Meet Our Schools: The Think Lab at Warren JFK

The Think Lab, JFK’s Entrepreneurship course program, has come up in our review of their opportunities for academic excellence. The lab offers a creative space and technology for coming up with solutions to business needs.

What does this offer to international students attending high school in America?

A Chance to Develop Key Skills for University & Beyond:

The Think Lab and its entrepreneurial projects is a way for students to practice important skills for this century.

Tony Wagner (Harvard expert in residence and long-time educator) describes it as a program that focuses on:

• Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving Skills
• Collaboration
• Agility & Adaptability
• Initiative & Entrepreneurship
• Effective Oral & Written Communication
• Accessing & Analyzing Information
• Curiosity & Imagination

These are valued at U.S. colleges and universities and students who have experience with them and are confident using them will have an advantage during and after higher education

A Chance to Improve Their English:

Collaborating with peers and learning effective oral and written communication skills in order to talk to organizations and businesses about assigned projects, will require and offer opportunities for international students to:

• Practice their English
• Improve their vocabulary
• Get used to working comfortably in groups

A Chance to Work on Designing & Completing Projects:

Some of the skills the Think Lab encourages, agility & adaptation as well as curiosity & imagination, are in high demand. There is a difference between simply being told what your options are and how to complete them and envisioning your own options and how to follow through with them.

How do you translate what a customer, employer, or collaborator wants into a clear concept?

How do you translate that concept into practical design?

How do you handle rejection of ideas or critiques of your work?

Can you come up with alternatives or suitable modifications?

Experience with such a process, including the excitement of imagining and exploring possibilities, allows you to pursue ideas and concepts with confidence and eagerness!

A Chance to Learn from Difficult Challenges:

New possibilities and options don’t always work out. Unexpected problems and setbacks can arise. How do you effectively use your time? How can you work around the problem with the resources you already have? How do you deal with disappointment and delays?

Learning lessons from such obstacles & challenges, instead of getting stuck in frustration, leads to improvement & tenacity.

A Chance to See a Project Completed & Put To Use:

Many of the projects completed through The Think Lab are requested for school use or for local businesses and organizations, including charities. Seeing your project not only completed but used for a meaningful purpose generates pride and satisfaction. It also looks very good on university applications.

Are you ready to gain valuable skills & experience with The Think Lab?