TANG INSTITUTE AT ANDOVER | January 30, 2020

Dear Friends of the Tang Institute,

I write this note on the heels of my trip to Asia, where I spent time with Andover alums and parents discussing the good work we are doing at the Tang Institute and the many ways in which we are inspiring creative teaching and learning. While there, I visited the MIT Innovation Node in Hong Kong and learned from a talented group of educators about how they partner and collaborate with community leaders. My visit reminded me of how fortunate we are to have such a beautiful space in the newly renovated Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL), where we have already hosted outside speakers, professional development sessions, interdisciplinary pedagogy groups, and many classes.

In the coming months, we’ll be welcoming Dr. Raynard Kington as Andover’s incoming head of school. Dr. Kington’s background and research across a range of disciplines provides a compelling example of the kind of work we hope all students can do, both at Andover and beyond.

Please see below for examples of the collaborative, interdisciplinary learning that is at the heart of our work at the Tang Institute:

an update on the Workshop, our immersive, project-based “pilot school” for 20 seniors that begins in March;
a report on our ongoing collaboration between economics faculty and the Opportunity Insights research group at Harvard, led by Raj Chetty;
and a vital focus on student questioning and inquiry that has been at the center of efforts to reimagine the Biology 100 curriculum, led by Tang Fellows José Peralta and Cath Kemp.

As ever, please stay in touch and continue to send your good ideas our way. We look forward to sending you another newsletter next month.

Warmly,

Andy Housiaux
Currie Family Director of the Tang Institute

THE WORKSHOP

The Workshop, Andover’s school within a school, is an interdisciplinary opportunity to reimagine the fundamental structures of school and learning. When it officially launches in March, 20 seniors and eight instructors from different parts of the Andover community will spend the term exploring a singular thematic focus: Community, Class, and Carbon.

While instructors will be teaching one to two other courses in the spring, the Workshop will be the students’ only academic commitment. With the entire academic day (and term) at their disposal, students will be able to look at this topic from a range of linked perspectives. In addition to their curricular work, students will forge deeper connections between their on-campus learning and off-campus community partners. This undertaking will further Andover’s engagement in worldwide conversations about grading, assessment, and experiential education.

During the first meeting on November 1, Workshop instructors and students worked side by side to generate questions that will direct the exploration of the Workshop’s theme. A kickoff to remember! Read more.

EXISTENTIALISM AND INSTAGRAM

In the November issue of the Phi Delta Kappan, Tang Institute Director Andrew Housiaux reflects on how students in his existential philosophy class fared during and after 72 hours without their phones, with a little help from Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Pascal, and Sartre.

3 PROJECTS CHANGING THE WAY

WE WORK AND LEARN

Ted Sizer, Andover’s 12th head of school, often spoke of Phillips Academy as a private school with a public purpose. This non sibi spirit is something we strive to embody each day as we seek to connect educational leaders to our school community and to share our best ideas and learning with the broader educational community. The following are just some of the projects currently being nurtured at the Tang Institute:

Opportunity Insights — Nearly 100 Andover students in economics and statistics classes are using big data to analyze trends in social mobility in American cities and towns, following the groundbreaking research by Harvard University Professor Raj Chetty. Several students will travel to Harvard University later this winter to present their projects to the OI team.

Ethi{CS} — This interdisciplinary project focuses on authentically embedding ethical reflection, thinking, and design into computer science curricula. Tang Fellows Kiran Bhardwaj and Nicholas Zufelt have redesigned projects in computer science courses, have presented on their work at conferences, and, this summer, will present at the national CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) conference in Virginia. Going forward, they will continue to collaborate with colleagues on campus and begin to develop professional development opportunities for STEM educators interested in these ethical questions.

At the invitation of Tang Fellows José Peralta and Cath Kemp, the Tang Institute brought the Right Question Institute (RQI) to campus for a daylong workshop. Peralta and Kemp, both biology instructors, are using the RQI’s Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to rethink the Bio 100 curriculum. Since that workshop, instructors across campus have been using the QFT in courses and workshops. Read more.

The Tang Institute is a center for the advancement of teaching, learning, and partnership.

We inspire teachers. We inspire learning.

Visit us here.

Phillips Academy
180 Main St
Andover, MA 01810