XQ Expert Series: Equity and 21st Century Learning

Listen in to conversations with transformational leaders in education to learn how they are incorporating youth voice and working alongside students to create meaningful learning experiences. You'll hear inspiring examples, stories, and lessons learned from across the country.

[DeborahofJesus]

Thank you for this excellent podcast!!!  It is so rich with ideas I've listened to it several times. I LOVED the examples of how teachers have brought together rigor and relevance. I applaud the Urban League for creating student empowerment days. It has become crystal clear to me how crucial it is to help urban youth expand their sense of possibilities around existing and emerging career paths. I had the opportunity to teach a summer course I designed, "Define Yourself, Design Your Life, " to incoming freshmen who would later fan out into a number of private Catholic high schools on scholarships. One of my purposes was to make sure students understood what skillets/capabilities modern employers seek, and in which subjects they could build those skills. Another was to help them explore their unique strengths, gifts, and core values--so they could match them to potential careers, and, in the short term,  test out their interests by engaging in extracurricular opportunities available in our region. The importance of increasing student's knowledge of the specific job market sectors and the opportunities within them became very clear when I asked students to brainstorm about what jobs might make a great match for a particular student's strengths, gifts, and core values. I saw how difficult this was and the moment I stepped out of the classroom, the lightbulb went off--the problem was lack of exposure. The next iteration of the course will address that. What I have found with the students I mentor year-round is the importance of helping them develop a meaningful vision of where they are going to "get them going." I strongly agree with what Professor Treisman said about the need to create learning environments in which "the social/psychological issues of purpose, belonging, and capability are constructively addressed." This is a crucial piece if you want to "turn the light all the way on" in these very capable young people.