Funding for this program is made possible by the Grable Foundation.

3, 2 1, Go!

[Clashing] Yes!

[Music Plays] The reason is Learning network is changing ho and where students are learning.

So these are cardboard boxes we designed on Adobe Illustrator, and that means new learning opportunities and unique experiences.

I want them to know that science is everywhere.

This is a demo model of what we're trying to build, and it's a virtual reality headset.

But behind the designing, building and experimental is a growing network of partners blazing a new path in learning and teaching.

We can make learning more fun than we can keep those kids focused.

It's all about connecting kids to their community.

A movement that started in our region is now getting national attention for its success.

Check this out.

They're learning things like project management, communication, collaboration.

[Toy Buzzing] All right!

Good job!

But how does we make learning continue to break new ground?

We know that when there's a project, something that allows you t apply your knowledge, it sticks.

It's about impacting their lives and their career choices.

And how do new skills translate into the real world?

We're preparing our students for the future, and we want our students to be globally competitive so that they can succeed.

Let's talk about remake learning and why it's an important foundation for the future.

Hello!

I'm Lisa Washington.

This week, the Pittsburgh region is hosting education leaders from across the country.

They're in town for remake learning days.

It's a weeklong celebration of learning innovation, where local educators show off the unique ideas they've been using in their classrooms and in after school programs.

Even representatives from the White House were here to recognize the Remake Learning Network, which has become a national model from the beginning.

The goal has been to reshape how students learn and tap into the many additional resources outside of school.

One program, called the Global Passport Project, is doing just that.

[Music Plays] As part of our third year physical science curriculum.

We include in that the Global Passport Project.

The project was really created as an opportunity to be able to get our science students a chance to be able to solve a real problem with real companies.

It's very important that we get this experience of solving a real world problem, because it helps us with not just reading out of a textbook and doing a math problem.

We have to think a little bit more and think outside of the box to find a solution for the problem you're trying to solve.

So it's not about learning content, it's about being able to learn.

What do I do with that?

The world has changed.

Students skills need to change as well.

Joining us now Tom Isaac runs the Global Passport project at South Fayette Township High School.

Aaron Morris is the senior manager of community engagement content for PBS kids, and Megan Chacon is the director of instructional and innovative leadership at Fox Chapel School District and a Sprout Fund board member.

Thank you all for joining us so much.

Let's start with you, Megan, and talk about the Remake Learning Network and how this all began.

Sure.

The Remake Learning Network really is a committed group of stakeholders that is dedicated to remaking, learning and teaching in the region.

And when I say region, I mean the Pittsburgh area, southwestern Pennsylvania, and our great neighbors in West Virginia.

They have a message that resonates with parents, with teachers, with mentors and volunteers and after school Settings Foundation youth.

And that message is that we need to reinvent and revolutionize what teaching and learning means.

It started as a really small, organic group, basically by the father of the Remake Learning Network, Greg Baer of the Grable Foundation.

And those local thought leaders and early adopters were just a handful of people in 2007, and now we have over 300 participants and over 200 and 250 organizations dedicated to changing the way that we look at education.

And I have to say, it' all because of this network now.

Tom youre a high school teacher talk about the importanc of having a network for support.

It's really hard, I think, to just start out and say, I'm going to go and do something completely different in my classroom.

I mean, there are educators who will try small little projects and changes to their educational process, and that's great.

But to really be able to make those big substantive changes really requires a tremendous amount of support.

And so for me, I was very fortunate.

We had a very forward thinking superintendent, Doctor Ron Anneli, who really gave us the opportunity.

It sort of handed me, we want you to work on this project.

And I kind of said, how am I going to do that?

And she said, I don't know, but we'll figure it out.

But we had a terrific network between people from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, AC, additional funders such as people from the Gravel Foundation, as well representatives from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, our own superintendent, assistant superintendent, principals, all these people came together to help support what we were trying to do in the classroom.

So as a teacher, you can't just go out and do this on your own.

You really need that support network.

And for me, I was very fortunate that our administration was able to do that for me.

And let's talk about partnerships.

I'll bring you into the conversation era, because part of that network includes partnerships.

And you're with PBS kids.

Talk about how you guys are inspired, the work that you do as part of the Remake Learning Network.

Absolutely!

Tom's 100% right that no one can do this work alone.

