More Than Pencil and Paper: The Modern Classroom

Collaboration, "Hands on", Interest-driven, Critical thinking...

These are just some of the terms I have heard repeatedly this past week since I have been exposed to a variety of truly engaging and unique 21st century classrooms. 

One set of public charter schools interested me in particular, High Tech High, because of the emphasis on project-based learning and technology utilization by students. 

High Tech High are a series of public charter schools in Chula Vista and San Diego specializing in math, science, and engineering. High Tech High began in 2000 as a single charter high school launched by a coalition of San Diego business leaders and educators. It has evolved into an integrated network of schools spanning grades K-12, housing a comprehensive teacher certification program and a new, innovative Graduate School of Education.

At San Marcos High Tech High, students learn about life and history through a partnership with a local retirement home where students "buddied" up with an elder. Based on the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie" their program is called "Tuesdays with Story." The students learned about life and history by visiting seniors at a local retirement home once a month. The teacher emphasized that, "Everyone has a story to tell." Students were asked to sketch portraits of their elderly mentor and create memory boxes. They were able to learn about American history and became close with their 'buddy' as they formed mutual understandings (and even learned from each other). The teacher really emphasized the importance of "Designing projects with a human connection."

Access a video of NBC covering "Tuesdays with Story" at High Tech High:

High Tech High (San Marcos) and Retirement Home   
Or   http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Students-Learn-About-Life--History-at-Retirement-Home/282104781


When exploring different High Tech High schools, I was amazed by what is actually happening in and outside the walls of the classroom. Similar to the example above, there often seems to be a unique connection to the community. Many students experienced some form of meaningful internship. There were other connections to the broader world context as well, through students' use of technology. One such example was Josh Wilson, who collaborated with other classmates to create a short documentary called The Deep Red Sea. The documentary is about whaling and international efforts to stop it over time.

The documentary can be found in the following YouTube clip: 

In the documentary, "Waiting for Superman" various aspects of the American public education system are examined. A variety of topics are discussed including insufficient teachers' impact on students'  learning environment. In addition, statistical comparisons are made between the different types of primary or secondary educational institutions available: state school, private school, and charter school. There are also comparisons made between schools in affluent neighbourhoods versus schools in poorer ones. As explained in the film, "Since charter schools do not operate with the same restrictions as public institutions, they are depicted as having a more experimental approach to educating students." The following is a clip from documentary: 




It is important to note that I am aware of the biases associated with this documentary (as with any). By no means am I saying charter schools are overall better and I also understand that this film is associated with the American education system specifically. 

However, I am interested in different school systems in general and question, "Who has access to a good education?" Many such schools adhere to some form of admission process including High Tech High. I am thoroughly interested in schools that emphasize project-based learning. I do recognize that I may not teach in a school that implements such a system or program across grade levels. 

How will I use what I have learned in my own classroom? I have given it some thought (as seen in previous blogs of mine), but I am still on a journey of learning and discovery. I cannot always say something like, "I am going to do this ..." "I will implement this..." because I do not know my students yet. I don't know what they are passionate about, or what they are curious about. I do know that I will allow students (when possible) to drive their learning both independently and collaboratively. 

I believe it is important for teachers to learn from different programs or strategies (such as High Tech High), to discover how THEY will transform their own classroom to an environment that is interactive and student-driven.