Finding Voice...
Monarch Conservation Project. A community service project that gets students involved in the greater world around them. By tying into conservation efforts of Monarch Butterflies around the nation, students get a sense of purpose and their work becomes relevant.
Building a culture of synergy in the 4th grade project.
Students learn directly from experiences. My favorite type of Learning Style!
Monarch Conservation Project. A community service project that gets students involved in the greater world around them. By tying into conservation efforts of Monarch Butterflies around the nation, students get a sense of purpose and their work becomes relevant.
Action Research Question:
How do teachers' passions and interests become transformational projects?
Abstract
This study examines the role of teachers’ passions and interests within interdisciplinary project-based curriculum design at a newly established, project-based primary and middle school setting. The goal is to engage with the current faculty and students at High Tech Elementary School and Middle School to discover how teachers draw upon their passions and interests to design curriculum and create projects that go beyond the classroom and engage students in meaningful and transformational learning. Three findings emerged from teachers interviewed: (1) Teachers tapped into their personal interests and passions to design projects, (2) Teachers used personal transformational moments to design projects, and (3) Teachers focused on students’ interests and passions in their project design. Common themes emerged from these findings including; projects were based in experiential learning, teachers created a shared body of lasting knowledge with students, authenticity was established by engaging with the adult world outside of the classroom, students created authentic products, teachers integrated multiple subject matter throughout their projects, and there was evidence of critique and reflection throughout their projects. The next step for this study would be to investigate how teachers use direct and guided instruction throughout their projects and how they balance instruction in foundational skills within project work. In addition, the development of authentic assessment practices should be studied in order to guide how student growth is measured in project-based learning environments.
Use the pull down menu in the navigation buttons above to access the various parts of my Masters Project Report.