18 minute read
Unbounded Academic
or Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale, unbounded F
is in the very fabric of The Webb Schools. “When
he founded The Webb School, Thompson Webb
emphasized honor and moral courage, leadership
and service, and those are timeless values we
continue to cherish today,” he explains. “But even
then, almost 100 years ago, understanding and
applying those virtues required an unbounded
mindset: innovative thinking and the ability to solve
problems, not just to recite facts. Nurturing that
unbounded mindset has always been what Webb
does best.”
BY JOHN FERRARI
What does unbounded look like at Webb? How is it lived, here? How is learning unbounded inside Webb’s rigorous, college-prep academic program– and why? What does unbounded look like at Webb? lived, here? How is learning unbounded inside Webb’s rigorous, college-prep academic program– and why?
Beyond timeless values, what does
unbounded mean today?
nbounded, says Assistant Head of Schools Dr. Theresa Smith, means breaking down artificial boundaries and opening up opportunities for students, rather than restricting them to a rigid educational program. “We strive to have students think beyond traditional disciplines,” she says. “They need to understand how to apply knowledge, how to gain new knowledge, and how to ask new questions. As they head out into the world they need to be master learners, because they’re graduating into a world that’s continuing to evolve. JEFF CRIPE ’08 Yale University, BA Jeff Cripe ’08 had already made his mark on the sciences when he headed off to Yale in 2008. In 2005, the young paleontologist discovered a site in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, that has produced dozens of specimens, some more than 75 million years old. Today, he is discovering new ways to bring services— similar to the way the airline industry monetizes flights with entertainment and commerce—to the ride-share economy through his company, Cargo. U
Cargo provides daily essentials like phone chargers, gum and snacks to passengers in ride-share vehicles. Cargo’s next big idea will be launched in early 2020. The start-up has already teamed with three leading ride-hailing companies—Uber, Grab and Go-Jek. Drivers strap Cargo’s box of snacks to their arm rest, and riders scan a QR code to pull up menus of what’s inside. The company has already raised $30 million from investors.
“Half of b ecoming and succeeding as an entrepreneur is mustering the courage to take the leap in the first place,” says Cripe. “The unbounded thinking philosophy imprinted on me and is absolutely consistent with the entrepreneurial mindset.” “Webb has a history of embracing this expansive educational philosophy,” she adds. “But it’s become necessary for success in the 21st century. You can’t prepare students for success the same way so many schools did in the pre-Internet age. It’s not the same world.”
Building on its history, Webb is pioneering new ways to foster unbounded thinking, from innovative curricula to dynamic student projects. Both the humanities and science curricula emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and encourage students to consider problems from more than one perspective. Webb’s recently redesigned core curricula integrate traditionally separate disciplines into unbounded, interdisciplinary courses. Humanities courses encompass English and history, for example, while science courses combine physics and chemistry with other fields, including biology, geology and paleontology.
TERENCE TIEN ’13 University of California, San Diego, BS Engineering
“The happiest place on earth …”
That’s where Terence Tien ’13 gets to go to work each day!
As an Associate Project Engineer with Walt Disney Imagineering in the Design + Planning Studio, Tien works with the Imagineers who design the immersive built environments at Disney’s parks and resorts. In his role as a Project Engineer, he provides technical integration between all of Disney’s studio partners including Creative Show, Ride Engineering, R&D, Live Entertainment, and much more.
“We use a series of 3D visualization tools and issuesresolution management to bring ideas from a sketch to a reality that guests can see, touch, feel and experience,” explains Tien. “This job has one of the most tangible rewards: one in which you get to directly see how your team's creations have created memorable experiences for the guests and families who come to visit the parks.”
In college, Tien participated in the Disney Imaginations Design competition where his team of six was among the top finalists to present and interview for internships with the company.
At Webb, it was an encounter during Unbounded Days 2012 that led to a career choice that would combine Tien’s dream job in a creative and technical position.
“I was assigned to the Exploring Careers course. We were tasked with identifying what our dream job was, which sounded cheesy at first, but gave us the opportunity to dive deep and explore career options that peaked our interests,” says Tien. “I threw out that becoming an Imagineer sounded like a spectacular job, though it was a pipe dream at that point in time. Laura Wensley and Anne Stewart jumped through hoops to provide us with glimpses into the industries we had listed. As a result, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the Dreamworks campus as well as speak to a Webb alumnus at USC regarding video game development. The experience lasted less than a week and was seemingly insignificant in the greater timeline throughout high school; however, this week made a significant impact that continues to remind me to this day how every moment can and should be cherished, and it ultimately lead to the career I have today, where I do not feel I work a single day in my life.”
