Boys' Global Inspiration Network

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Boys' Global Inspiration Network (BGIN)

January to July 2017

Review topics and dates

Today, educators face myriad complicated challenges, issues, and dilemmas: global citizenship, health and wellness, classroom innovation, student and faculty leadership, student agency, assessment strategies, best practices for teaching boys, and more. What if we could connect boys’ school educators from around the globe to develop shared understandings about some of these key themes and issues?

The goal of the Boys’ Global Inspiration Network is to create spaces for conversations and connections to wrestle with key questions and challenges of our time from a boys’ school and a global perspective. The Network is fueled by the belief that boys’ schools are at their best when they work together to tackle complex challenges — boys’ school educators inspiring each other.

The Network also provides an innovative way to meet many schools’ strategic objective to develop in every member of its community a more comprehensive worldview. It allows schools to directly invest in faculty and staff so they may have the opportunity to become global thinkers and leaders.

What Is the Boys’ Global Inspiration Network?

The Network is a series of conversations designed to engage boys’ school educators in challenging issues. Over the course of four to six weeks, educators will work collectively to explore answers to questions posed. Each conversation is framed by a primary guiding question, followed by a series of secondary questions. The Network is offered by strategic partners the IBSC and One Schoolhouse / Online School for Boys.

Components of the Inspiration Network

Conversation Questions are the framework for engagement. Each question will be explored through a few primary resources, group development of additional resources, and discussion. Educators will interact with each other through development of resources and discussion. Questions are designed to engage educators for about two hours each week. Conversations will last four to six weeks, depending on the topic and complexity of the question.

Facilitators. Each conversation will be led by an expert who will help frame, guide, and direct the conversations. Facilitators will choose a few primary resources for each question to start to develop shared understandings for the group (videos, papers, etc.). Facilitators will manage discussion postings — posting comments and supporting educators, and redirecting as needed. Also, they will encourage participation among the group, reaching out to individuals as appropriate.

School Engagement

Schools will sign up for the Network, allowing for involvement of their entire faculty. Once a school has registered for the Network, educators from that school can sign up for any conversation in which they would like to participate. Schools may also determine how they would like faculty to share what they have learned with their colleagues. The beauty of the Network lies in the fact that it leverages the collective wisdom of boys’ school educators and encourages engagement in questions while educators are on their campuses, fully entrenched in their daily work and tackling the issues being discussed in real time.

Global Network

The Network will launch in January 2017. Themes addressed will be universal in nature, including topics around Teaching and Curriculum, Communication, Health and Wellness, Civic Commitment, and Global Citizenry.

FAQs

  1. What conversations will you offer during the pilot year of the Network?
    1. See this chart of conversations for topics and dates.
  1. How much time will a faculty member need to commit to participate in a conversation?
    1. Participants should aim to engage for approximately two hours per week per conversation. Therefore, in a four-week conversation, a faculty member would spend about eight hours total interacting with other participants and a facilitator online. We recommend that faculty select only one conversation at a time. We expect conversations to repeat in subsequent years, so no one will miss a conversation topic.
  1. When will conversations start and how long will they last?
    1. The Network will launch in January 2017 with two or three conversations. Additional conversations will start every few months. The conversations will conclude no later than July 2017.
  1. What is the deadline for committing to the Network this year?
    1. The deadline is 6 Janauary 2017.

For further information, please contact:

International Boys’ Schools Coalition One Schoolhouse/Online School for Boys
Amy Ahart

Associate Executive Director
ahart@theibsc.org

Lorri Palko

Chief Financial Officer
lorri.palko@oneschoolhouse.org

Registration

The registration deadline was 6 January 2017.

Participating schools will pay an annual fee to allow every member of their faculty and staff to take part in as many conversations as they would like. Fees for the 2017 program are:

  • IBSC member school rate: US$2,750
  • Nonmember school rate: US$3,750
  • The registration deadline was 6 January 2017. Stay tuned for the 2018 BGIN announcment.