Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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124 | SEPTEMBER 2015 nshoremag.com in-depth PLACES photograph by David A. White Institute capitalizes on Andover's 237-year tradition of teaching and learning. Head of School John Palfrey says, "The Tang Institute will drive us to explore new pos- sibilities for our education systems, while also strengthening the expe- riences of our own students and faculty." He describes the vision as "something akin to a Bell Labs for secondary education." Former president of the school's board of trustees Oscar Tang, class of '56 and now a New York–based investor and global philanthropist, provided seed funding with a $15 million grant. Other funds were secured from the John D. and Cath- erine T. MacArthur Foundation in addition to other benefactors. So how does an institute change traditional teaching and learning methods that have been around for over two centuries? By exploring new possibilities and strengthening stu- dents' and faculty's current practices. Innovation begins with Institute Fellows—faculty who generate new ways of communicating, given both the physical realities of the campus and the virtual world of cyberspace. The Institute "en- courages experimentation, inter- disciplinary collaboration, new partnerships, connected learning, and ongoing assessment." Institute director Caroline Nolan says, "This is really a hub for new ideas, and we can offer the instructors the support and partnership to help them build something tangible that we can share with other members of the school. You give us your ideas and we'll give you the time to do it." The Tang Institute studies three thematic areas: Connected Learn- ing, Innovation in Partnerships, and Learning in the World. Connected Learning, defined by Head of School John Palfrey