What is OESIS?

OESIS is a network of over 550 independent schools and over 2,500 leading innovators in education. They focus on “changing the learning models of schools with an emphasis on the innovative practices in pedagogy, curriculum development, and school culture change.” Severn faculty have attended OESIS in the past, but this year we were proud to take leadership roles in hands-on workshops and think tank sessions:

• Ms. Lise Charlier, Director of Studies and Strategic Initiatives, along with colleagues from Malone Online Schools Network, Hopkins School, and Stanford Online High School, led a think tank discussion about using the online teaching model to support professional development.

• Ms. Kelly Wilson, Director of Innovative and Entrepreneurial Programs, led a think tank discussion about innovation center and maker space rollouts sharing lessons learned from year one of our Graw Innovation Center.

• Ms. Julia Maxey, Upper School Technology Coordinator and English Teacher, taught a workshop on visible thinking and blended learning.

• Ms. Mary Coutts, Director of Library Services, co-led a think tank session with Ms. Maxey on designing, curating, and creating learning materials, moving away from traditional textbooks.

Best Takeaways From the Conference

We asked each presenter to share a takeaway from the conference. Their responses centered around the connections they made with other educators and the energy they felt both sharing and generating ideas about education in the online space.

Ms. Charlier:

“My takeaways for Severn, for both students and faculty, are ideas about teaching and learning as they relate to online resources and emerging online pedagogy. We can use these resources in so many ways — as a source of information, a way to build knowledge, a demonstration of understanding and connecting to real world applications of our knowledge and skills. Of course we can also use it to connect with faculty and  students all over the world as well. We can create and connect together!”

Ms. Wilson:

“I am inspired, humbled and grateful. Hearing other people’s ideas and projects, and asking questions leads to better things back home; we really do learn from each other. It’s beneficial to present our own work and findings and get inspired by the great work our peers are doing. I got multiple business cards from people that I want to reach out to and continue the dialogue.”

Ms. Maxey:

“It’s always good to meet with other teachers from other schools and see what they are doing. Sometimes, I think, ’We are so far beyond that!’ Other times, I think, ‘Hey, that might be a cool thing to try.’ Hopefully, there are more things to try each year.”

Ms. Coutts:

“What stood out for me was how many of our best practices work well in an online setting. Specifically, I was drawn to the project based learning that permeates online education, the collaboration between students and the way online classes use their local experts to enrich the learning process, and to make it more relevant to a student’s life.”

Relevant Teaching and Learning

Our faculty live their passion to learn each day. We support them with multiple learning sessions throughout the year here at school and encourage any opportunity to reach beyond our community and engage with educators across the country and around the world. Our goal is to make teaching relevant to our students’ lives and the changing world around us. Participating in OESIS is just one of many ways we can measure ourselves against other innovators in education and continue our growth along this path.