Agents of Change

The Pillar Years program focuses on developing innovative, courageous and compassionate learners with the intellect, ethics, and confidence to understand themselves and their potential as agents of change.

In Middle School, learning about the world is important, but developing the skills to think creatively, to solve problems and to know how one learns best is even more important. The landmark position statement This We Believe (2010) by the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) asserts that one of the major goals of a middle level learner is to “be able to think rationally, critically and to express thoughts clearly.”

In order to develop into engaged learners and global citizens our students must have the opportunity to cultivate ideas and practices about civil responsibilities, participate authentically in critical-thinking tasks and learn how to solve problems creatively and thoughtfully.

Our Middle School program is delivered through a series of interdisciplinary, authentic and experiential projects called Pillar Pursuits. These projects are focused on four program areas; Wisdom, Adventure, Community and Freedom. Wisdom Pillar Pursuits, such as the Grade 8 City Design challenge or the Grade 6 Wire a School project, ask students to solve real-world problems, use design thinking, practice research methods and use interdisciplinary skills.

In the City Design challenge, student research renewable energy sources and systems in their effort to design and build a model for an innovative, forward-thinking and energy-efficient city.

The Wire a School project hones in on the students ability to problem solve and troubleshoot as they apply their knowledge of circuits and electricity.

The collaborative nature of learning at Pickering College extends beyond the students, their projects and the classroom.

Over the past two years, Pickering College has developed a partnership with Rotman School of Business and their I-Think Initiative. The I-Think Initiative “believes that in order to prepare our students for the future, one of the most important roles that educators can play is to teach students the skills and mindsets necessary in solving wicked problems.”

A cohort of Middle School teachers has also been learning the tools and practices involved in using the integrative thinking model. This allows them to help students generate novel solutions to real-life problems and to help students analyze thinking. These teachers have not only advanced their own pedagogical practices but have also coached educators from other educational institutions as they are looking to help their students use the I-Think model to stretch their abilities as thinkers and creative problem solvers.