Creative Marbles Consultancy

Education is an investment to be considered wisely.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Welcome to @CreativeMarbles. We seek continuous improvement by collaborating with families, students, educators and other community stakeholders who want to nurture the individual talents of youth, so all can prosper.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

When discussing colleges, who feels most responsible for the outcome?
• You?
• The application process?
• Your student?

One's answer reveals one's perspective, which can shape every conversation.

Being aware, then families can ask better questions to make informed choices.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Students often believe their college essay needs a dramatic story.

More often, the autobiographiy starts with an ordinary moment:
A conversation.
A frustration.
A question.
An everyday decision.

The real story is your interpretation of what happened,
not what happened.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

@BryanAlexander @paulg Then, the prof can use their human reasoning to provide more sophisticated feedback to the student to learn how to write or analyze more effectively.

Then, the student can orally present an amended argument…isn’t that the definition of higher education?

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

@BryanAlexander @paulg Well, in the above example, since no details were provided about how the prof is using AI to “grade”, what if the prof was using AI to assess the strengths of a student’s argument in a paper? Then, asking AI to note any patterns or inconsistencies in the argument? 1/2

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

@AlanLevinovitz This, you’ll be “checking for understanding” of both the content and analytical & critical thinking process for students.

Plus, have an opportunity to reorient use of LLM’s so students do less cognitive offloading.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

@AlanLevinovitz Why not include in your grade a short description of the process students used to produce the final draft?

Then, as part of the “lesson” could be reflecting with the students in a subsequent class, on their thinking process to research & engage whatever tools?

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Sometimes students aren’t choosing between colleges.

They’re choosing between competing definitions of success.

And that’s a much more complicated decision.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Many students can tell you what a prestigious college looks like.

Fewer can tell you what environment is needed to produce their best work.

One answer seeks an acceptance.

The other helps you succeed.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Students can be stressed while writing their autobiography, when imagined identity doesn't match reality, and given their willingness or reluctance to reconcile the gaps.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Parents often seek clarity before action. Yet, teenagers often discover clarity through action.

Often, in the collaboration during the college admissions process, families benefit from such friction.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Some students don’t lack ambition. They lack tolerance for uncertainty.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Confidence develops slowly.
Identity formation is messy.
Resilience cannot be manufactured through a certificate.

While a college admissions may reward visible achievement, life eventually tests invisible maturity.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Elite athletics + AP courses + leadership responsibilities + social life = competing energy demands.

Instead of asking, "Can my child survive this schedule?", wonder, "What kind of person is being shaped in this schedule?"

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Some time along the way, childhood started to be a strategy.

Every activity… every summer… every decision was measured against “building toward” college.

And slowly, experiences transformed into "achievements" to exchange, not opportunities to discover.

[Creative Marbles Consultancy @CreativeMarbles]

Many parents approach college planning like risk management.

Yet, many teens approach college planning like identity exposure.

Surfacing such differences which can explain family tensions, which adds complexity to collaborations.