And so bringing in partners into the equation really provides us all with the opportunity to move the dial much, much further on a much larger scale than any of us would be able to do on our own at PBS.

You know, we get to play a number of fantastic roles, both with the Remake Learning Network here in Pittsburgh, but nationally as well as this event is a case in point to we get to amplify the message.

We get to explai and tell others what's going on, all the wonderful things happening in Pittsburgh and by by spreading that message, more people come in into the conversation.

PBS kids, you know, we are really working towards making sure we are connecting our media and our wonderful content that is all built to teach and grow kids across this country.

We want it to be available to them anytime, anywhere, right?

We want we know that kids are watching TV still, and we know that kids are now engaging with media in way more places than just on their television.

And so we're trying to bring to them opportunities where no matter where they are, no matter who they're with, they can have meaningful learning experiences, whether it's with our content on a screen or whether it's through the partnerships that we're all finding together at this local level.

But then at the national level.

So, you know, we're seeing what's happening in Pittsburgh and we're trying to say, okay, this is really working for this community.

How do we as PBS, who has ove 300 stations across the country?

How can we communicate with our other stations so that they can start to make some of this happen at their local level as well?

And you see that happening with lots of the other cities across America that are getting on board.

Exactly.

And Megan, essentially remake learning is changing the way that students learn.

Why is that so important?

We saw in the documentary, learning doesn't end at 330 or when the school bell rings or, you know, after school.

It's much more than just scouts now and dancing and sports.

Talk about the importance of this being changed, the way that learning is happening for these students.

Sure.

Collaboration is at the heart of Remake Learning network.

Education used to be very siloed in some cities.

It still is where you have teachers literally across the hall that don't speak to each other about the learning that's happening.

And so what the network has provided is a platform of discussion of support and of collaboration.

And so we have districts working with districts.

We have national organizations calling the region saying, how can we get involved because there's something exciting happening.

So we have PBS.

We have organizations like Code.org.

Kogi has a dedication to infusing computer science K-12.

So many of our districts, Fox Chapel included, are now enabled to offer really strong programing, computer science at the elementary grade level.

And so it has to do with collaborations locally, regionally and nationally.

And that is really the strength of the network.

I think that collaboratio is such an important part of it, being able to teach the students that it's not just go sit down, do your work, come back, hand it to the teacher.

Is this right?

Right.

And the learning goes so much beyond that.

So our students in the Global Passport Project and the business school partnerships that we've had, we've worked collaboratively with other schools.

So we started out working with a North Allegheny.

And then from there we moved on.

And we worked this last year with Avonworth School District.

And in fact, just we were talking about we should do a project next year with Fox Chapel as well.

So the idea of being able to to go in, work with the school, teach them how we do this and then they can go off and work with another school district and sort of pages forward to be able to get students used to this idea that you don't all do your own work in your own little silo, you've got to be able to to work with other people.

That's the skills that they're going to need when they get into the workplace as well.

And I want you to talk also more about this project based learning, especially with the global Passport project.

That's huge for your students, I know.

Well, we started out many years ago at South Fayette with various project based learning activities that were after school projects, and then Doctor Ronell said, we want to put this into the curriculum.

And so that's really where the the Global Passport project started out, is our really our first school to business partnership.

That was in the classroom as part of the curriculum.

And the real key to that is that we went and met with the company and arranged a problem that they wanted to have our students look at.

The key is we don't know what the answer is.

The company came to us and said, this is the problem that we have.

What are you guys going to do?

And so for the students, that's a very scary at first, but also very empowering type of message to send to them.

We've got a problem.

We want you to solve it.

And when the students finally figure out when they come to me and say, Mr.

Isaac, is this right?

And you go, I don't know, what do you think?

And when they finally figure out that I don't have all the answers.

This isn't something that they have to come to me and and get a yes or no, that it's correct, that it's really a problem that they have to solve, that people in the world are dependent upon them coming up with a solution for your average learner.

That' an incredibly empowering moment, especially for a high school student.

I can only imagine.

And then for younger kids as well.

Aaron, I know you're with PBS kids.

This is a different way of learning, so I would imagine a bit of a challenge for you, but you said it's inspiring your work.

It's absolutely inspiring our work and just connecting the dots.

I mean, how many times have all of us as educators in our lives are hear in a classroom, a kid say, well, how am I ever going to use this in my real life?

