Learning gets
PERSONAL
A growing body of research says students are better prepared for college, and for life, when they are invested in hands-on, experiential learning. The trend is already having a significant impact on Dock classrooms.
A
t their January 2019 meeting, Dock’s Board of Trustees received an unusual curriculum proposal for a Spanish Immersion experience at the Early Childhood to Grade 8 Campus. The proposal wasn’t unusual because of the content; the board has great interest in offering such a program. It was unusual because it didn’t come from a teacher or administrator—but from two 8th grade girls, Celeste Derstine and Emma Celenza.
“It was impressive that they wanted to present this to the board in the first place, but even more so the confidence they had in what they were presenting. They made a good case,” said Dock Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber. “They had a well-organized Powerpoint, but what impressed me more were their answers to some of the questions board members asked. For example, they were able to cite statistics about the percentages of Americans speaking various languages. It was clear they had learned a lot more than what they presented.” The desire for deeper learning about Spanish language and culture exhibited by these two middle school students represents some of the firstfruits of a wave of hands-on, experiential learning opportunities across both Dock campuses. Traditional classroom teaching, centered on lecture, discussion and testing, is quickly giving way to curriculum that revolves around student curiosity and passions while teaching life skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-posing/solving.
“Projects give students the opportunity to apply the skills they learn in school to realworld situations. These skills will help students succeed in college and in their careers.”
— Dr. Sharon Fransen Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
“There is so much deep learning and skill development that takes place outside the school day. We want to get more of that learning into the classroom—to make the ‘membrane’ between school and the rest of the world more permeable,” said Dr. Sharon Fransen, Dock’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. When that happens, student engagement and motivation increases dramatically. “I recently spoke to a Dock alum who is now in college, and he said he was designing his own major,” Dr. Fransen added. “The trend is for students to take more responsibility for their learning, which will make them feel more engaged and empowered to take what they‘re learning and apply it. It’s more personalized education.” Lessons from the Tiny House project The education “buzzword” for this is Project-Based Learning, and it has been the focus of a new Innovation Class for Middle School students at the EC-Grade 8 Campus. The class began with a few small-scale projects to get students’ creativity flowing. For example, one class had to create a marketable product using some basic supplies— paper clips, rubber bands, paper and a few straws. Students came up with everything from wind chimes, to clothes hangers, to a belt purse. In another exercise, students selected one of 10 random items and had to describe a new, alternative use for that item.
SPRING 2019 Lamplighter
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