Please note: These live learning blogs are posted on the fly, and I am more concerned with capturing information rather than perfecting my writing/proofreading skills. So yes, there might be mistakes, and no, it’s not the next great American novel. We’ll live!

Presenters: Mr. Ross Wehner & Ms. Jessica Catoggio (World Leadership School)

I didn’t take great notes, if I’m being honest, but it was a wonderful keynote and really left me thinking!

Individual journey but really it’s about your community, not about you.

Homework and grades are the two number one stressors that students are feeling right now. 😦

What if the purpose of a school were purpose??

Many questions about purpose are on the Common App – universities are looking for kids with purpose because they know those kids will be successful.

• Goal-given (dabblers) – hard work, but not engaged in meaning
• Disengaged – Little meaning and little action (shut down)
• Purpose driven – meaning fuels action that benefits someone or something
• Dreamers – lots of meaning but struggles with action

Calling Card Environments

• Investigative – research and analysis, problem solving
• Artistic – creating, original work
• Social
• Enterprising
• Structured
• Realistic

Structure of a Purpose Statement

I ______ so that _______.

first blank is a verb (your gift); second blank is the impact.

Mine: I bring a bit of humor to this mad, mad world so that life is a little more fun.

Animated short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDHIyrfMl_U

Purpose Learning

Taking learning and connecting it to self and then doing something outward facing with what you’ve learned – something beyond the test paper or the grades.

Purpose learning prepares students to be collaborators, cross cultural lines, and be human/empathetic.

Purpose happens when thinking, feeling, and doing come together.

types of engagement – cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), behavioral (doing). If we only focus on the thinking piece, that backpack gets real heavy real fast.

Thinking Engagement Strategies

• student voice and choice
• thinking routines
• metacognition
• variety with real-world connections

Feeling Engagement Strategies (Emotional Engagement)

• advisory
• personal connection/trusted adult relationship
• opportunities for collaboration and fun
• student agency

Doing Engagement Strategies

• collaborative learning environment
• authentic, hands-on learning
• positive reinforcement
• making

Purpose Planner: Think intentionally about how we can make thinking, feeling, and doing part of the unit.