And, you know, the wor that they're doing is just like, it's like, well, this is exactly how this is the real world, and you are solving real world problems.

Yes, it might seem a little bit different when you're talking about pre-K and kindergarten and those younger kids in terms of like real world problems.

But I was here this week teaching a room full of educators how to use a tool that we have for coding called PBS Kids Scratch Junior.

That's all about giving them the opportunity to solve their own problems and create their own projects.

And so really thinking about the world is a place where they can solve problems and express themselves and use the technology that's available to them, because there is a lot of technology around to further their own interest, to go deeper on the things that they care about and to like with the coding stuff, to express themselves and share their knowledge with other people that are in their network as well.

That's another really exciting aspect, is that, you know, there are pockets throughout the nation where this is happening i high schools and in this region.

It is happening early childhood in school and out of school, elementary, middle school, high school has an entire space dedicated to project based learning and makerspaces and learning where they're not only teaching little ones three and four year olds and giving them opportunities to facilitate learning, but also having parents come in so that we can show.

You don't have to be this age on this stage.

We're all facilitators in this learning journey for kids.

We don't always have to have the right answer.

And I think that's that's a nice, beautiful component that the region offers, is that it's not just forma educators or classroom teachers.

It is outside organizations and parents.

We're really just this network of partners that all care about what's best for kids.

Would you say this is career focused?

Is part of the goal to get these kids really obviously for jobs, but is it just career focused?

So you're going to hear college and career a lot.

And part of that is because lots of people are looking for the quick fix.

They're looking fo what's going to fix our schools.

And it's not quick, it's hard and it takes a lot of work, and it really takes a village or a region in this case.

And part of it is certainly career.

So you have schools and organizations that are bringing in legitimate corporations for for kids to solve real world problems.

But in addition, it's also about engagement and just lifelong learning.

We want learners and thinkers.

We don't want kids who just memorize information and regurgitate it.

It's for an informed citizenry and certainly career, but it's really about the person and all these little human beings that are put in front of us every day to learn.

How can we extend their learning and help foster a love of it?

I think the idea is that the skills which they're learning all the way back from K through 2, those early skills that they're learning, those become valuable skills as they start to move up into the intermediate school, middle school, and in the high school, the skills that those kids come in with, of being able to learn to work together, being able to learn collaboratively, learn to use collaboration tools.

And I think, as Megan said, really the point there is you're not preparing the to go work for ALCOSAN or CALGON CARBON or something like that, because there's a specific job that they're after, but they're learning how to work collaboratively, solve problems.

Tell me an employer that doesn't need that skill set.

Exactly, exactly.

And what you're seeing it, you know, with this transformation of what's happening with the older kids, it actually looks a lot like preschool has looked historically right?

Because, you know, preschool age children are naturally curious.

They are naturally asking the how and the why questions and trying to solve problems.

And they're all still piecing that stuff together.

And so, you know, project based learning, that's what you're doing.

That's what preschool student have been doing for generations.

Right?

And now it's sort of finding its way as opposed to like there are some instances where you look at the landscape of education, and in some places you will see preschools looking more like elementary school classrooms, right, where all of a sudden kids are sitting at a desk and looking forward at preschool.

And this is the opposite of that.

This is like sort of taking that preschool mentality and infusing it into the older ages because there's no reason, because those skills, those collaboration and critical thinking skills, those are the skills that we really want to be giving kids the opportunity to play with as they're developing into older citizens so that they can take those skills forward with them.

You should see in my classroom, though, when they were working on the project, it looked like a preschool class.

Wow!

Because they too and they rearranged all the dust and they got scissors and stuff.

All the glue everywhere.

Yeah, it was just like preschool and they were getting.

And then they were part of the reason that remake learning is such a success in our area is because of the funding.

I mean, we can't get this done without dollars.

Megan, talk about the importance of having a foundation support remake learning.

Sure!

So remake learning has many foundations that support it.

Keep among them would b the Grable Foundation, certainly Benetton Foundation, aspects of Chevron.

They also have a steward.

So the Sprout Fund are they are the stewards of the Remake Learning Network.

And so Remake Learning is a brand.

It's an organization that we can all self-identify with.

You can go to Remake Learning and follow it, join the blog, join the network.

We want this organization t grow in numbers and in strength, but it needs a steward.

And the Sprout Fund has done.

