What "Real-World Learning" Really Looks Like
Go behind the scenes at Rhode Island's Big Picture Learning and discover what makes it--and the 100 schools like it around the world--work.
Lennon first joined Ashoka in 2007, working with Ashoka's global search and selection team and later helping to kickstart Ashoka U's Changemaker Campus Initiative. She previously worked with GOOD/Corps, where she teamed up with leading brands, including ABC News, PepsiCo, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to advance social impact causes through digital strategy campaigns. She is based in Los Angeles, CA.
A few weeks back, we had the chance to visit The Met in Providence, RI, the flagship school of Big Picture Learning, known for its focus on real-world learning and individualized learning plans that combine both relevance and rigor. Begun in 1996, Big Picture has gone on to influence state and federal policy, and has been replicated in low-income school districts throughout the country. Day-by-day, the passionate team behind it is chipping away at our preconceptions about what education should look like.
During our visit, we sat down with students, advisors, and staff to understand where empathy fits into the Big Picture equation. We discovered that the key to making Big Picture work is a relentless emphasis on relationships, a profound level of respect held by students, advisors, and parents alike, and an irrepressible belief in the changemaking potential of every student who walks through the door. Check out the slideshow below to go behind-the-scenes, and consider what it would take to make every school a Big Picture school.
