Norman High School- Scott Beck
Over the course of the past 3 years, Norman High School has implemented a variety of initiatives working in concert with the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing at the University of Oklahoma. Our aim is straightforward: To guide students and ourselves in the development of the intellectual virtues and character. This has occurred through exposure to innovative learning experiences designed to foster deep thinking and cultivate the critical skills needed to thrive in the 21st Century while being empowered to take control of our personal journey toward a life of meaning and purpose pushing the furthest boundaries of our potential.
It is our belief that the purpose of education is to ensure the full flourishing for all as students become engaged citizens, inquisitive scholars, and individuals of strong character. As students begin to possess a better and more complete understanding and awareness of themselves as both learners and people, they are better equipped to cultivate the empathy, self-control, and intrinsic curiosity that is imperative for a purposeful academic, professional, and personal life. These goals are being systematically addressed through an investment in professional development preparing faculty and staff to serve as academic life coaches, a deep exploration of how people learn and develop conceptual understanding in their learning, and intentionally teaching the value of the intellectual virtues to teachers and students alike.
Our teachers have had the life-changing opportunity to attend Learning and the Brain conferences and institutes across the country, visit and learn in community with our colleagues and the Intellectual Virtues Academy in Long Beach, California, and be trained as Academic Life Coaches. Most importantly, our staff has brought this knowledge back to Norman High School and their classrooms to the direct benefit of NHS students. The Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing has aided us in enriching our mission, in measuring indicators that truly matter for human development, and has equipped our entire school to more effectively pursue citizenship, scholarship, and character.
Norman High School and the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing
Over the course of the past 3 years, Norman High School has implemented a variety of initiatives working in concert with the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing at the University of Oklahoma. Our aim is straightforward: To guide students and ourselves in the development of the intellectual virtues and character. This has occurred through exposure to innovative learning experiences designed to foster deep thinking and cultivate the critical skills needed to thrive in the 21st Century while being empowered to take control of our personal journey toward a life of meaning and purpose pushing the furthest boundaries of our potential.
It is our belief that the purpose of education is to ensure the full flourishing for all as students become engaged citizens, inquisitive scholars, and individuals of strong character. As students begin to possess a better and more complete understanding and awareness of themselves as both learners and people, they are better equipped to cultivate the empathy, self-control, and intrinsic curiosity that is imperative for a purposeful academic, professional, and personal life. These goals are being systematically addressed through an investment in professional development preparing faculty and staff to serve as academic life coaches, a deep exploration of how people learn and develop conceptual understanding in their learning, and intentionally teaching the value of the intellectual virtues to teachers and students alike.
Our teachers have had the life-changing opportunity to attend Learning and the Brain conferences and institutes across the country, visit and learn in community with our colleagues and the Intellectual Virtues Academy in Long Beach, California, and be trained as Academic Life Coaches. Most importantly, our staff has brought this knowledge back to Norman High School and their classrooms to the direct benefit of NHS students. The Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing has aided us in enriching our mission, in measuring indicators that truly matter for human development, and has equipped our entire school to more effectively pursue citizenship, scholarship, and character.
