The central aim of our new strategic plan is to prepare our students to be the thinkers, innovators and leaders of tomorrow, but how we will do so is a frequently asked question that warrants explanation. Perhaps the most important means we are adopting across the school, from Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade, is “project-based learning (PBL),” which the Buck Institute for Education, a leading educational research and consulting organization, defines [1] as follows. PBL “is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge [1]” [1] which comes not from a textbook, but the world around them, which is not imposed, but chosen by them, which is not siloed to a single subject, but integrates several disciplines, and which does not culminate in something that gathers dust in a binder, but is shared beyond the walls of any given classroom.
Heidi Hayes Jacobs, renowned educational researcher, professor and consultant. (©Twitter)
To help us design a PBL framework for the Lycée Français de New York that both respects and builds on the extraordinary richness and rigor of our curriculum, not to mention the special openness and creativity of our students, we have called on one of the most highly respected educators in the world, one who has worked with outstanding schools on every continent, Heidi Hayes Jacob [2]s. This past November 30th, Dr. Jacobs joined our 153-strong faculty to get us started on the important journey which lies ahead and on which we are now so boldly, collaboratively and thoughtfully embarked. To discover more about this exciting, path-breaking work, please take three minutes to watch the introductory video below and stay tuned for regular updates in the future!
About the Author :
Sean Lynch was Head of School at the Lycée Français de New York from 2011 to 2018, after having spent 15 years at another French bilingual school outside of Paris: the Lycée International de St. Germain-en-Laye. Holding both French and American nationalities, educated in France (Sciences Po Paris) and the United States (Yale), and as the proud husband of a French-American spouse and father of two French-American daughters, Sean Lynch has spent his entire professional and personal life at the junction between the languages, cultures and educational systems of France and the United States. In addition to being passionate about education, he loves everything related to the mountains, particularly the Parc National du Mercantour.