Interested in doing the same thing for me? We'd love to hear what your Why QUEST response would be. Anyone can respond. If interested in responding to that prompt for me, please email me. I'd like to post one Why QUEST writing each month this year.
Why QUEST?
Why QUEST?
The obvious and easy answer is, why not. However, if we look at what’s
effective at building the educational foundation for kids during the early ages
with the goal being to produce caring, responsible,
productive citizens, the
question becomes even easier to answer.
When
we look at the skills and attributes of the average successful student in the
advanced stages of the educational world, or look at many of the common traits
of effective and valuable employees in the many work-related professional
fields, it becomes easy to see why QUEST exists and why it follows the
practices and procedures it does. By trying to implement these unique practices
at such an early age, we lay the framework these young individuals need to be successful
in the later stages of their schooling and when they begin entering the
workforce in our current society.
When
focusing on the multi-age aspect being practiced at QUEST, we all realize that
it can look messy, is complex and is difficult to manage but the results you
observe from a student that has spent numerous years in that environment are
significant and quickly justify its worth. In the “real world” and in all walks
of life, we are constantly surrounded by people of differing ages, differing
social and emotional states and individuals with differing abilities and
readiness. This takes place as early as the later portion of middle school as
classes become conglomerates of different grade levels and abilities. While
functioning during the secondary educational years or while entering the
workforce, these tolerances, skills and strategies that are developed while
being present in a multi-age classroom become valuable. Many great skills and
strategies are imbedded while working and functioning in a multi-age classroom
during the earliest years of the educational journey.
The second
area to take a deep look at when trying to answer the question “Why QUEST” is
the fact that QUEST is an authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years
Programme school. The way in which instruction takes place within a PYP school
focuses heavily on developing an Internationally
Minded student. No this does not only mean they have greater knowledge of
other languages, world geography, flags, etc. but it simply means that students
demonstrate the attributes of the learner profile. If a student as young as 12
years old is already starting to demonstrate some of the attributes of the
learner profile such as being an effective communicator, is open-minded, is
reflective or is principled, they have a major head start in being caring, responsible and productive future citizens and
have a significant
advantage of becoming a beneficial asset to our society. Opinion I know, but
really take a moment and think about it. We all know that our world is becoming
smaller due to the technological advancements over the past 20 years and having
a students develop a second language as early as kindergarten has proven to be
another excellent advantage over the long run. Pair this with practices that
focus on becoming more Internationally Minded and you have yourself a pretty
decent foundation.
The final
area I will touch upon that comes to mind when asking the question Why QUEST is
in regards to the transdisciplinary nature in which our instruction takes
place. This practice gives students a major advantage in the later walks of their
schooling and especially when they enter the workforce. We all know the reality
of living our lives in “the real world” and we know that all of the pieces or
facets of specific content areas are no longer separated but becomes a giant interchangeable
puzzle in which we must decipher, relate to, comprehend, process and fit all
together in order to live productive and healthy life styles. Having students
see the transdisciplinary nature of everything and learn in a way in which all
content areas are interchangeable and connected at an early age can only be a
positive thing.
Why QUEST?
Why not QUEST is the real question!
