One of the major school-wide initiatives begun last summer is a project known as "Lab into Lab." "Lab into Lab" capsulizes so many of the defining characteristics of the Lab Schools: the value that we place on inquiry, learning, reflective practice, and innovation and our unique situation as part of a University that "has fostered a culture of self-examination and intense pedagogical self-consciousness." [Report of the Faculty Committee for a Year of Reflection, March 19, 1998]
The "Lab into Lab" project supports and encourages faculty across the Schools' divisions to think about new ways to use our resources. How can we best take advantage of the fact that we are a school that extends from nursery through high school, that we are a part of a prestigious University known for interdisciplinary teaching and asking tough questions, and that we have a diverse student body and a strong tradition of creative teaching?
One of the most exciting aspects of the "Lab into Lab" work has been our teachers' enthusiasm about sharing their ideas, hearing about each others' work, and thinking together about teaching and learning. What we have done in the past in our own divisions, "Lab into Lab" makes possible to do across all grades, subjects, and divisions. The faculty, administrators, and parents who met during the summer to consider this project generated a vast list of possibilities. They range from rethinking the senior year, establishing teacher colloquia, encouraging new curriculum, exploring interdisciplinary teaching, and finding ways for students to interact across the Schools.
"Lab into Lab" has already spawned several concrete projects. We began this school year discussing the book Mitchell and Ruff in faculty groups with teachers from all divisions and then welcoming back our high school students with similar conversation groups. Faculty are reconsidering Arts Fest and The Rites of May for their potential for all-school work and participation. There have been conversations with the Oriental Institute, the Smart Museum, the Graham School of General Studies, and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The Athletic Task Force is working with the University Athletic Director. Every other Friday afternoon, interested faculty have gathered to discuss some aspect of interdisciplinary or cross-divisional learning. A book discussion group will begin winter quarter, and an expert on the senior year has already spent three days fact-finding at Lab.
In the summer of l996, three nursery/kindergarten teachers and I visited the preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, which are often cited as one of the best systems of preschools in the world. One of the most valuable lessons from that study trip was the importance of adult collaboration in the process of thinking about curriculum. In Reggio, teachers work as teams to collect information about what children are doing, a process called documentation. They then engage in discourse with each other using the documentation to study the learning process, from which they proceed to the next step of designing curriculum and further work.
The challenge of the "Lab into Lab" initiative is that it invites us to collaborate and document across the divisions of the school and the University. As Lower School science teacher Gerold Hanck has put it, the goal is to "rejuvenate the spirit of experimentation and innovation that has historically been the hallmark of the Lab Schools and its founder, John Dewey."
World events make it clear that we need to educate children, who, in addition to mastering important subject matter, can think critically, can listen to and consider different points of view, and who have a powerful sense of the value of the work that goes into creating community and living in a democracy. "Lab into Lab" calls us to use the wealth of resources within our school community, and the University will address this task with renewed vigor and dedication.
Carla Young
Principal, Nursery and Kindergarten