True innovation is about forecasting the future and anticipating the changes needed to provide the best solutions, before these are even required. Strategic planning has become obsolete due to uncertainty and the rapid pace of change, and needs to be substituted by strategic adaptation; many events will occur, and we need to be prepared for them. This applies to our students too, who need knowledge and skills not only for their long-life adventure, but also for the short-term challenges they will face in the coming years.
At St. Peter’s School Barcelona, we work constantly to be up to date, keep up the pace, and to help us with these objectives, we have created an Open Innovation Committee (OIC), whose goal is to ensure that our Education Project is leading edge, foreseeing and anticipating the needs and interests of our students.
The OIC is composed of external experts in several leading-edge fields and staff representatives who will work together on a regular basis, to improve our Curriculum and incorporate external expertise in the design of education. The Chair for this Committee is Xavier Ferràs, who is an expert in Innovation and currently teaches and conducts research on the subject at ESADE University. We encourage you to read his thoughts and opinions every Sunday at La Vanguardia.
During the month of December 2021, the OIC met for the first time at our School. The committee members included Pablo Lara (Grupo Planeta), Josep Maria Martorell (Barcelona Supercomputing Center), Luis Pareras (Managing Partner at Invivo Capital), Mónica Casabayó (Associate Professor, Department of Marketing at ESADE Business& Law School) and Anna Palli (Head of Technology Watch at IRTA).
The session produced very interesting results, which we will apply when working on improving our curriculum’s content. Scientific and technologically based topics (for example quantum physics, space exploration, CRISPR/Cas, genetic algorithms, human aging) require our utmost attention. In addition, introducing subjects such as future literacy, negotiation skills, and dilemma management without neglecting the psychological health and safety of our students will bring our Education Project to the next level.
We are on an exciting path that will move us forward to better prepare our students for the future. As a result, this will enrich the Education Project which we have been developing in recent years, and that has been validated by the achievement of excellent results.
Written by St.Peter’s Barcelona General Manager, Jordi Ginjaume
