about, I tend to engage a lot more, and in turn, I learn a lot more than if I were to be assigned a topic that I’m not as interested in.
I would like to take some aspects of this school, such as the idea that students are able to learn at their own pace and practice autonomy in relation to content, into my future practice. As a future educator, I hope to deliver content to my students in a variety of ways so that I can cater to the different needs of my students. One way that I could give my future students autonomy is when assigning assignments; I could allow them to choose a topic that relates to the content and choose a way to complete their assignment; for example, they could write an essay, make a poster, or make a slideshow. In conclusion, this week’s class was very inspirational, and I can apply some aspects of the school to my future practice.