August/September 2012 71 BRITTNEY KECK you have to be careful with skill progression. What makes us traditional is we believe in the foundation we’re building through the grades so our students feel ready when they advance.” But on the flip side, Carlson comments that PBL often involves authentic experiences, and can be collaborative and inspiring for teachers. Projects on display around Saint Andrew’s include Day of the Dead altars created by Spanish classes. The sixth grade science room exhibits student-crafted models of plant and animal cells that reveal curiosity and creativity. Base materials for the cell projects range from Legos and jello to a sliced-open basketball, Winnie the Pooh, and a treasure chest. Carlson also points to Saint Andrew’s community outreach volunteer program that is part of each grade’s curriculum. “When you talk about projects it’s very similar to how we talk about our Service Learning Program. You build up to it with education and conversations along the way,” he says. ❝We learn that practice, as distinguished from theory.” —CHRISTOPHER KECK, PALO ALTO PREPARATORY thi s a lte rnati v e col l ege p r e p high school is “very familiar with Project-Based Learning,” according to Social Studies Chair Andrew Fryer. “It is intuitive among teachers that student-based learning is the most effective and enjoyable” method. Judging students by their ability to memorize and recall factoids on multiple-choice exams doesn’t cut it anymore, he says. “In a project, students learn how to take initiative and responsibility, build their confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage themselves more effectively.” Students, he adds, “engage in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, finding resources, and applying information.” That requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and self-management. For example, lower division Palo Alto Preparatory students create a group research project called PRAXIS. “In this assignment students give a presentation on something the group is interested in and write a paper on the process that led up to the presentation,” explains Fryer. “This gives students the skills to work with a group, time management skills, problem solving skills, and conflict resolution skills.” PRAXIS stands for “practice, as distinguished from theory,” according to school founder and director Christopher Keck. He says that projects have ranged from designing a trebuchet (catapults used during sieges), writing programs to control appliances remotely, producing songs in an industrial recording studio, and creating a travel guide for bicyclists. “One group designed a board game prototype and had it manufactured and marketed,” Keck adds. Projects continue into senior year to “give our seniors a chance to show all the skills they have gained through the high school years.” PBL also builds confidence about tackling future endeavors, says Fryer, and in these turbulent, highly unpredictable times, an inner belief in rising to any occasion may well be the most relevant skill of all. n Andrew Fryer rocks out with Palo Alto Preparatory’s band during practice. The band performs at school events such as prom and graduation. to create a musical instrument and art installation. Along the way they study the scientific principles of sound, learn about artists, and compose musical pieces that they play on their creation in front of an audience. “You are assessing them all the time,” says one teacher, Kristin Engineer. “You look at … the quality of music such as texture and dynamics, and so on.” Motivation has turned out not to be an issue. “We typically don’t have to keep them on task since they’re so interested,” Engineer comments. “You have it structured so there is always something more for kids who go faster. That’s why PBL is so lovely.” ❝There is the potential for gaps.” —ERIK CARLSON, SAINT ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL “we’re open to using projects but we are not a PBL school,” says Erik Carlson Head of School at Saint Andrew’s, an Episcopal prekindergarten-grade eight school located in Saratoga. “What makes the 21st century skill set more relevant is the openness to learning in groups. If you pull the teacher out and students talk to and help each other, well that was cheating when we went to school,” Carlson laughs. Saint Andrew’s has a vibrant performance arts program and some core classes do include project work, but Carlson shares a few reservations about going full bore into a PBL curriculum: “Projects deserve a rubric…but it’s like art class. How do you assess what’s a success? It seems so subjective.” He adds that the goal is to be able to assess both the tangible and intangible, content mastery and areas such as teamwork. for instance. Carlson cautions that projects can take up a lot of time and be inefficient. “Our school takes pride in the amount we cover,” he says. “With a PBL-only focus there is the potential for gaps since
South Bay Accent - Feb/Mar 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above