Global Café Feedback Summary

On May 30, 2007, approximately 60 parents, students, present and former staff members and community members gathered for our first ever Global Cafe to envision the year 2020 and strategize how to best prepare our children for success in a global society. (Many who were unable to attend also sent us their thoughts on the topic.)

After a brief presentation, small group table discussions focused on the two questions below. Participants started dialogue at one table, moved to a different table for session two, then returned to their original table to share ideas. This format allowed for a cross-pollination of ideas and thoughts.

The following is a summary of the feedback generated.

Table Discussion Focus Questions:

1. Envision 2020. What will the world be like? How will it be
different?

• There is a developing sense of urgency
• Trends are moving toward a much more electronic environment
• Less bureaucracy, fewer mandates, more freedom to experiment
• Building will move to space – technology in cars, planes,
subways, etc.

2. What knowledge, skills and values do our children need to be
successful in a global society?

Knowledge and Understandings:
• Help children understand fair, honest competition
• Our children will become more environmentally conscious
• Change happens, so be prepared!
• Learn to be more comfortable with other cultures, but don't lose sight of your own country's culture
• Failure to learn history leads to repeating failed history
• Teach Latin, Rhetoric, Logic – all will help children speak better and more convincingly
• Teach processes, not facts
• Teach media literacy/informal logic to students
• School children in the basic economic facets of personal wealth and finance management

Skills:
• Learn to get along with other people
• Kids need to learn how to learn
• Teach children to effectively multi-task
• Allow opportunities to share and communicate with classrooms in other countries (virtual field trips)
• Teach critical thinking, not memorization
• Place less emphasis on skills that are less crucial (ie.Cursive handwriting)
• Teach organizational skills, planning and goal-setting
• Differentiate between information vs. noise

Values and Traits:
• Focus on the ideas of the founding fathers – a personal drive for commitment, excellence and discipline
• A greater commitment of/to family, children and country. It starts at home, but more parental involvement is needed in schools.
• Help children develop habits of the mind – work ethic, self-directed learning
• Inspire kids to be creative and innovative
• Prepare students for the many industry/social ethical questions that face and will face them as individuals and society
• We need happy kids, with good self-esteem, that contribute to family and community
• Employ more classic American role models

Implications for Schools:
• More programs like Odyssey of the Mind
• Schools need to recognize that girls and boys learn differently
• Multi-discipline projects in schools to apply all talents/skills/teamwork
• Homework needs to be meaningful and relevant to the individual
• Give children more "face time," hands-on experiments and field trips starting at a young age
• Stop teaching to a test
• Children need a good mix of math and science with arts, music and culture
• Keep traditional things in place that provide diverse learning opportunities (ie. Communication, Shop (technology), Drama)
• Use a thematic approach to teaching productive skills
• Make school life more like real life
• Engage students through modern practices and media education
• Who is responsible for making all this happen? It takes a village! Interdependence is key.
• Develop partnerships – be the creative driver and create a culture of innovation
• Provide teacher training and support
• Don't compete with another country, just strive to achieve greater things

New Questions Arising from the Discussion:
• Technology is getting overused. Will social and communication skills suffer?
• What things will be sacrificed to add the new things we need to teach?
• Are our children too spoiled to succeed?
• It's all about people – simple values, caring, family, balance, valuing all people. Are we compromising these things as we move forward?
• How do we teach to these higher levels if they're not part of the standardized testing curriculum?