Science Project Blues

[Pictured: a dining room table of an 8th grade student. The student still didn't have a working maze after a week of building.]

My 8^th grader was recently given a 3-week long science project with the expectation that it will be “difficult and will require outside help because it would be impossible to complete a project like this in class.” (Quotes from the teacher’s email.)

Last weekend our family was consumed with this project. Both my husband and I spent a lot of time helping him build his catapult and write his very detailed report complete with graphs (that I forgot how to make in Excel). Then he turned in his rough draft and got a failing grade on it. He was thoroughly disappointed and frustrated.

I asked him if he felt comfortable talking to his teacher about the rough draft. He said “no.” So I wrote her an email myself to explain how much time he put into it and to explain his frustration at the rough draft failing grade. (BTW, why would a rough draft even BE graded?)

When he came home from school, he said the teacher talked to him about his rough draft and explained what she wanted him to do to improve it and that it wouldn’t make up a very big % of the final grade. He felt much better after speaking to her about it. Good.

She wrote me a reply email complete with all the elements of a response that I’m accustomed to seeing from teachers who defend assignments.

1. Time management – he had 3 weeks to do it & should be spreading out the work

(How many ADULTS manage their time that wisely?)

2. Project history – it’s a project that has been part of the curriculum at this school for at least 15 years

(Maybe it’s time to try something new?)

3. Limited class time – it does require outside class time and would be impossible to complete in class

(Then why assign it?)

4. Explanation of teaching – they do many labs in class to help students understand concepts

(Great. Then why give this project, too?)

5. Preparing for the future – this project gives the students a strong foundation for their science classes in high school

(What part of this project will they really remember when they get to high school?)

The only part of the process that my son enjoyed was the actual testing of the catapult. And when I asked my other son if he remembered doing this project two years ago, he said the part he remembered was the testing of his glider and launching it off the second story of our house. I also remember that his teacher lost his glider (which he worked very hard on) after he turned it in.

As my son and I were building the first attempt at the catapult last weekend I couldn’t help but think that this would have been a great small group exercise done in class. If students were working together (and struggling together) to try to make a catapult they would have had a much more valuable learning experience. (BTW, I mentioned this in an email to the teacher.)

Businesses are complaining that college graduates are not skilled in problem solving and team work. We need as much cooperative, small group learning as possible in the classroom. Perhaps ask the adults to supply the materials for the in-class work and let the kids solve the problem together? Or, let the kids fail at solving the problem together and then discuss and write about their successes and failures. That would have been a much more meaningful essay than the prescriptive report assigned with this project.

I’m not angry or bitter that my son was assigned this project. In fact, I enjoyed watching him test the catapult and get excited about it. But, I think it could have been a better learning experience for him and all the students (and families) in 8^th grade if it had been an in-class activity, done in small groups without any outside parent help.

What do you think?

Organized Recess

Check out this recent NYTimes article on recess, "Forget Goofing Around: Recess Has a New Boss."

An Elementary School in Newark is paying a "recess coach" $14/hour to organize recess games for students.

"Broadway Elementary brought in Ms. Parker in January out of exasperation with students who, left to their own devices, used to run into one another, squabble over balls and jump-ropes or monopolize the blacktop while exiling their classmates to the sidelines. Since she started, disciplinary referrals at recess have dropped by three-quarters, to an average of three a week. And injuries are no longer a daily occurrence."

When I read this I groaned. Of course, students will get into squabbles during recess and have to work out their issues with other students. That's what recess is all about. That's what they are supposed to do. If another student gets hurt, then a teacher or adult can help them work it out.

Elementary school kids need a break during the day to run around, get out of the classroom, be a kid, and relax. They need the freedom to do whatever they want during those few minutes of their highly structured school day.

There are so many benefits to recess. In case you need research, check out this article from the journal Pediatrics, "School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior."

When my boys were in elementary school, the principal sent out a request for parent volunteers to help run organized recess activities. I never volunteered for this because I was against it. And guess what, my boys did NOT like or participate in the organized games.

