Columbus, Ohio

The learner-centered movement seems to be growing in Columbus, Ohio.

According to a recent article printed in the Education Reimagined online newsletter,

“The elements of a learner-centered ecosystem are emerging in Columbus, Ohio. For the last 20 years, the PAST Foundation has been offering learners access to hands-on learning opportunities as global businesses planted roots in the region. With educational needs changing, PAST saw an opportunity to integrate home bases within its network of learning hubs and field sites, creating a learner-centered ecosystem. [A quick review – home bases are groups of young learners and adult learning leaders, learning hubs are dedicated learning spaces like libraries, schools, museums, etc., and field sites are commercial, public, or non-profit organizations where learners can pursue dedicated projects.] In partnership with 100 Roads – a learner-centered and virtual learning visionary – the PAST Foundation is connecting the needs of learners, businesses, and the community.”

“[Education Reimagined] sat down with Annalies Corbin, president and CEO of the PAST Foundation, Marcy Raymond, strategy officer at the PAST Foundation, and Catherine Fraise, founder and president of 100 Roads, to talk about this exciting expansion of their work and what led to this being the right time to try something new in Columbus.”

Annalies Corbin: “This pilot will weave together learning hubs and field sites throughout the city with new home bases, which will serve as a central place for learners to connect with peers and learning advisors. By creating a cohesive group of resources, we hope to provide young people with an environment where they can explore their interests, connect with others, and build skills needed for life and career. We know we have to meet people where they are if we are to create a reimagined educational experience. At the same time, we also recognize that there’s a whole set of people, systems, and opportunities that will allow for this transformation to take place.”

Marcy Raymond: “When reimagining education, we must consider the barriers hindering true learning and growth. We cannot follow a one-size-fits-all factory model. Instead, we need to focus on building strong relationships, reducing barriers, and empowering students to have confidence in themselves. It’s about shifting our perspective from traditional subjects to the holistic development of individuals within their communities and industries.”

Catherine Fraise: “My focus is on integrating virtual experiences to enable more equity within this work. Kids need an easy way to explore different industries. We have a lot of kids out there that want real-world experience. Transportation is one big barrier to that. Virtual spaces allow for different industries to interface with students and we can add a whole new range of options for them. In creating both highly interactive virtual experiences with real-world learning opportunities, we’re bridging a gap to different industries with new tools that we now have available to us. It creates a much more fluid exploratory landscape for all learners.”

“We have a physical space downtown that functions as an innovation hub. There are eight classrooms as well as a big meeting area in the middle. We also have virtual spaces, one that mirrors our physical hub, as well as entirely new areas where kids can connect with each other and other learning opportunities, such as a robotics lab. Learners can explore these spaces and collaborate together with experts from our partner organizations.”

Marcy Raymond: “We have about 20 very strong industry connections to help learners gain real-world learning experiences through filed sites, as Columbus benefits from a lot of investment in 5G infrastructure. Learners can partner with a team from AT&T to help them understand the world of telecommunications, what 5G means, what types of jobs are available in the field, and what a pathway into that career looks like. For example, a third-grade learner might meet with someone who installs fiber optics to learn how they work. If they can meet in person, they will, but they have the opportunity to explore virtually if time or transportation is limited. We have a lot of opportunities for learners through partnerships with other companies as well, like Bath & Body Works and Honda.”

“Home bases, the newest component of this program, will serve as a central hub for learners to connect with their peers and learning advisors. Together, we aim to connect all of these resources into a learner-centered ecosystem.”

I was able to track down Catherine Fraise to ask her a few more questions about the Columbus project. She told me that, for the pilot, they are working with several different learner cohorts – one being 200 high school students who need to spend 150 hours developing themselves for the workforce. The project has 7 other cohorts – different ages and needs, and mostly inner-city kids who come from families of poverty. The project will have these kids nine hours a week, three in advisory (working with young learners to develop self-directed learning skills inside them) and six doing experiential learning, hopefully learning to some type of workforce credential. Right now, Catherine told me she has six teens in a digital design internship and some of them are doing an Adobe credential as well. The hope is to have 600 young learners connected with the pilot program before too long. Catherine says the project will be funded by the PAST Foundation, industry, and hopefully some public dollars.

I didn’t get a good answer to how involved the Columbus public school system is with this project, so it will be interesting to see how project time and school time interphase to benefit the young learner.

But it seems the Columbus project is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Til tomorrow. SVB