The Edge Academy’s curriculum is the perfect example of the benefits of project-based learning. Towards the beginning of the year, students begin to ask questions about themselves and about the world which will then be used to create the curriculum theme for the rest of the year or following months. When asking questions about the self and global society, students are given the opportunity to look deep within themselves and surrounding communities in order to create questions that are truly near and dear to the student. After these questions are formed, commonalities are formed. Within the commonalties, certain criteria must fall under the topic such as sustainability, the arts, etc. Students will then come up with possible project ideas and standard potentials. After designing a poster presentation of their ideas, student groups share their possible topics with the academy as a whole. Students then vote and one overreaching topic is chosen for the year. Next students will choose projects that both interest them and fall under the topic.H ere is where standards come into play with the linkage of content standards within the portfolios of student work. After projects are decided upon, the curriculum planning, for the most part, is done.
After months of working on their individual, or sometimes group projects, students present their projects during a special project night. I, alone with a co-intern from last semester and an intern from this intern that goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, attended this year’s project fair. Immediately upon our arrival, students showed they were more than surprised that we came and were more than happy with our appearance. One student, Torie, commented, “You are the first student interns to ever show up.” I believe this broke any barriers that remained when it came to trust. As stated in a previous blog, I believe that more important than any lesson taught or any practice practiced, the building of strong trusting relationships between teacher and student is the basic building block of any positive learning environment. With just the simple act of attending my student’s project fair, students were able to see that I truly cared about them and what they are doing. I was so pleased with what the students accomplished and was blown away at some of their research and their products.
What and interesting planning model for you...I imagine you will see a different model during student teaching. Think also about the ways in which kids make their work public here. Again, how can you incorporate some of these ideas during student teaching.
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