Webb’s interdisciplinary education gives students opportunities to consider and solve real problems, Director of Experiential Learning Dr. Susanna Linsley explains. “We’re always asking students to do real work…. From Day 1, they’re asked to do what scientists do, what scholars do, what engineers do…. You would never see a scholar not bring in other disciplines.”
“There’s been a consensus in academic circles that interdisciplinary humanities have a great deal of merit,” says Humanities Department Chair Jess Fisher. But where most schools just dabble with an interdisciplinary approach, she adds, Webb has taken a bolder step, combining the humanities into a single interdisciplinary humanities department. The schoolsÊ humanities courses teach disciplinespecific skills such as critical analysis, composition and historical causality, but students weave in different topics, approaches and skill sets. ,n the 21st century, she notes, “skills are more important than encyclopedic knowledge.” That has led to a shift in educational thinking, away from a focus on canon knowledge and towards an emphasis on skills. Content and knowledge are still important, Fisher says, but emphasizing interdisciplinary skills allows students “to hone in on one or another aspect of the course. ,n interdisciplinary courses, there are multiple access points to the topic, and the more choices students have, the more they’ll get out of their education.”
:ith this unbounded approach, students benefit from a “360-degree view” of the issues they’re studying, says Linsley. Ç,nterdisciplinary education provides different lenses for students to view the same question. ,t gives them the perspectives and tools to think about topics deeply and creatively.” The interdisciplinary approach encourages students to engage with and understand material, she adds. “They’re never being given a watered-down version of a discipline. They’re being given the real version.”
This is just as true of Webb’s science curriculum. Interdisciplinary science courses “teach students how to think like scientists, how to do research like scientists,” says Science Department Chair Lisa Blomberg. Webb science courses emphasize science skills, critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills – not just arriving at the correct answer, she explains. “That gives students the confidence to ask questions they may not be able to answer, and that’s how real science works.”
MARJA DIAZ ’12 Stanford University, BA Human Biology with concentration in Behavioral Neuropsychology; minor in Italian
Marja Diaz ’12 truly exemplified unbounded thinking in her first two years at Stanford University.
“The unofficial Stanford motto is Die Luft der Freiheit weht, which translates to ‘the wind of freedom blows.’ I took this quite literally to heart when it came to my educational pursuits. This is a nice way of saying I took everything and anything in terms of courses throughout my first two years. While at times it may have seemed haphazard, there was always a common thread of media and science,” she says.
Similar to Webb's Unbounded Days, Stanford also offered extended seminars called alternative spring breaks; Diaz went on the Stanford in Hollywood trip, which opened her eyes to the possibility of working in the entertainment industry. Combined with an overseas photojournalism seminar in South Africa that focused on conservation, Diaz was led to the perfect amalgamation that is the field of documentary films.
She credits teacher Brett Potash with helping her to understand that learning doesn’t just come from academic pursuits inside a classroom. “His class helped me take to heart this idea of unbounded thinking, one that I brought with me to Stanford and ultimately to where I am now.” Diaz coordinates all stages of the creative progress, from development through production, for National Geographic’s documentary films and scripted series.
AUDREY RANGEL ’00 George Washington University, BA International Relations and Affairs University of Sydney, Master of International Public Health Monash University, Registered Nursing
As a medical team leader with Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Audrey Rangel ’00, works at a children’s hospital in Nigeria where her team treat patients with NOMA, an infection of the mouth and face.
THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org SCHOOLS webb.org The interdisciplinary approach “prevents students from compartmentalizing information,” says science faculty member Dr. Nicole Windmon. “It builds skills to approach problems from multiple angles at once. T
“Just anecdotally,” she adds, “I see a lot of schools trying to incorporate project-based, integrated science courses for these reasons, but Webb’s already where they want to be…. It’s not easy to teach interdisciplinary science courses: the teachers have to be comfortable thinking in different disciplines. The quality of the faculty we have here at Webb allows us to do that kind of interdisciplinary work.”
“As the head of the team, I ensure all clinical care. We also do surgical interventions for patients with facial deformities four times a year when international surgeons come in for two weeks,” says Rangel. Describing her job as “a lot of program planning, improvements on clinical care, supervision of staff, coordinating of medical stock and liaising with government officials,” Rangel has also worked in emergencies including the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone, famine in South Sudan, Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, and in the largest refugee camp in the world in Bangladesh.