Foundation has done a really wonderful job of helping to direct it and keep our mission in our vision and focus.

Pittsburgh has amazing philanthropic support, I would have to say, unlike any other region, and the foundations have really joined together to make sure that whatever project or initiative or endeavor they're supporting is somehow helping the network or building the network.

And and that's something that I would say is certainly unique to this area.

Absolutely.

And this week there was some representatives from the white House who were here.

What do you think grabbed their attention?

What about remake learning?

Grab their attention, do you think Tom.

Wow, it's tough to say.

I think probably the biggest key is that what's going on here in the Pittsburgh area is students who are really reaching out and reaching beyond the sort of traditional school walls.

So not only are they reaching out in terms of working with companies, working with other organizations in the area, but they're reaching out sort of mentally as well, that you don't have to sit there and say, this is going to be science, and we're going to do this from 205 to 245, but that this goes beyond just a specific class within southeast.

We've, in fact, added a new class last year.

We're running our second year.

This year we have a class called Innovation Studio, which is all project based learning, where the students come in.

And we've worked with organizations from from all over the city.

And really that type of outreach, getting out of the school both mentally and physically.

I think it's part of what's really making the difference.

Well, because kids spend mos of their time outside of school.

I mean, we think we think that the learning happens like when the school bell rings in the morning and then it ends when it when it rings in the afternoon.

That's absolutely not true, right?

We all know that you are learning all the time that every, every experience in your life could be turned into a learning moment.

So, so taking advantage of the fact that we have a long day that's not all spent in school, and that connecting the dots between what teachers are doing with kids in the classroom and then how parents can support that at home, and how the other experiences they're having with their media and with their after school program, how that all can connect, like that's what you see happening in Pittsburgh, and that's why you're seeing national excitement about it, right?

Excellent!

You're gonna love it!

I think that's a really good point, because that exactly this idea that learning happens throughout someone's life and throughout their day.

Whenever we look at that point and identify it, it has caused celebration nationally.

So now and others are looking to Pittsburgh to start really unpacking what micro credentialing or badging can look like.

And so it's this idea that if a student goes to tech shop and happens to become a master at using the CCaC machine or a solder iron, they essentially get a digital badge that says, I can do this.

I have reached a mastery level.

How do we, as classroom teachers take that learning and maximize it, or really look at it to capitalize on?

And so it's this ide of transitioning one's knowledge there.

MIT and Stanford are both involved in the open portfolio project, and they have flown educators from Fox Chapel Area School District, Avonworth and the Children's Museum and Millville Library out to California to look at how can we start offering portfolios and accepting portfolios from college applicants to really look at what the learning looks like not just in their classroom from 7 a.m.

to 3 p.m., but outside of that classroom, too.

And that's somethin that's certainly rich and offers a lot of opportunities for students.

And, Tom, how do the schools keep up with the technology?

We saw that in the documentary, a challenge, I'm sure, how those schools keep up with technology.

Well, technology is a funny kind of double edged sword in some respects.

Students are very good, particularly at the high school level, with the technology that they use day to day.

So they're really proficient with Snapchat and Twitter and things like that.

But I'm still finding, though, you have to go through and spend some time teaching them the technologies that they may end up needing.

So while they're able to apply some of what they know, when you actually sit them down and say, we're going to use Google Classroom, or we're going to use the Google Drive applications, sheets, docs, and slides to be able to do that.

I'm surprised that not a lot of them are really terribly proficient at that.

So we always have to be careful with this concept of calling them digital natives, their digital natives at what they know well.

There's still a role for us as facilitators to be able to say, here' another tool I can throw at you.

Let's give this a try.

One of the nice things is Ben is to be able to have the flexibility to say, well, let's try this tool.

And I've thrown everything at them from various Google products.

We tried slack in the in the classroom this year with mixed success.

So we've tried a bunch of different tools, and you have to find the technology that necessarily works well for you.

But the interesting thing was, as you said, they come back with, hey, you know, there's this other app that we us or this other thing that we use.

I have no idea what it is.

I say, will it work?

And and they say, we think so and say, well, go out and try it.

You know, so there's a learning experience that goes both ways.

I mean, I learn as much out of this as they do.

And so technology is not necessarily the end all.

You still need to have that human to human interaction and facilitation and that thought process that goes on.

Technology is just a tool.