There's nothing wrong with organized games, but in elementary school, isn't that what PE is all about? When I watched the audio slide show in this article, I agreed with everything Ms. Parker said about children and play, but I felt her message related to PE class, not to recess.

As the NYTimes article says, "Structured recess...simply transplants the rules of the classroom to the playground. 'You still have to pay attention...you still have to follow rules. You don’t have that time for your brain to relax."

We all need a break. Let's not take it away from our youngest, most vulnerable children who need it the most!

One Student At A Time

Last week I spent 2 full days in Sacramento visiting The Met Sac, a dependent charter high school (with 230 students) within the Sacramento City Unified School District (50,000 students). The principal at this school said the district calls The Met Sac “the feather in its cap.” And, after visiting the school for 2 days, I can see why the district is proud of it.

The main thing I liked about this unique high school was the internships all the students are required to do. They spend roughly half their time working at jobs around the city and they write and present projects based on their internships. While I was there I visited students at their internships at the following places: a photography studio, a Latin art store/gallery, a lawyer’s office, a city councilmen’s office, an auto mechanic shop and a tea shop all in downtown Sacramento.

Students are at their internships every Tuesday and Thursday all day. Monday, Wednesday and Friday they are at school attending their academic classes – English, history, math, Spanish and science. Many of their academic classes are taught in a semi-traditional way that included student discussions, individual work and small group projects. And yes, they have homework, but every student I talked with about homework said it was reasonable and they get enough time during the day to get most of their work done.

The students are matched with an Advisor (teacher) who stays with them their whole 4 years. Yes, they stay with their same Advisor and classmates from grade 9 to grade 12. Class sizes were about 15-20. This reminded me of the Waldorf approach.

Most of these kids were from downtown Sacramento. Many were underprivileged and from broken homes. The main thing that impressed me about all of the kids I talked to was how articulate, focused, poised and inspired they were in their attitudes about school and about their internships.

As I talked to the staff and students I wondered if our high schools here in the East Bay could implement some type of internship program as well for all of our high school students. Can this be done on a larger scale? I hope so because I’m a firm believer in making the high school experience as real to the real world as possible for all students.

And it appears that these Big Picture Schools are on the President’s radar, as well. Today I got this encouraging email from the LTI (Learning Through Internship) Coordinator at the Met Sac:

On Monday March 1, 2010 President Barack Obama addressed the U.S. Chamber Of Commerce on the topic of education. He discussed the high numbers of high school students in the United States who drop out and do not earn a diploma. He then highlighted innovative high schools that have been effective at reversing this trend and empowering students to excel.

President Obama specifically highlighted the Met High School in Providence, RI as an example of the type of innovative and revolutionary school that has been very successful.

"That's why we'll follow the example of places like the Met Center in Rhode Island that give students that individual attention, while also preparing them through real-world, hands-on training the possibility of succeeding in a career.”

The Met Sacramento High School is a part of the Big Picture Learning Network, modeled on The Met in Providence, RI. The Met’s approach is to work with “One Student at a Time;” students and families work closely with their advisor to create individualized learning plans. Students pursue their passions through internships and gain hands‐on experience by engaging in real‐world learning. Met Sac students have the opportunity to take classes at Sacramento City College through a unique early college high school dual‐enrollment program supported by the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Students connect with staff through an advisory program and develop lasting relationships with classmates. In addition to the School Advisory Board, parents/guardians attend student exhibition presentations to discuss progress and future goals.

It wasn't a perfect school and I didn't like everything I saw, but it left a big impression and gave me lots of good ideas. One thing I really liked about the staff was their philosophy that they are constantly tweaking what they do at the school to try to improve it. They are fine with encountering failures along the way because they know that errors lead to success. A computer in one of the rooms at the school had a sticker on it that read, “Fail to Succeed!”

What will I do with this information? Possibly explore the idea of starting a charter school that uses internships if I can get the right team with similar goals to work with me. Anyone interested in talking to me about this possibility? If so, please email me: kerryleadickinson@gmail.com