Wayfinder High Schools Around The World 9/6/24

Belonging 3: Action Lesson 9.5.3

High Schools
Around the
World

How can we be intentional in designing our schools?

You never change things by
fighting the existing reality. To
change something, build a new
model that makes the existing
model obsolete.

R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was an American architect
and inventor.

R. Buckminster Fuller

Students will be able to identify elements of well-designed high school

experiences.

Students will be able to design their ideal high school.

Lesson Objective

Why is it important to appreciate well-designed

school experiences?

Through your experiences as a high school student, you have the best
knowledge of how to imagine different possible versions of what could
improve the school experience. By exploring what high school could be,
we open our minds to how we could make our own school experiences

more meaningful.

The Wayfinder Why

Schools Around the World

+Aspects of school, like the buildings, rules and policies, and curriculum
contribute to the school climate, which impacts everyone’s school
experience.

+Students around the world have different school experiences. These
experiences not only differ from country to country, but also from school to
school, usually depending on the school’s location and founder(s).

+Being aware of these differences can help us appreciate how a school
experience can shape a person—their interests, their priorities, and their
perspectives.

+There are several schools around the world that are trying to design learning
experiences that challenge mainstream education, both in terms of curricula
and physical environment. We will explore a few notable examples.

Talking Points

Building 21

(Philadelphia, United States) 4:17 min

The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School

(Rajasthan, India) 3:29 min

Unique Schools Around the World

Ørestad High School

(Copenhagen, Denmark) 3:18 min

The Green School

(Bali, Indonesia) 4:19 min

More Time: Unique Schools Around The World

+What do you notice about these schools?

+What was one thing that seemed innovative to you or sparked your
interest?

+Is there anything that reminded you of something we do at our school?

+Do you think there are any experiences that are universal across all high
schools in the world?

+If you have attended school elsewhere, what differences do you notice
here compared to there?

Discussion Questions

Word Cloud

What do you notice about these schools?

Word Cloud

What was one thing that seemed innovative to you or sparked your interest?

Word Cloud

Is there anything that reminded you of something we do at our school?

Word Cloud

Do you think there are any experiences that are universal across all high schools in the world?

Word Cloud

If you have attended school elsewhere, what differences do you notice here compared to there?

Design Your Ideal High School

WORKBOOK PROMPT

+

Designing your ideal high school requires imagination and
thoughtfulness. Use the questions below to help you design your
ideal school. Write or draw your responses.

+Questions to consider:

+What is your high school called?

+Where is it located?

+What does it look like?

+What is taught there?

+Who teaches there?

+What are some school policies

that exist there?

+Who goes to your school?

+What is a typical school day like?

+How is the school connected to

the community?

Student WORKBOOK

Open Ended

• What are some differences between your actual school experience and your ideal school experience?

• What, according to you, should be the purpose of high school? 

• What from your design do you think we could apply to our current school experience?

+There’s a world of schools beyond ours, each with different students,
teachers, and priorities.

+Imagining new possibilities is how we generate change, and seeing the ways
that other people do things around the globe is one way to spark creativity.

+Being aware of how our school communities match or differ from others in
the world helps us to continue to grow our perspectives.

+Consider what you’d like to take away from this lesson and bring back to our
school, even if it’s something small.

+In our final lessons, we’ll consider how we can leave a lasting impact on our
school community and beyond.

Wrap-Up

Closing Ritual

Goods + News

Poll

How are you feeling?

• Why am I here?

• Class was great, I'm great.

• Ready for the weekend

• Ready for summer