Seattle Center's Next 50 Learning Month Explores Future of Education, August 2012

How do we expand perspectives around learning, education, culture and environment so that people of all ages and backgrounds can realize their intrinsic passions to learn and grow? The Next Fifty invites the community to explore how we might evolve approaches and systems of learning in the 21st century, throughout August as it presents Learning month at Seattle Center.

Learning activity highlights:

Classroom of the Future – Exhibition Launch, 6:30 p.m., followed by youth presentations at 7:30 pm, Tuesday, July 31, at Intiman Playhouse. Tickets are free. Advanced reservations via ticketmaster.com are encouraged.

This Classroom of the Future Exhibition presents the predictions of today’s youth for learning in the future, showcasing their ideas about physical space, technology, curriculum, and the student/teacher relationship. 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Fridays - Sundays, through August, in the Intiman Playhouse lobby.

Next 50 Film Series & Discussion on Education, 7 p.m., Wednesdays, Aug. 8 – 29, SIFF Film Center. Films and post-film discussions examine the relationship of learning, passion and purpose in our society. Admission is free. Email RSVPLearning@seattlecenter.org in advance to reserve seats.

• CHOPS, Aug. 8 – What inspires kids to do amazing things? What learning environments are most conducive to extraordinary achievement? What activities should our curricula support?

• HAPPY, Aug. 15 – Do we live in a world that values and promotes happiness and well-being? How can schools leverage social and emotional well-being into greater aca­demic achievement? What is the role of the emerging field of positive psychology on education policy?

• FINDING JOE, Aug. 22 – In what ways can Joseph Campbell’s philosophy The Hero’s Journey be applied to education? What might “follow your bliss” look like in school? How can we make school a place that explicitly teaches students to face their fears?

• THE LOTTERY, Aug. 29 – What are effective strategies for educating socioeconomically disadvantaged young people? What is an appropriate role for charter schools? Why has change proven to be so difficult, and what steps can be taken to overcome these challenges?

People • Passion • Purpose (P3) – Join the Conversation, 7:30 p.m., Mondays, Aug. 13, 20 and 27, at Intiman Playhouse. Tickets are free. Advanced reservations via ticketmaster.com are encouraged.

Have learning and education become out of sync with one another? Is education a means to success; and if so, who defines success – and how does it influence learning approaches? The P3 project asked 25 people, of all ages and from all walks of life, to intentionally pursue their passion for nine months, guided by 25 mentors. The P3 outcomes offer us a window into how we learn and support learning in our community - and how important an individual sense of passion and purpose is to achieving fulfillment, productivity and success.

The public is invited to join the conversation as P3 participants, researchers and the committee discuss their experiences and discoveries and we examine how that can impact systems of learning in our society. Each night focuses on a different aspect of the project. Clock hours are available. For more information, visit www.thenextfifty.org/P3.

Education in the Next 50, 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 16, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets via ticketmaster.com.

National leaders in education discuss their future vision; the essential skills, investments and innovations required to address challenges of the future; and how advances in technology and brain research are opening up exciting new pathways for teaching and learning. Clock hours are available. Sponsored by Committee for Children.

Kristen French, Ph.D., Western Washington University Center for Education Equity and Diversity, moderates the discussion. Presenters include: Milton Chen, Ph.D., Director Emeritus of Edutopia/The George Lucas Educational Foundation; Bette Hyde, Ph.D., Director of Washington State Department of Early Learning; Roger Weissberg, Ph.D., Psychology Professor at University of Illinois and CEO of Collaborative for Academic, Social & Emotional Learning; and famed game developer Jane McGonigal, Ph.D., Creative Director of Social Chocolate, Director of Game Research and Development at Institute for the Future and best-selling author of Reality is Broken.

The Next Fifty continues through Oct. 21 with events, attractions and family activities focusing on Arts, Culture and Design, History, Commerce and the Innovation Economy, and Civic Action. For more information on The Next Fifty and Seattle Center, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200.

Since its beginning 50 years ago, Seattle Center has served as a cultural and civic gathering place in the core of our region. In 2012, The Next Fifty at Seattle Center celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1962 World’s Fair and the physical legacy it left. The 74-acre campus exists to delight and inspire the human spirit in each person and bring together our rich and varied community.