“At the end of the day, what I really do is play with kids for about an hour a day, and that is my favorite part!” she says.
After completing her BA and Master’s degrees, Rangel realized she wanted to do more hands-on work directly with patients.
“My training as a nurse has facilitated my career in emergency response with my masters giving me a more theoretical background,” she explains.
At Webb, Rangel credits her advisor, Joanne Kingston, with encouraging compassion and giving in her students.
“Ms. Kingston used to make us practice random acts of kindness once a week,” she says. “She really inspired me and fostered my humanitarian side; she even said to me at one point that she knew I would help people in my life. I hope I have made her proud.”
Ç,tÊs tough to find really great teachers who can cross between disciplines,” agrees Blomberg. “It takes teachers who have a research background, or who are very experienced educators. Webb is fortunate to have such teachers.” Unbounded thinking brings the sciences and humanities together, too. “Many of us begin our science classes with ethical questions,È she notes. Ç,tÊs even part of the science department’s mission statement – we’re educating ethical, courageous global citizens.”
“We want them to know, for example, that ethics is a consideration in science as much as it is in the humanities,È adds 6mith. ÇThatÊs part of the importance of breaking down barriers between disciplines and perspectives: the world doesn’t keep topics separate.”
All these ideas come together in the semester-long elective “Global Societies and Sustainability.” Led by humanities faculty member Michelle Gerken, the course surveys human-environmental interaction through perspectives including anthropology, history, literature, science and environmental writing, ecology, sustainability, biology and botany. Gerken says the course, with its goal of introducing students to different perspectives and ways of thinking, only works in an interdisciplinary, unbounded context. Ç,t gives students different paths they can explore,” she explains. Combining readings with exploration of the local environment, in partnership with the Claremont Colleges’ Robert J. Bernard Biological Field Station, the elective goes beyond classroom study and crosses disciplines. The most recent course culminated in a class project focusing on Webb Schools land north of &handler )ield. 6tudents surveyed the resident flora, rehabilitated a ã mile trail and developed proposals for use of the area. Gerken envisions a collaboration between the class, the science department, and Webb’s outdoor activity and community service programs to maintain the area and investigate native and non-native landscapes.
hat’s unbounded thinking, and a collaboration across disciplines, curricula and perspectives that is “organic and a natural crossover,” says Blomberg. It’s also just one example of unbounded Webb courses. Another T
humanities course might focus on very different perspectives.
Take “L.A. Literary Culture.” Led by humanities faculty members
Drew Calvert and Kevin Riel, the course goes beyond books
disciplines,È explains /insley. Ç1ot just scientific content, but how to communicate science is so important,” says Windmon. As are other “soft skills,” from time management to teamwork, integral to Webb’s student-centered learning model, which encourages students to be active participants in the creation of their own knowledge and skills. “A Webb education is unbounded in the sense of being interdisciplinary, but also in terms of skills, from scoping projects and developing timelines to communicating and presenting ideas,” says Windmon.
(and movies) to explore the social, cultural and environmental
contexts that produced, and continue to shape, Los Angeles,
representations of Los Angeles and writings from Los Angeles.
“You can’t teach a text without talking about the world that
created the text,” explains Riel.
Webb’s entrepreneurship elective is structured as “a creative thinking class as opposed to a traditional business class,” says humanities faculty member Will Allan ’94. Building skills as varied as multimedia presentation and applied science, “the interdisciplinary nature of the course is organic,” says fellow humanities faculty member Ken Rosenfeld. Balancing creativity and accuracy in developing and presenting their ideas, “we’re asking students to tap into aspects of their brain they haven’t had to in other classes.” That, Allan says, is “the core of entrepreneurship: the ability to look at a problem with new eyes.”
And Webb’s core Integrated Physics and Chemistry course crosses disciplines and skill sets from the students’ first project, as they use physics, engineering, scientific measurement and design thinking to plan, build and test model roller coasters. A later project, in which students develop and analyze a sports drink, combines knowledge, disciplines and skills including chemical bonding, food science, stoichiometry and titration. Beyond science, the project encourages critical thinking about nutrition and marketing, says Windmon.