And sometimes each student brings a different set of tools to the project, and you have to learn to sort of incorporate all of them.

So I'm always careful about not regimented that you must use this specific piece of technology, leverage what they know.

Excellent!

And Aaron, for you, how does PBS implement the latest technology in a meaningful way?

Carefully?

It is.

I mean, part of PBS mission is reaching every child and every family.

And so there's definitel the double edged sword metaphor.

Like sort of it sort of works a lot works for us as well, because we want to be out there on the front lines of innovation, and we want to be pushing what's possible with technology in terms of connecting kids with their parents and their schools.

But we also have to be very careful and very aware of the fact that not everyone has the latest and greatest device, the latest and greatest software.

And so we work really hard at PBS to make sure we are supporting the entire spectrum of where and how people are accessing media and making sure that wherever that is, that they are going to have a meaningful and positive experience.

I'd say one of the fun things that makes me excuse me.

One of the things that makes me the most excited about the work that we're doing with the technology right now is really trying to find a way to bring together the media that everyone knows PBS kids, the shows with the the interactive experiences and with the knowledge to communicate what kids are up to with their parents.

So we are now combining both video and digital gaming and open ended interactive work together into meaningful sequences where we can actually, you know, get a strong sense of how kids are doing with the media, what they're learning, what they're struggling with, and we're able to to communicate to their parents like, what did they just watch?

What are they the most interested in?

What are they playing the most?

What are they struggling with the most?

And taking that information and providing it in a way that parents can, like, wrap their brains around what their kids are up to when they're interacting with these screens is really exciting, in the sense that they can then come in with that human to human interaction, because we know that's the most important.

We know that, you know, any experience a kid has with any kind o technology is only as meaningful as the supports that come along with it.

So how do we, you know, support the supports?

Yeah.

And, Tom, where do the teachers get new ideas?

Because you don't want to underestimate the potential of these students to learn.

What are the teachers get new ideas.

Well, the projects that we've worked on has been a collaborative effort between teachers, administrators and outside organizations as well.

As I said, the first global passport project that we did also had the support of the World Affairs Council, who was been instrumental in bringing that first project together.

We're finding, though, as we reach out to other organizations and other schools and other businesses, we've got more business interested in working on these projects than we have schools to work on them right now.

Okay, so that's a good problem to have.

It is a good problem to have.

And we have that luxury of being able to try to expand this, this program as much as we can.

But it really takes it takes time to build those things.

And having those administrators to be able to, to help you work through this and having the support of of the Remake Learning Network and organizations like that to be able to help build those networks.

And so to that end, ask you, where does the Remake Learning Network go from here?

Almost ten years, huge success.

What's the next step?

So I would say right now on the current horizon, we are really looking at micro credentialing and how we can use that to support summer learning especially, you know, we have to look at equity.

And in all conversations with our thought leaders, affinity groups, any sort of action plan we're taking, we have to identify how do we level the playing field and how do we really help to attack that digital divide or that achievement gap.

And so equity is very much in a conversation that we're having a lot.

We see strong work with project based learning very specifically when we look at equity.

And and that's something that's exciting.

You'll notice in the documentary they talked about the rec to tech centers.

And so that's another certainly newer initiative at remake.

But you know we're looking to grow.

And I think tha if there were only one answer to where do we go from here, it would be to just increase the level of collaboration that we have in our region and tap into educators.

We have 3000 participants, but there are a lot more out there.

And so how do we encourage them to self-identify as a remake learner and join us so that we can impact even more kids?

Unfortunately, we are almost out of time, but I do want to get some final thoughts from you, Tom.

I'll start with you.

Well, I think the Remake Learning Network is a good example of the type of network that teachers really need to support them.

So the support of organizations like Remake Learning and lots of others that are out there, along with positive, forward thinking administrators that can give teachers the opportunity to be able to do this.

I think they're going to be surprised at what their teachers are going to be able to do.

Okay, Aaron.

Yeah, we're thrilled to be a part of this conversation.

We are so impressed and excited by the work that's happening in Pittsburgh.

And for us as we look forward, it's how do we, you know, take what's happening here and help other, other local communities do the same thing?

And how do we help them connect the dots between the networks, the partners, all of the players in the field so that they can each play the role that they are best suited to play.

All right, Aaron, thank you so much.

And thank you so much for joining us I'm Lisa Washington.

Have a good day!

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