Tiny School Project
Schools must evolve to match the needs of a rapidly shifting world, but change is highly complex. Testing new ideas in small ways and then moving successful experiments more broadly through a school is a “safe” way to move a day school’s educational offerings forward. This initiative, based on the Tiny School Fellowship concept developed by 4.0 Schools and extensive research on professional development, helps participating schools envision the future of education and take the first steps forward.
Over the 2016-17 year, four schools independently chose to employ a more constructivist and student centered approach in a specific subject. Each school invited several teachers and administrators to participate in the learning and testing phase of the project, which included five days with a content coach and/or facilitator. In between, participants experimented in their own classrooms.
Schools that continue in 2017-18 will open up their “model classrooms” to other teachers in the school and begin extending the experimenting into other classrooms and subjects.
Tiny Schools videos - PD in under 6 minutes!
Go inside the Tiny School Project with our short two videos. The first is an introduction to and overview of the Tiny School approach (2 1/2 min) and the second is a practical "How To" of how the teachers are actually creating these new learning opportunities (3 min).
Read more about Tiny School at Beit Rabban Day School:
It “…seem[s] so profound, yet so simple and obvious at the same time. It really makes me feel like I can do whatever it is that we're discussing.”
“I felt like a failure some days because I knew there were students walking away from a lesson without fully grasping it.... [B]y working in small groups I am able to target student needs. I also enjoy the fact my students are building independent work skills.”
“This project facilitated growth and gave me the confidence to try new techniques and even shift my view of teaching and learning.”
“The time set aside for meeting as a group was transformative. It not only gave me breathing room to plan and prepare but also made me feel like a professional. Getting the encouragement to experiment and try new things was also incredibly significant.”