A large collection of heavy footsteps and inquisitive murmurs of students leaves room 409 and makes its way loudly across the campus, finally reaching its destination in front of a hollow, dusty ramp that leads to Algebra 1A teacher Mr. Barry Bacon’s classroom.
Along with Earth Science teacher Mr. Scott Randles, English teacher Ms. Sarah Penalora and U.S. History teacher Ms. Kyla Hjertstedt, Mr. Bacon is trying his hand at a new teaching method known as project-based learning, aimed at helping students take skills from inside the classroom and apply them outside the classroom. It’s an attempt to answer the age-old question that students everywhere ask: “When will I ever use this in real life?” There are many different models based off the method that educators can choose to apply to their teaching.
Mr. Randles first heard about the project-based learning approach at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, where he then built upon the idea once the district office authorized funds to support the idea of a cross-curricular regiment last fall.
“It’s a more natural approach to the core standards that we teach,” Mr. Randles said. “It’s more about processing than memorization.”
The four teachers have adapted a collaboration method, in which a single collection of about 30 students will share two consecutive classes. Mr. Randles combined his Earth Science class with Mr. Bacon’s Algebra 1A class, while Ms. Penalora’s English 3 class has been linked up with Ms. Hjertstedt’s U.S. History class. Their students will find themselves in a learning environment unlike any that they have had before.
“When teachers work together, new ideas in one class can be continued in the next class and pretty soon the connections become obvious and reinforced,” Ms. Penalora said. “Not only are the students benefiting from the communication between or among teachers, but they are also benefiting through the experience of collaborating with each other and constructing thoughtful projects.”
Mr. Bacon and Mr. Randles will provide a website, videos and daily problems that include both math and science elements to help their students make connections between both classes. The teachers hope that this new and less than traditional method will leave a lasting impression on their students.
“We have to be careful that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture because that’s when students start forgetting why they should bother learning it and stop caring,” Ms. Hjertstedt said. “I’m hoping the students will gain an appreciation and interest for the ways in which American History and American Literature are important in the real world and important in their own lives and futures.”
Her observation is that if students learn by grouping certain subjects together, it will not only make learning easier but also help them embrace a college-level way of thinking that will help them adjust to a life after high school.
The teachers hope that these classes will be successful; however, this year is only a trial year. Both the instructors and the students are trying their best to adjust to this brand new type of class structure.
“The kids will help us define the projects,” Mr. Bacon said. “I plan to compare the scores of my first and second periods in order to see the progress.”