This week I watched Most Likely to Succeed (2015) directed by Greg Whiteley and I must say it is a great watch. The film explores schools that have taken big risks in education and managed to get some shocking results. The film follows a San Diego based public charter school called High Tech High that uses a project based approach to learning rather than the exam based education most of us grew up with.
These projects kept kids ENGAGED in what they were learning but more importantly it allowed the kids to take charge of their own learning. This hands on approach gave the kids opportunities to explore open ended questions and create cross curricular projects to demonstrate their learning. These projects were chosen, designed and created entirely by the kids.
When something went wrong it was on the students to problem solve and explore different solutions to fix the project. At the end of the term these projects are shown off to the local community, instead of one teacher grading the work the entire community can see and learn from what is taking place at High Tech High.
This deviation from a strict curriculum allows educators the freedom to focus on what is exciting to the students.
The teachers at the public charter are on one year contracts which encourages innovation and the need for continued passion and motivation to continue learning and growing along side the kids.
This project based style of learning PREPARES the kids for the real world by giving them skills in communication, work ethic, leadership and teamwork. When one student did not pull their weight the entire project would fall apart and everyone needed to come together to complete the project on time. This approach to teaching did not focus on memorizing facts, instead the kids were pushed outside their comfort zone and as a result they learned why the information was important rather then just forcing the facts to memory.
This depth of knowledge is shown to stay with a person longer then merely memorizing the information for an exam. This style of learning gave the kids opportunities to fail in a safe environment so they could learn from their mistakes without fear of repercussions in the form of bad grades. While parents were concerned that this method of teaching may prepare them for the work force, they were unsure how it would get them into a good college. The risk of exploring deeper education did pay off as High Tech High students still test above the state average in SAT scores despite their education not being focused around memorizing and prep for the test.
I learned that the job opportunities in our nation are changing to be focused around technology and creativity. Being given a chance to explore and create without limitations or judgement should be the bases of our education system.
As the world changes it is our duty as educators to change with it, project based learning gives kids a chance to receive hands on experience that will prepare them for the new exciting job opportunities in a technology forward nation.
