Earlier this week, Robert Landau, our partner in the Futures Committee, sat down with four Grade 6 students and asked them a simple question:
If you had three hours every week at school to work on something you truly care about, what would you do?
There was no hesitation.
One student wanted to write a novel.
Another was interested in fashion design.
One wanted to explore biology.
Another wanted to study psychology and human behaviour – specifically middle schoolers.
Each of them had a clear idea. A real interest. Something they were excited about.
And then came the obvious question: when would they actually have time to do it?
That moment captures what the LIS Futures Committee has been working on over the past few months.
The group, made up of teachers, school leaders and parents, has been exploring how education can evolve to better prepare students for the world they are growing up into. A world shaped by change, new technologies and pathways that are still emerging.
One of the challenges is not a lack of ideas. It is a lack of time to pursue them.
School schedules are full. Subjects are fixed. Days are tightly structured. Students discover what they are interested in, but rarely have the time to go deeper.
What might change next year
Next school year, LIS will begin testing new ways of creating that space.
The core of the school remains strong. Students continue through the IB programmes, building the knowledge, skills and understanding that lead towards the Diploma.
Alongside that, we will begin to prototype new approaches.
One of these is the idea of micro-courses.
These are short, focused learning experiences shaped around genuine interest. A student might go deeper into a subject they already love, explore something new, or work on a project over time.
These are not extras. They are part of how we are beginning to think about learning.
Making time for deeper learning
To make this possible, we are looking at how time is used across the week.
What would it look like if students had longer, more meaningful blocks of time to work on something that matters to them?
Time to stay with an idea, build something, time to think, test and refine.
Writing a novel, designing clothing or exploring a scientific question cannot happen in short fragments. It needs focus, continuity and guidance. The aim is to begin creating the conditions where that kind of work can take place.
Learning beyond the classroom
This also opens up the possibility of learning with and from the LIS community.
Parents and partners bring deep expertise across fields such as architecture, business, science and design to name but a few. There is a real opportunity to connect students with people who are working in these areas every day. This was learning can become more applied and more real and students can gain actual insight into a given field.
What stays the same
This is not about stepping away from our established academic rigour.
Students will continue on a clear and challenging academic pathway. The IB Diploma remains a strong and recognised route to university and beyond.
What is changing is how we create space within that process for curiosity, depth and relevance.
A gradual shift
This is not a finished model. Next year is about testing, learning and refining.
It will start small. A few teachers will propose ideas. Students will help shape them and hopefully a few parents will get involved to prototype a few projects. Some things will work well others will natuarlly evolve. Over time, the goal is to build something that reflects who we are as a learning community and what our students need for what comes next.
Back to the question
If you asked your child what they would do with three hours a week, what would they say?
And what might happen if school gave them the time to find out?
