Project DELTA

Who do we wish learners to be as they engage a dynamic world marked by uncertainty and rapid changes? How might they bring a spirit of inquiry into their explorations of global issues and ideas, and engage currently and potentially polarizing ideas with a reflective rather than reflexive stance? What would it look like to create a culture of thoughtfulness that maximizes our common humanity and supports our learners to think and act knowledgeably, compassionately, responsibly, and ethically in the wider world?

These themes pose puzzles for students not only within but far beyond school: how do young people learn, approach challenges, and understand who they are as learners and community members? Such an agenda goes beyond acquiring specific skills or discrete content knowledge to developing dispositions—the motivation and interest, ability, and awareness of opportunities to engage ways of thinking and acting in the world.

Project DELTA (Dispositions for Engaging Learning Today) is a yearlong research collaboration with Nord Anglia Education (NAE), an international schools organization committed to shaping a generation of creative and resilient global citizens. The project will investigate the core dimensions of NAE’s six Learner Ambitions for students – to be critical, curious, creative, compassionate, committed, and collaborative – and develop supports for them that align with teacher priorities and beliefs, as well as student interests and development. The project will develop tools and methods that support the development of the Learner Ambitions within NAE schools and beyond.