LEARNING EXPEDITIONS 2020/2021
The Learning Expeditions team has started their planning for next year, and it’s amazing the ideas they are coming up with to engage our students in learning. We are getting back to our Project Based Learning roots and looking at incredible projects for the kids.
If you are not sure what Project Based Learning is, here is what we are going to work to accomplish next year:
In Project Based Learning, teachers make learning come alive for students.
Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.
As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.
We are not just going “to do a project”…..
In Project Based Learning, the project itself is used to teach rigorous academic content and success skills. Students work to answer an important question—such as “How can we impact hunger in our community?” By exploring the question over a couple weeks or longer, students become immersed in it, pursuing answers from various angles.
Through this process, they apply what they’re learning in meaningful ways. Instruction is incorporated into the project, which is designed to meet appropriate academic goals and standards. The project work creates a genuine need for students to learn grade-level content and skills, while working collaboratively, thinking critically and engaging in reflection and revision.
Students see how their work has an impact in the real world.
At the end of the project, the students’ work is shared publicly, beyond just classmates and teachers… Students in a STEM project might create a sustainable redesign for a public space and present it to the city council, rather than simply learning from a textbook and creating a poster for the classroom wall. Or in social studies, a student could explore historical and present-day community heroes, and present their findings in a public forum.
In Project Based Learning, students become deeply engaged in their work. They understand how what they learn in school applies to the real world. They develop the skills that will set them up for success in college, career, and life.
We look forward to sharing the projects with the families and community. We welcome you to call and chat with our LEX team to answer any of your questions regarding the program. (LEX team: Danielle Carrie, Daniel Rapoport, Kristin Demchuk, Brodie Robbins, Kat Turczyk)
Check out our Instagram account: Learning Expeditions (learningexpeditions)