As well as critical thinking and problem solving, communication is a core skill common to Webb courses. “Writing and communication are at the core of all “Our students have a very keen sense of how knowledge is created,” says Smith, because that’s what they’re doing. Webb’s student-centered a pproach to learning affords a degree of flexibility that allows teachers to work with students at each student’s level and impart deep understanding, says Director of Studies Michael Hoe ’04. “Today, schools tend to push distinct pedagogies,” he explains. Ç:ebbÊs pedagogy doesnÊt fit into one particular style, teachers can use multiple pedagogies and modalities, depending on the goal. It’s an unbounded pedagogy, so there are multiple ways for students to learn. A traditional modality is more about rote learning, but data show that student-based learning engages students more fully and results in deeper knowledge, and the ability to apply knowledge across disciplines or problems.
“Webb and Webb faculty believe in student-centered learning,”
he adds. “The curriculum wouldn’t be possible without the
teachers buying into what it stands for. We tend to get teachers
who are very thoughtful and intentional about designing
courses. There are still lectures… but we let students take charge
of their learning. That’s what’s going to unlock deep learning.”
In today’s connected world, where access to information is often instantaneous, Çapplying learning is different than it was in the past,” Hoe says. “Encyclopedic knowledge is less useful than the ability to manipulate knowledge, and that’s what student-based learning gives students. Webb prepares students to become responsible citizens of the world and engage in responsible, respectful discourse. Those are life skills.”
ALAN HAU ’04 University of Chicago, BS in Biochemistry/Chemistry, BA in Economics Cornell University, M.Eng. Computer Science
Alan Hau ’04 has found a way to combine business and philanthropy that is directly related to his experience with unbounded thinking at Webb.
Hau is the founder of Sleep Wooven, a direct-to-consumer luxury bedding company. Hau sources new products from around the world and brings them to the online market while being “ethical and choosing to support people who are the most powerless in my community,” he explains.
In his experience at the University of Chicago, Hau says students were told from day one that all the social science classes are not interesting until after they had graduated.
“It finally makes sense now. I learned all the tools and worked in the respective fields just to find how certain social systems exacerbate inequality. It is not challenging to find a job with a decent education, but it is hard to not participate in the same game without making any sacrifices to your career. It’s even harder to take a stab at the social issues and try to make it work.”
A portion of all Sleep Wooven’s profit is directed to helping LGBTQI organizations in Hong Kong, with a focus on providing mental health services.
“Unbounded thinking is more than thinking, it is about feeling and empathizing with your partners and colleagues. It’s also about learning to listen to the woes of others and always being there to catch them in their need,” he says.
Hau feels there is a dual benefit to this thinking, “Your kindness will not only liberate others, but your own heart as well.”
He is the first to admit that these ideals of unbounded thinking sounded unrealistic and hypothetical when he was at Webb, but he is glad the seed was planted in him.
“You must walk this path to actually feel it. It’s an experience that cannot be taught in books. I’m empowered to continue my work in LGBTI advocacy and other marginalized topics in my community and philosophies like those of unbounded thinking are a key ingredient.” In one sense, student-centered learning isn’t new: it’s not dissimilar from the constructivist theory of learning developed decades ago by Swiss psychologist and child development expert Jean Piaget. Like constructivism, studentcentered learning proceeds from the idea that students learn best, not when they are passively receiving knowledge, but when they are constructing their own knowledge. That’s why, Jess Fisher says, at Webb teachers are seen as coaches and facilitators of learning.
But in another sense, student-centered learning is a new idea for the 21st century. Piaget couldn’t foresee today’s hyper-connected, information-saturated world, and we can’t be sure what the world will look like tomorrow. That, says Head of Schools Stockdale, is why an unbounded education is important – and, at the same time, why tradition matters. “Today’s world, across so many professions and to address so many issues, requires people to rapidly develop new and different skill sets for success. 6ome schools still rely on very traditional teaching methods and pedagogies. On the other hand, some schools chase educational trends. In contrast, Webb balances tradition and innovation.
“We value honor and moral courage, leadership and service. In a fast-changing world these foundational qualities are like bricks you need to build a meaningful life. But Webb also instills in students the ability to think fluidly, to think about things differently and use knowledge in new ways. Today’s students who combine timeless values with unbounded thinking are the people who are going to change the world tomorrow.”
“Unbounded thinkers will be the ones to solve the challenges facing society,” agrees Windmon. And even before they set about shaping the world, says Linsley, Webb’s unbounded education gives students the background and tools to shape their own lives. “Ultimately,” she says, “We’re getting to the big questions: What matters? Why are we here? What will make us better people?
“That’s what a liberal arts education does…. That’s unbounded.”
