Does one learn best with colleagues the same age? Does one take more learning risks and collaborate better with unfamiliar colleagues? Does one feel more supported with a new supervisor every year? Most answer NO to all of the above. Why then do most secondary school advising programs not better reflect what is best for learning? This workshop challenges participants to actualize educational research that’s true in schools. - Students learn best when known. - Students learn best in supportive and diverse communities. - Students who transition frequently to new international communities benefit even more from school frameworks that promote connection with peers and adults.

Mixed Grade Upper School Advisories provide more opportunities to know each student, to bridge grade level learning, and to strengthen divisional communities. In turn, they make schools prioritize the dynamic social skill expertise of modern teachers. This workshop provides a practical step schools can take next year to reshape advising programs to better prioritize how students learn best. By disrupting the notion that students must learn with same age peers and with new teachers every year, mixed age advisories better reflect authentic, real-world learning (that is, life learning beyond the traditional framework of school). Educational research begs schools to make such adjustments and because this change can happen within current school structures, this innovation is more of an essential renovation.