This is an independent QBE Education Project
Founded by Will Sutherland and Aiglon Alumni
MISSION STATEMENT
OUR COURSES
ETHOS MATTERS
THE PROJECT
FINANCE
BUSINESS STRUCTURE
THE FOUNDATION
JOIN THE FOUNDATION
HOW TO HELP
ALUMNI
ETHOS & DNA
CONTACT
EXIT
ETHOS MATTERS:
June 2010.
Welcome.
This is an opportunity for YOU TO HELP with a project that will change lives through the experience opportunities it provides… Life skills… Knowing Oneself, Thinking for Oneself, Self Esteem, Team work, Leadership, Tolerance, Respect for Others, Care and Management are some of the many skills we instil through our courses.
Study… In depth enquiry project based learning, online research, presentation based assessment, studies, dissertations, curriculum projects.
Mentoring… from caring experienced Aiglon Alumni professionals who also hold seminars on the needs for modern life and the importance of Life Skills in the commercial world.
Travel… cultural expeditions and study tours are the core of each course. All students will travel …
READ ON AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP…
I would like to introduce you to our project which is being set up by Aiglon Alumni, their friends and colleagues, and me.
It is time to bring our ethos to more people and build on the experience of the Alumni. I left Aiglon College in 1989 after 17½ years 16 of which as a house master, 6 years in Belvedere and 10 in Alpina. I got on very well with J.C. initially because we had a mutual interest in cars. Mainly big fast ones, with firm roadster sports suspension, but I digress. In his later years we had weekly discussions on how the school was going and our educational philosophies. Ever since I left I have wanted to start a similar school, fit for the modern internet, digital, high tech society we live in today, but based on the same ethos as Aiglon.
After a lot of research and many discussions with Aiglon Alumni I have heard many a tale, and of course I have a few to tell myself. Although everyone’s story is different, there is a mutual core appreciation of the values and principles J.C. tried to instil in students and staff alike. The majority I have spoken to loved Aiglon, but again there are those who didn’t, and describe it as an Alpine prison camp run but inflexible teachers who were always right! Hard criticism indeed, but I like to think such conflict could be avoided through better communication and mutual respect between students, teachers and parents.
My visit to Villars for the 60th Aiglon Anniversary has spurred me into action and I am now determined to meet current needs by initiating a new modern school format. The aim being to lead by example, taking the best of Aiglon, and teaching teachers how to teach, and allowing students to learn how to learn, in a project based learning environment. I want to take the boredom out of learning for the students and to allow teachers to use their initiative to get the best out of each and every student.
So my primary aim is to take the advice of past students, many of whom are now parents themselves, and to customise our delivery methods and activities to provide the best educational services for the next generation.
We want to nurture and produce motivated young people who show leadership qualities, are flexible and so are able to turn their mind to anything, and are very quick to pick up new skills. Having learnt how to learn they will realise they need to continually pursue self-development if they are going to succeed in modern life.
Rigor, Relevance and Relationships: By replacing the original 3Rs with Dennis Littki’s 3Rs, which were adopted by Bill Gates, “Rigor, Relevance and Relationships” and incorporating the values and thinking of Kurt Hann, John Corlette, and other prominent educators, and of course our own, we intend to provide opportunities for all students to benefit from the new concepts and systems.
To be of use to the younger generation, any education system has to be flexible enough in its aims and aspirations to keep up with human and technological development whilst preserving the arts, and the foundation values, which make man.
OUR TOOLS ARE MIND AND PEOPLE!
How do we bring this about?: By creating the right environment and giving the students the right to use their own minds to select and complete project based learning opportunities, both in academic and sports curriculum time. Modern teaching methods and styles break down the barriers between teacher and student, and create an informal but structured learning environment. This allows more “one to one” time and fosters a sense of enquiry and team work to accomplish a common goal. The growth mind set is “All is possible, yes we can!” so the peer pressure is for everyone to succeed. Each individual is motivated to go to college and on to greater things.
Of all the delivery methods I have studied in the Western World I feel the High Tech High system and work by Dennis Littky and Dennis Yuzenas are the most effective and logically relevant to the 21st Century. Introducing these into European education systems will not be easy as there is little room to manoeuvre in the set ways of the hierarchy who will defend their positions at the top.
The quickest way to convince people is to demonstrate it works. So we have to get on and set up ways of demonstrating project based learning in all spheres of the educational process. This combined with the ideals and ethics behind the original Aiglon philosophy will produce a unique International College and centre for learning. I wish to use the sea to bring all the elements of majestic beauty, discovery, and expansive usable space to our project, in the same way Aiglon uses the mountains.
Naturally we have to start small but "Oak trees grow from acorns...", but read on through the pages on the menu and the plan will unfold.
I do hope I shall be hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Will Sutherland.