JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Patrick Newell, Founder of Tokyo International School

By Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) for JQ magazine. Lyle has completed a master’s program at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and has been writing for the JET Alumni Association of New York since 2004. He is also the goalkeeper for FC Japan, a New York City-based soccer team.Patrick Newell founded Tokyo International School in 2001, which has since become a model institution in many areas of education and learning. The same philosophy is behind the recent launch of the Global Institute, a 21st century kindergarten and afterschool program based in Naka-Meguro.Patrick holds a postgraduate diploma from Oxford Brookes University with a concentration in international education, and has been a speaker and participant in over 20 international school conferences and workshops. He has also chaired International School Accreditation Teams for the Council of International Schools and New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and currently serves as the chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Learning Committee.In this exclusive interview, Newell shares with JQ how traveling the world sparked the interest his chosen profession, the subjects essential for students of the 21st century, and his work through the years as a coordinator and speaker for TEDx in Japan.How did you become interested in education?I fell into it while traveling the world. I was working in real estate in Southern California when I suddenly decided that I didn’t want to live that corporate life anymore. So, at the age of 25, I bought a multiple-stop airline ticket to travel the world. I went through the Caribbean, Europe, India and Thailand. While in Thailand, I decided that I wanted to spend a considerable amount of time somewhere in Asia and decided that Japan would be the best place to do it. I moved to Tokyo and joined my wife in the English education business. We then started an English tutoring service for students at international schools. I didn’t have any formal educational training, and so relied on my intuition and what was valuable or wrong from my own education. Education became a passion of mine and I was researching and developing my own model while observing the different models among the international schools in Japan.Why did you found the Tokyo International School?We had two daughters and decided to open an international school for them. We started with a preschool and then decided to open Tokyo International School. We started with 12 students in one classroom and now have over 320 students from 50 countries. It was such a challenge opening an international school in the oldest international school market in the world.How does Tokyo International School differentiate itself from other international schools?We aim to be a model for 21st century learning. We emphasize “how” to learn over “what” to learn (as in a traditional educational curriculum). Our vision includes becoming the new standard for 21st century learning. We still teach the three basics skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, but we also teach students how to think critically, creatively and collaboratively so that they can problem solve on many levels. Children need to develop their innate curiosity and learning. Tomorrow’s students need to be more self-directed than in the past. When I discovered the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, I incorporated their core competencies—creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration—into TIS. I then founded 21 Foundation to raise awareness of this movement in Japan and around the world. I also produced the documentary 21:21, which shows children in schools in nine different countries actively creating in the classroom.What do you think is most important for 21st century learning?Technology is constantly changing and students need to be equipped with the skills to master changing technology. They also need to be prepared for environmental, financial, civic and global literacy because of the interconnectedness of these issues in a globalized world. For instance, one of the issues that we encourage students to think about at TIS is environmental sustainability. The learning environment must also nurture creativity and inspire confidence in children so that it empowers the student’s decision-making process. I’ve done quite a bit of consulting around the world including with Blue School in New York City, a school which really emphasizes creativity in education.Can you speak a bit about the curriculum at TIS?We use the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP) as the basic framework. These two academically rigorous curricula prepare students for the IB Diploma at the high school level. These programs integrate subjects into units of inquiry. We use the pedagogical tool of “guided inquiry” to engage and empower students to take ownership of their learning.  We do not believe in strict rote learning. Both curricula contain courses in math, science, technology, social studies, the arts, physical education, and languages: English, Japanese and Spanish.How did you become involved with the TEDx Program?I had the honor of attending TED in Monterey, California in 2008 and was amazed by the people, ideas and forward thinking. My co-founder and I realized that one way for Japan to really ignite itself and to spark creative intelligence and bring on the creative confidence could be through TED. Ironically, around the same time, TED launched the TEDx program, and we launched the global movement in Tokyo with TEDxTokyo in 2009. We wanted to take the ideas from around the world and share them in Japan, while also taking Japan’s ideas and sharing them with the world. Then we launched the TEDxYouth Day and TEDxTokyoTeachers global movement in Tokyo as well. This was truly a dream come true—linking ideas worth spreading with education.Visit Patrick’s homepage at http://patricknewell.jp. For more JQ magazine interviews, click here.