I was pretty blown away by the film Most Likely to Succeed and High Tech High. While I knew the current education model that was created over 120 years ago was a solution to generating factory workers, it was interesting to learn that it was previously adopted from Prussian military institutions. Understanding where we’ve come from, made it that much more inspirational to see how much freedom both students and educators had in co-creating learning experiences at High Tech High. 

I am a pretty passionate educator with what some would consider unconventional teaching practices. As an example, while last year was anything but typical, we also had a learner that was terminally ill with sever medical needs. We had met with the family prior to start of the school year and they had expressed that their hope was their child could have some real kindergarten experiences with their peers. Because of the complex medical needs of the child, they were often in and out of the classroom throughout the day and spent very little time engaging with their peers, as the time they spent in the classroom was structured “teaching” time. Our solution to this was to deconstruct our day entirely and have all day “Centers” and “Learning Centers”. My partner and I would prepare 1-3 different weekly hands-on learning activities for Language Arts, Science, Art, Math, Social Studies and Personal Growth. The activities would be set out as provocations, and learners were expected to complete each one before the end of day Friday. They were given agency over their learning by choosing when they would complete activities, and in which order. Most children had completed all “Learning Centers” by Wednesday or Thursday, which meant they were able to enjoy regular centers for the remainder of the week! 

This model worked well for the unique needs of our class. We noticed that the child was able to spend more time interacting and playing with their peers, and it was also really helpful for our other learners. We found that we were able to spend more one-on-one time with students and support students wherever they were at. Learners that needed more time and direction to refine a skill got that, and those that were ready to move on could. 

Moving forward, there are several things from Most Likely to Succeed I am excited to take into my future classes. I love the idea of holding exhibitions or demonstrations of learning. I think it’s such an excellent way to showcase student’s work, and ability. It also provides learners the opportunity to work towards a goal, endure and persevere through challenges, and create retainable and meaningful learning experiences. I would also like to have conversations/ “interviews” with my learners about what their skills and areas of growth are. 

All and all, this film was very impactful! I would definitely (and have already) recommend it.