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A festival of learning

What do Christchurch, New Zealand; Doncaster, U.K.; the country of Uruguay; southern Wisconsin; Kansas City, Missouri.; Knoxville, Tennessee.; Florida's Suncoast region; West Virginia; and Southwestern Pennsylvania all have in common? All are driving the growing success of the annual festival of learning known as Remake Learning Days. Between now and late June, schools, libraries, museums, and community centers in 15 regions around the world will bring thousands of innovative, immersive, and multi-disciplinary learning opportunities to students and their families. 'Remake Learning Days is the 'thing of the spring' for families all around Southwestern Pennsylvania and across the world,' said an excited Gregg Behr, executive director of the Grable Foundation and co-founder of Remake Learning, a Pittsburgh-based network of educators, innovators, parents, and neighbors. 'We think of it as a regional festival where families – together with their kids – can do all sorts of fun, innovative, joyful things together and see what lights them up,' he continued. 'It's an incredible chance to see Southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond as a learning landscape – and to go all sorts of places where families can learn together.' expand Behr, along with Dorie Taylor, the co-producer of Remake Learning Days, recently talked about the upcoming milestone celebration as part of an Executive Insights video series created in partnership with the Pittsburgh Business Times. Remake Learning Days' 10th annual series of events, they said, amounts to something special: One of the world's largest open houses of innovative teaching and learning. Not just Southwestern Pennsylvania anymore Taylor was quick to point out that participating students and families will find more than 200 different learning events in Southwestern Pennsylvania alone between May 1 and May 23. Moreover, 65 teacher and parent 'ambassadors' promote the annual festival in this region, along with another 60-plus teen ambassadors. But that's just the beginning. 'Remake Learning Days runs throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,' Taylor said. 'Seven regions across Pennsylvania are involved, along with 15 additional regions hosting their own unique festivals.' expand Connecting with parents, families, and caregivers That's a long way from the festival's conception in 2015, when Remake Learning decided to expand its mission. The network's schools, libraries, museums, and beyond 'were all working to advance innovative, engaging, relevant learning for kids in and out of school, in early childhood, and through high school,' Behr said. 'The network was on the cusp of its 10th year, and we realized that the network was serving professionals well – that is, the teachers, after-school directors, museum exhibit designers, gamers, and artists. And what we needed to do was connect with parents, families, and caregivers, too.' The network, he continued, saw an opportunity to help families 'understand how learning is being remade in a way that is fundamentally different' from what today's adults experienced as kids. That way, 'if their kids are lit up by coding, or art and design, or outdoor exploration, [parents and caregivers could] understand how to take advantage of this region with all of its assets and opportunities.' Love and learning Behr noted that studies have shown that three out of four parents want a radical restructuring of how we should think about education and learning. 'Love and learning go hand in hand. And ideally, our kids are surrounded by love not only at their schools and their libraries, but also at home with loving parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and siblings,' Behr explained. 'The thing about learning together with others is that it sparks an atmosphere that becomes curious, an atmosphere that becomes joyful, an atmosphere that sparks an interest and a passion and really prompts someone to explore something more. 'It's that spark that is so essential to Remake Learning Days,' he said. 'And when that spark happens in the context of love, wondrous things can happen.' expand From scuba diving to drones Asked about the programs and events Taylor is excited about this year, she noted a mix of tried-and-true opportunities alongside new – and sometimes surprising – events for kids and families. 'I might try my hand at scuba diving at the Kingsley Center in Larimer,' Taylor said. 'This is with Curious Minds Dive Foundation. They are hosting teenagers, ages 14 through 18, to explore STEM and marine research conservation and careers that use scuba diving, as well as science and technology with the equipment they're using. So, that's a wonderful component about Remake Learning Days – blending all these themes together. That's pretty exciting.' In general, Taylor noted that the festival's learning themes include the arts, maker learning, outdoor learning, science, technology, and youth voice. A sports and literacy challenge in Wilkinsburg, for example, will weave together books, storytelling, and sports. Meanwhile, over at the Children's Museum on Pittsburgh's North Side, the National Science Foundation will be celebrating its 75th anniversary with a STEM day at the museum. The sheer variety of the festival's multidisciplinary events can lead to unexpected discoveries, added Behr. He described one event where a farmer demonstrated how he uses drones to shepherd animals through his fields. 'What an interesting thing for a kid in a rural locality to then understand the role that cutting-edge technology plays, which might spark an interest for a budding farmer in the use of robotics,' Behr said. Virtual design challenge Beyond Pittsburgh, one of the bigger statewide events includes a coordinated 'design challenge' for first and second graders that begins with classroom pen pals across the state. Said Taylor: 'Across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania last year, we had 9,500 first- and second graders doing a design challenge virtually as pen pals with other classrooms. This year, we have 17,000 students who are meeting up with partner classrooms virtually to get to know each other. Then, they will do a design challenge about building bridges together. How appropriate.' Families can think of the festival's events as 'front doors' to further opportunity, Behr said. For example: this year, 17 school districts are collaboratively creating a new film based loosely on the Wizard of Oz. The film will debut during Remake Learning Days. 'You might find that event because you're interested in the arts, but suddenly you're getting into technology and youth voice,' Behr said. 'And you're mixed up in this very interdisciplinary thing that Remake Learning Days represents in so many wonderful ways.'