#POLYSolves

#POLYSolves

LEARN BY DOING

At Poly we are investigating how students develop the capacity to meet the complexities of the changing world, as our philosophy statement proposes. This initiative springs from the school’s century-long history of innovation and its commitment to ambitious, rigorous, and inspired education. By building on what we currently do, analyzing the newest research, and studying K-12 and college/university practices, the POLYSolves effort will identify unique opportunities to enhance our programs relative to 21st-century tools, challenges, and goals.

Join us and check back often for our blog posts and other updates.

To solve a problem, first formulate a problem.

What does the process look like for a Poly student to become a leader who knows how to frame the question she wants to ask as well as how to employ many tools to answer it?

To create, first envision.

How can Poly open opportunities for every student in this community to imagine, explore, and show enterprise in designing his own path toward meaningful accomplishment?

To learn, first do.

Where can experiment and risk-taking become more prominent features of Poly’s curriculum so that a student grows more able to take chances where her results are uncertain and the depth of her true understanding is cultivated?

Join the conversation!

Follow along and participate during Poly’s journey of
exploration over the next year to two.

Use #POLYSolves on Twitter and see posts here
Latest Insights

  • Have you ever heard the expression “eating your own dog food”? Eating dog food is not something I’d encourage most people to try. Myself, I have a mer

    Author ImageRichard White, Upper School science teacher
    27 March, 2017
Latest Podcast
Innovation at Poly:
PODCAST EPISODE 1

 

Help us focus our study!

What we’re watching

Do schools kill creativity?
WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven Johnson

What we’re reading

Bringing Innovation
to School

By Suzie Boss

Short-medium, journalist reporting/observational format, lots of ideas and examples from K-12.

Creating Innovators

By Tony Wagner

Well-known author, lots of interviews with young innovators about schooling, some examples and specific suggestions. Nice treatment of Olin College of Engineering.

Innovator’s DNA

By Clayton Christensen

Not written for educators per se, more for corporate, but a readable, fascinating overview of the five core skills of innovators: Associating, Questioning, Observing, Networking, Experimenting.

What we’re seeing

On our campus

Poly faculty enjoy a professional development session February 17 on the innovator’s mindset.

San Francisco visit

Over two days in February, the POLYSolves steering committee traveled around the San Francisco area to visit . . .

Atlanta visit

Faculty who participate in an upcoming tour of Atlanta-area schools will elaborate on their findings here.

A Whole-School Initiative

Faculty steering
committee

John Bracker – Head of School
Sharon Thompson – Assistant Head of School
Jenine Almahdi – Lower School (Second Grade)
Suzie Arther – Lower School (Math Specialist)
Maite Bernath – Upper School World Languages (Spanish)
Tom Berrian – Middle School Science
Alice Lyons – Middle School World Languages (Latin)
Nathan Stogdill – Upper School English
Richard White – Upper School Science
Lawrence Zellner – Upper School English and History

About our consultant

Jonathan E. Martin

“As a former 20-year California independent school educator myself, I’ve long held Polytechnic School in the highest esteem, knowing of its excellence in college preparation, whole child development, arts, and athletics. So it gave me great delight when Poly invited me to assist the school in this enterprise to enhance the education of its students in their creative problem-solving and their innovative and entrepreneurial skills and habits.” – Jonathan E. Martin