Some classrooms are “open concept” with no fourth wall or door. Cozy spots under open stairwells and nooks invite students to work together in small groups. A rooftop garden and the close proximity to the High Plains Environmental Center add to the variety of options. High Plains School principal Danielle Freeney says learning is organized around one key theme. That is, “how do the content areas play together?” Art plays second fiddle to no other subject. Learning is planned, or “engineered,” in collaboration with students. Project-based learning is ubiquitous. Kindergarteners met with exterminators and district facility staff to develop ideas for preventing mice from invading homes under construction. Third-graders Skyped with toymakers regarding the development and marketing of a new product. Sixth-graders used the energy of the earth and sun to develop a product to minimize the devastation from major wildfires. Other students have produced children’s books, designed rockets, wrote and produced newscasts or developed public service announcements to combat cyber bullying and internet safety. The idea at High Plains is to take learning out of its content-specific silos and encourage learning—and collaboration—as students tackle assignments in groups. Upon completion, professional experts vet concepts and quiz students about their ideas and proposals, bringing the “real world” to school on a regular basis. Erin Gilmartin Loften, professional development coordinator at the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), says she attended the High Plains School tour stop as part of the state’s work to support high schools with low graduation rates under federal school accountability requirements. “What does personalized education, when done well, look like?” asks Loften. “I wanted to have a sense of what it looks like.” Roseyn Hood, associate commissioner for strategic partnerships at CDE, says the High Plains classrooms offer ample proof that teaching and learning can move from rote study and memorization to helping students develop more complex ways of acquiring knowledge and skills. In particular, Hood says she was “very impressed” with the integration of art as a tool for problem-solving and creative thinking. “Learning is much more than ‘I have to know my math facts and I have to know my presidents,’” says Hood. “It’s how do you c onceptually learn and digest and evaluate information. That’s more important for students. I heard far more about ‘how do we figure this out’ than ‘we can’t do this.’” Back in Williamson’s classroom, the fifth-year teacher is asked if she ever taught in a more traditional classroom set-up, with the teacher in front and the students sitting in neat rows and columns. Williamson shakes her head, recalling the memory. Yes, she says, in her first year she taught in a “traditional” classroom set-up. She smiles and adds, “I’m never going back.” RMPARENT
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