A Quick Summary:
Nicholas Alchin is a passionate educator who has worked in holistic, values-driven schools since 1995. He currently oversees strategy, education, and operations for approximately 6,000 students at UWCSEA.
In this episode, Nick shares his extensive background in education—including teaching the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course and his previous varied careers. Nick offers his philosophical views on the state of international schooling. He discusses the importance of human qualities and broad skills in student development, the ongoing struggle with achievement pressure and mental health among teens, and the growing role of schools in supporting families, while also offering recommendations for books, like "Leadership on the Line," and his thoughts on the future influence of AI and wisdom in education.
Bio:
Nicholas Alchin, has been a passionate educator in holistic, values-driven schools since 1995. He's currently the Head of College at UWCSEA, where he oversees strategy, education, and operations for approximately 6000 students. Before taking on this role in August 2022, Nick was instrumental in establishing the UWCSEA East High School, leading it as Principal from 2012.
Nick is a published textbook author, IB examiner, workshop leader, and consultant who writes and speaks widely on various educational matters,
Beyond his professional achievements, Nick is an avid reader and enjoys walking with his wife, Ellie, who is the Director of Teaching and Learning on the Dover Campus.
We hope you enjoy this episode of WYHA, voted the number 7 international education podcast according to Feedspot. https://podcast.feedspot.com/international_education_podcasts/
Key Conversation Points and Insights:
Current State of International Education (What's Going Right?):
Fostering Human Qualities: Schools are effective at foregrounding human qualities that help people flourish, achieve happiness, and lead meaningful lives. These are viewed as "timeless goods" that persist through technological change or economic downturns.
Prioritizing Broad Skills: While subject knowledge is indispensable, international schools are good at prioritizing broad skills such as communication, collaboration, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Subject content is seen as the means to achieve these greater goods.
Encouraging a Philosophical Stance: International education is generally good at helping people think about the big picture, right and wrong, and how they should spend their years and treat each other.
Current Challenges and Struggles:
Balancing Achievement Pressure and Mental Health: There is a struggle to navigate the achievement pressure versus student mental health, noting that anxiety, depression, and unhappiness have shot through the roof among pre-teens and teens, particularly those from affluent, well-educated families.
Family/School Partnerships: Schools are increasingly taking on roles related to values and aspirations, which can lead to families subcontracting these responsibilities to the school due to the pressures of international life. Deepening family-school partnerships is essential.
The Future of Education (Near Term):
The "Human Thing" and AI: Nick suggests a necessary shift toward further prioritizing the "human thing," driven by the advancements of AI.
Focus on Wisdom: Schools should address wisdom as a construct. Wisdom is defined as the ability to make judgments about what is truly important, and research suggests it is a virtue that can be taught.
The School as the Village: Schools should recognize their role as the "village" that helps raise a child and should strive to become genuine community schools, perhaps extending support to families as well.
Magic Wand Wish: Time for Intentional Conversation
If Nick could wave a magic wand, he would create time every day for one truly meaningful conversation or reflective engagement (10-15 minutes). This time would focus on the "inner landscape" of individuals, allowing them to step back and focus on important things, which would have a profound effect on school culture.
Strategies for Meaningful Dialogue (Coaching Tools):
Creating space.
Pausing to allow everyone to slow down.
Paraphrasing to ensure understanding of the other person's frame of mind.
Asking mediative questions that prompt reflection rather than just a yes/no answer.
Practical Suggestions for Implementation:
Philosophical Check-ins: Implement a 10-minute philosophical check-in in every lesson, scaffolded by the teacher, using questions like: "What is the worst thing that happened to you today?" or "What's something you risked today that didn't work?".
Provocative Communications: Ensure that every third or fourth communication sent home to families is a dedicated piece focused purely on provocations (e.g., "the power of a bad grade," or "why hard things are good things") to facilitate better family dialogue.
Career Reflections:
Nick feels privileged that his career turned out as it did. If he could do things differently, he wishes he had spent more time from his early 20s and 30s planning the provocative questions and unscripted values-based dialogue he uses now.
Book Recommendations:
Wisdom by Iigman (Focuses on whether wisdom can be taught).
On Conversation by Allison Woodbrooks.
Leadership on the Line by Heifetz and Linsky (Recommended for adaptive leadership and conflict management; Nick rereads this book every year).
Connecting with the Guest:
Call to Action: Have thoughts or questions? Want to suggest a future podcast topic? Reach out at www.educationtomorrow.com.
Thank you for listening to Where's Your Head At? Stay tuned for more episodes on leadership, innovation, and community in international education.
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