Operating on the premise that many minds are sharper than one, teachers from Mountain Middle School and Animas High School spent the morning Monday comparing notes on how they teach, their results and what they can do better.
It was a natural pairing because each school centers its project-based pedagogy on the approach of High Tech High School in San Diego.
High Tech High, founded in 2000, is the headwaters for a new approach to education that has swept up adherents across the country. The High Tech High website says its purpose is to prepare students for post-secondary education, citizenship and leadership in the high-tech world.
Project-based learning is highly visible in the work of Mountain Middle sixth-graders, for example.
Two years ago, the students cerebrally dissected Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, presenting, in a 178-page, 11-inch by 8-inch format, essays and art that tackled topics such as what is time, right versus wrong and what is nothing. They even found in some of Alice’s adventures ties to Albert Einstein’s physics.
Teacher Todd Macon said he keeps a very light touch on the helm during the production of the annual project.
The session Monday at the Mountain Middle campus was the first joint professional-development day for the teachers. About 40 teachers, district veterans and newcomers, participated.
During the first half of the morning, teachers broke into two groups to share thoughts about how they put into practice the goals of the Deeper Learning concept developed by the Hewlett Foundation.
Teachers gathered in groups based on the subject they teach – art, foreign language and humanities. Counselors joined them. In the other pod were teachers of math, science and digital media.
Deeper Learning stresses mastery of the three Rs and science, critical thinking, team-building skills, effective communication and an “academic mindset.”
In the second half of the morning, participants examined and critiqued samples of student work and projects for evidence of Deeper Learning concepts.
Finally, they were asked what inspiration they found in student accomplishments that they could apply in their classrooms.
Project-oriented education in both schools involves more than seat time. Students learn how what they’re studying is applied in the working world through internships with local organizations.
Juniors at Animas High intern for three weeks each year with a mentoring organization of their choosing. Last year, two juniors found meaningful work in Malawi and Costa Rica.
During intersession at Mountain Middle, students spend a week of intense work with a teacher on a given field of interest.
The school also partners with local businesses in such areas as music, robotics, theater and photography to make student electives more to the point.
All student projects get time in the public eye by being exhibited at outside venues, among them Fort Lewis College and Animas City Theatre, Shane Voss, head of school at Mountain Middle, said.
A recurring comment by teachers at the end of the session was: Dedication to the task is unflagging, but there’s not enough time to fulfill the mission to their satisfaction.
daler@durangoherald.com
