Innovating for the Future: September 30 Community Bulletin

BELLEVUE BIG PICTURE: INNOVATING FOR OUR FUTURE

Community Bulletin #5 – September 30, 2024

Welcome back to school!  Below is an update on our efforts to more deeply implement the Big Picture distinguishers. The Steering Committee had a full summer!  We are now ready to delve into our design work and prepare to get feedback from the community.

What happened over the summer?

• June: Our Steering Committee reviewed the extensive community input gathered from students, families and staff last spring and solidified the priorities that will guide our design work this fall.
• July: Eight members of the Steering Committee (six teachers, one district staff member, and Bethany) attended Big Picture Learning’s annual “Big Bang” conference in Memphis, TN to deepen Big Picture understandings and connections.
• August: The Steering Committee reconvened after a short summer hiatus to debrief summer learnings and map out our next steps.

Design Priorities

The design priorities the Steering Committee voted on are to:

1. Redesign the high school experience to increase personalized, interest-driven learning experiences on non-internship days, including a more student-driven approach to advisory. 
2. Redesign the middle school experience to increase time in advisory, increase independent time to direct students’ own projects, increase learning experiences outside of classroom walls, and facilitate better connections between middle school and high school.

The “BIG BANG” Conference

Big Picture Learning’s annual “Big Bang” conference in Memphis, TN offered staff the opportunity to network with 400 other passionate Big Picture educators from around the world.  Staff experienced “Leaving to Learn” fieldtrips to a range of local Memphis educational and nonprofit organizations; workshops on elements of Big Picture design; and a conference keynote address at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Our Overarching Goals

Our goal in this process is to deepen understanding and implementation of Big Picture distinguishers in order to better serve students, especially those most marginalized, and make our model more sustainable for teachers and staff.  This work will produce a refined vision of equitable, interest-driven, personalized learning.

How things will Flow this Fall & Winter

This fall and winter we will:

The prototypes will be proposals for meeting the design priorities. They may include proposed changes to things like the role of advisory, assessment and grading, class schedules, peer and/or staff relationships, and continuous teacher learning.

Overall Timeline

We anticipate that an updated design will be proposed in winter 2025. Phase 1 implementation will begin in fall 2025. There may be multiple implementation phases, depending on what the new design components entail.

The Big Picture Learning Distinguishers