A fast, energizing conversation with Camp (a.k.a. John Camp), Head of Teaching & Learning at New England Innovation Academy (NEIA). It was so fun to chat with someone who I have not met or talked to before and found someone with similar energy and thinking about teaching and learning. We dig into building a startup school, designing a competency-based “mash-up” grading system, and the courage it takes to break invisible rules while still preparing students for “what comes next.” We also trade notes on AI, why classrooms should maximize human-to-human connection, and simple, teacher-doable “ruckuses” you can try tomorrow.
Camp’s path to NEIA and why he still teaches while leading (modeling the work)
Courage as the catalyst for change in any system, at any scale
Competency-based assessment as a school-wide skill map (transfer across humanities, science, math, Innovation Studio)
“Linear school” in a nonlinear world and how AI can help us blow up the old schedule logic
Walking the fine line: college-prep and “what-comes-next” prep (love this framing)
Keeping innovation alive after year 1: support systems, permission to try (and fail), and tapping teacher passions
Workflow talk: using ChatGPT to organize brainstorms; Google Classroom paired with “Otis” for competencies; protecting life balance
Teach what can’t be AI’d: discourse, idea-to-idea connection, and real human presence in the room
One small “ruckus” for tomorrow: break the pattern with a 10-minute gallery walk or other quick shift that re-energizes learning
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NEIA Profile: John Camp: https://neiacademy.org/team/john-camp/
Camp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/campsm/
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (referenced in the discussion with link to my blog post)
Alpha School: (referenced in AI discussion)
Why human-to-human discourse beats screen-staring (ties to “teach what can’t be AI’d”).
Quick wins to break the invisible rules (small, classroom-level ruckuses).
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Maya Angelou
and
We don’t just think outside the box, we act outside the box. Camp
and our love for Neil Postman
Teach children something about the art and science of asking questions.
Question-asking is the most significant intellectual tool human beings have.
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