Summit Sparks

At the close of each month, we check in and reflect back on the different perspectives that we’ve heard from our podcast interview guests around a common theme. For November, that theme is Cognitive Skills. Similar to last month, each of our four podcast guests interviewed this November brings different experiences and areas of expertise in education to the conversation. With each of these varied perspectives informing our final narrative, here’s what we’ve learned this month about Cognitive Skills.

In this interview, 7th and 8th grade science and math Teacher Sarah Pierce talks about how the personalized learning environment made possible with the Summit approach has been an ideal fit for the diverse group of learners at Classical Academy, which combines home-schooling with classroom instruction. Sarah also shares her best practices and differentiated resources that she’s created  to help all students successfully access content knowledge and navigate ways to develop cognitive skills through projec

This month on the Summit Sparks podcast we are highlighting Cognitive Skills, one of Summit Learning’s four student outcomes. This week we talk to Penelope Pak McMillen, a former executive director of Summit Preparatory High School and now a mentor for Summit Learning, about the impact of helping students build transferable cognitive skills for life after high school.

This month on the Summit Sparks podcast we are highlighting Cognitive Skills, one of Summit Learning’s four student outcomes. This week we talk to teacher Anna Thompson about explicitly teaching and learning cognitive skills through project-based learning.

This week, we speak with John Larmer, editor in chief at the Buck Institute for Education, a nonprofit organization that has provided resources, support, and best practices on project-based learning for 25 years. John, also a former high school English and Social Studies teacher, talks about what school leaders and educators need to have in place in order to set students up for success in developing real-world skills and applications through project-based learning.

At the close of each month, we check in and reflect back on the different perspectives that we’ve heard from our podcast interview guests around a common theme. Each of our podcast guests this month has a different background and has played a different role in the lives of students. This diversity in guests is intentional, as our aim each month is to bring different voices to the table...after wrapping up a month-long conversation from four different angles, here’s what we’ve learned.

This week, we speak with Payal Patel, the parent of a Summit Public Schools’ middle school student. Payal tells us about how her own research and reflection on the purpose of education led her to choose Summit, which she describes as being about community building, problem solving, and innovation and creativity, preparing students to be college ready. Payal shares her son’s experiences in building trusting relationships with his mentor and peers, and about her own path in finding a community of support.

This week, we speak with Turnaround for Children Founder Dr. Pamela Cantor about the importance of establishing relationships of trust between students and adults, and creating safe environments for all students. Pamela discusses the nature of learning as an essential social activity, and why understanding this and brain development in children is essential for new teachers and as part of ongoing professional development for all teachers.

This week, we speak with Sazan Ghafur, a Summit Public Schools mentor and R&D team member, about what gets her out of bed in the morning -- building 1:1 relationships with students through mentorship, a pillar of the Summit Learning experience. She shares her school’s approach to building a school-wide culture that promotes the mindsets and behaviors that students need to be ready for college and careers.

This week, we speak with Kourtney Bauswell, a director of personalized learning at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy, about the 180 degree turn in her school’s first cohort of freshmen students’ motivation and ability to self-direct their own learning by the start of their sophomore year in high school. Kourtney shares inspiring stories — one involving mardi gras beads — and another about a student stepping out of his comfort zone to help build his student community.

This month, we explore the theme of Habits of Success, which include mindsets like perseverance and resilience, the ability for students to set goals and advocate for themselves, and self-awareness -- knowing who you are and what you’re passionate about. We also discuss how educators can help guide students in developing these habits in and out of the classroom.