Dear Lynch School Community,
The Lynch School was pleased in November to convene Formative Education: Mapping the Terrain, a two-day conference organized by faculty members Dennis Shirley and Cristiano Casalini. The gathering brought together colleagues from across Boston College and beyond to discuss what we mean by “formative education,” to consider how we can better engage in it with our students, to offer our expertise to educators beyond campus, and to expand our research on how to help young people develop in formative ways.
Jesuits have been pioneers in formative education for 500 years, and Boston College has practiced formative education for more than 150 years. Over the past two decades, BC has developed notable innovations in formative education and made it even more central to the undergraduate experience. Over the last four years, the Lynch School has spurred further developments that build on BC’s mission and distinguished track record in formative education, expanding our understanding of, practice in, and research on it. Our recent successful conference was another in a series of events through which we have brought together colleagues from across the University as they explore their practices and learn from each other. We will continue this work bringing together BC colleagues around this theme, as we extend our expertise to more audiences beyond the University and expand our research into formative education and practices that facilitate it.
Sincerely,
Stanton Wortham
Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean