Navigating Our Way
Meet Seymour and Sylvie – two youth who grow up loving the New Orleans’ harbor – its big ships, the sounds of the water, and the endless potential that lay ahead of them. As Seymour and Sylvie grow up, they learn about and opt for two different pathways through learning and life. Neither better – just different! Follow their two paths – and see how they lead them back to the place they grew up together. Navigating Our Way – presented by Big Picture Learning and FableVision and narrated by Wendell Pierce.
Tweet it: A narrow vision of education yields a narrow set of expectations for students. What would happen if we broadened our vision for learning? #NavigatingOurWay, a new animation by @bigpiclearning and @FableVision http://bit.ly/navigatingourway #FutureForLearning
Navigating Our Way offers a vision of what becomes possible for young people when all paths to realizing their potential are respected and supported. This story envisions how children and communities are made all the more vibrant when their education aligns with their passion. The message really clicks in the closing section of the video, so be sure to watch it all the way through.
By expanding our sense of the possible, the video leads us to wonder what it would take to make this vision a reality. When sharing stories that put forth inspiring visions like this, consider how you can help answer that question for your audience. Help them understand what it would take to build systems and conditions that enable all students to be supported as they navigate their way.
Resources:
- Navigating Our Way microsite: Sylvie and Seymour’s story is the first in several to come about what happens when we allow students to follow their own paths. Keep abreast of this and other stories to come at the Navigating Our Way microsite.
- Why an Honors Student Wants to Skip College and Go to Trade School: Sylvie may be an animated character, but real Sylvies exist out there in the world. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled Raelee Nicholson – a Pittsburgh-based honors student who has decided to eschew an Ivy League path in pursuit of her love for the trades.
- Evidence that Makes it Evident: Big Picture Learning co-founder Elliot Washor argues that a new focus on the crafts and trades can help us rethink assessment.