Yewlands is putting so much thought and positive energy into
really creating a strong project-based learning experience for their incoming
Year 7 students next year. Over the past month, they have tuned initial project
ideas; they have brought in consultants to offer expertise (focusing on Maths and Literacy);
they have thoughtfully presented their plans for next year to their whole
staff; they have been working on transforming the timetable for Year 7 to make
the necessary structural changes for project-based learning to work best; and
they have been working with their feeder primary schools to help transition
incoming students and families.
Project Tunings
We used this Project Tuning Protocol to tune project ideas
including a project proposed by Lucie called Re-Inventing the
Wheel (challenging students to create simple machines to solve problems)
and a Survival Project designed by Dean and Carolyn with the
driving question: how would we survive in
a post-apocalyptic world? The group has been including current Year 7
students in their project tunings and incorporating both teacher and student
passions in order to set foundations for more engagement.
Planning Transition
Day
The Year 7 teachers have also been planning a project for
Transition Day, when the incoming Year 7 students get their first experience
working together at Yewlands. They have been co-planning a transition project
with primary teachers that will be done in the majority of the primary feeder
schools. Students will then be coming in from a variety of different schools
for the Yewlands Transition Day (July 4th). On that day, Year 7
teachers will lead a project that will allow them to get to know their students
and their passions; and give incoming students the chance to pitch and plan
their first field trip together at Yewlands.
Celebrating Current
Beautiful Work and Recruiting Supporters
During my time at Yewlands, I have gotten to meet with many
different teachers who are currently developing or have previously done
beautiful project work with their students.
For example, I met with David Blake (a Design and Technology teacher)
about his work on the annual Christmas Fayre. This meeting pointed out how
there are already impressive pockets of project-based learning at Yewlands.
Besides the beautiful work created and sold at the Christmas Fayre for a
charity, I also saw evidence of great project-based learning happening in the
rooms I visited that day with David. For example, I walked into a cooking class
and students had just baked amazing pastries and breads that were truly real
world, delicious work. What could be more authentic than savoring your project
by eating it and serving it to others? Their proud instructor emphasized how
they cannot truly understand the concepts and science behind the cooking until
they get to work - experimenting and seeing the principles in action. When we
left the Design and Technology area, I saw the current Year 7s asking each
other survey questions and tallying the answers – already getting used to more
interactive and dynamic ways of working together.
Presenting to the
Staff
Yewlands has been planning for some exciting and bold
changes for next year with a core group of school leaders and teachers. They
really allowed the teachers involved to drive the planning process and make
decisions about BIG ideas and structures for next year. It seems easier and
more natural to trust and empower your students when you feel trusted and
empowered, yourself, as a teacher, first. The teachers involved have been
entrusted and empowered through this planning process. Once a plan materialized
that could be communicated and shared with the whole staff, the teacher-leaders
were given the chance to present their plan and the thoughts/ inspiration
behind it. Their presentation and the meeting went really well. More and more
teachers are interested in becoming involved in “the movement” towards
enquiry-based/ project-based learning. The key seems to be that the program
Yewlands is creating is being driven by the teachers and students themselves. They
made a conscious choice to have the teachers present to the staff about work
they are excited about, rather than having school leaders present a plan that
must be followed.
Visiting High Tech
High
Next month, a core group of school leaders and teachers
involved in transforming Year 7 next year (along with school leaders and
teachers from primary schools in the area) will be visiting High Tech
High. They are planning a visit that
will focus on their enquiries and help them strengthen their plans for next year.
Next Steps…
Every step of the way, Yewlands has been building a strong
foundation for the changes ahead. Every week, I look forward to being a part of
the next step of the process. They are sowing the seeds of change as they
inspire and recruit more and more willing, enthusiastic planters in their
midst. It is not a sweeping change that is being forced on a school, but rather
change that has been carefully planted over time. The blossoming of beautiful
work is naturally strengthening the interest and enthusiasm for project-based
learning at Yewlands.
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