Expanding Horizons – Fellows Gathering in Zurich

The two-year Learning Science Exchange Program focuses on bringing people from science, journalism, entertainment and policy together to learn from each other and to collaborate on a joint project. To reach these goals, Fellows gather twice in the first year at leading institutions in Europe and the US. Each meeting has a specific theme and focus, designed to expand the scope of experience and skill sets of the Fellows, and provide opportunities for sharing experiences and knowledge to augment their work.

The first meeting of the Fellows took place in July 2018, during the International Conference of Infant Studies in Philadelphia, USA. The second meeting of the Learning Sciences Exchange Program is hosted by the Jacobs Foundation in Zurich from November 7 – 9. With the Fellowship, we aim to create the kind of conversations that used to take place in the great cafes of Europe in the 1920ies. La Rotonde in Paris, for example, became a home for literary exchanges among Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and F Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. Their conversations were lively, mutually enriching, and heuristic for their work.

In Zurich, Fellows will continue this tradition. In their three-day meeting they enjoy time for cross-disciplinary thinking and writing about how to bring ideas in learning science to fruition and about how to communicate them with the greatest influence. Fellows will:

  • Discuss what success will look like by the end of the Fellowship in 2020
  • Learn how BOLD (Blog on Learning and Development) could be helpful to their project
  • Discuss the big challenges facing their own field
  • Learn about the Center for Learning Sciences at the EPFL

These experiences will arm Fellows with the tools and understanding needed to engage with other sectors in their future endeavours and continue their collaboration over the coming months virtually before the next meeting in March 2019 in Baltimore, USA.

 

A Groundbreaking International Fellowship Program

LSX is an interdisciplinary two-year fellowship focused on child development (ages 0-5) designed to break through traditional silos that separate learning scientists from those in journalism, education policy, and entertainment. The fellowship is administered by New America, the International Congress of Infant Studies, and the Jacobs Foundation.