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Transformational, Innovative Curriculum (continued) The students weren’t so much fixed on solving standard word problems, as much as they were on ensuring “Mrs. Keller’s dream backyard” was supplied with all the appropriate furnishings she required. Head of Middle School Bill Waskowitz said Middle School must incorporate a unique learning environment in order to connect with students in their adolescent years. “Middle School teachers must be able to combine the essential skills of academic literacy (e.g. reflection, critical thinking and reading, communication, comparison, and analysis) with content and topics that are of true interest and relevance to this particular age group,” said Bill. “As a Middle School, we firmly believe that it is our responsibility to make sure that the instruction and development of these types of skills are front and center in all classrooms. Whether it is a natural disaster, political revolution, current pop-star sensation, or a moral dilemma, our 8
teachers draw on the real world to create real learning that empowers our students for success, both now and in the years to come.” A similar project for which Theresa is known around Middle School is her “A Month in the Life” checkbook balancing exercise. The worksheet asks 10 questions that pertain to the students’ fictional checkbook balances of $150.35. One of the questions might be, “On Feb. 25 you and your friends spend the afternoon at Kenwood Towne Center. You grab a hot chocolate and bagel at Panera. Your bill is $3.75 and you tip the cashier 20 percent. Deduct this transaction from your account.” After running through a wallet-draining gauntlet of trips to Panera, Macy’s one-day sale, buying tickets to see Wicked, and going to Perfect North slopes, Theresa asks her students to calculate their “end-of-the-month” balance plus 4.25 percent interest from the bank. “It’s the difference between my asking them to complete 25 tedious problems of multiplying fractions or asking them to tell me how much paint and trim they need to redesign the look of their bedrooms.
“When students take on projects that are relevant, you don’t even have to sell the concept,” said Theresa. “They immediately understand the intent of the lesson and engage fully in the learning process.”
Finding the Solutions Within
Environmental Science teacher Linda Ford keeps a pair of muddy hiking boots in her classroom. For Linda, they are just as essential as any given lesson plan. She never knows when the learning will send her and her students stomping through briars, scooping up clumps of viscous mud, or dipping nets into turbid waters. Linda’s goal is to impart knowledge of the importance of maintaining the biodiversity present in the Ohio River. Once students cast their own net just once into the River, they