[This post was written by Tim Best – science teacher at SLA. I asked him to write this up, because I thought the way he co-planned this project with the kids and with his colleagues was such a perfect example of the ways we think about teaching and learning at SLA. Enjoy. Updated with more context added.]
One of my favorite challenges of being a teacher at SLA is designing projects that both teach and assess the necessary content. I’m excited about my most recent endeavor, and Chris asked me to share the process I went through in putting together this project for my senior “Science and Society” elective class. The idea behind this class is to look at current issues that have a scientific aspect to them… and to try to separate the real science from the public perception of whats going on. Once we have a better idea of the facts behind an issue, were better able to analyze how it impacts society, and sometimes, question why the topic is even an issue.
Most recently, weve been looking into the USs food system. This simple topic is rife with science, and has a major impact on basically everyone living in the US. We discuss everything from the environmental and ethical considerations of factory farming to the biological mechanisms of diabetes and obesity. Diet-related diseases are a huge — and largely preventable — problem in the US, especially amongst minority populations. (If you havent seen the CDCs data on obesity trends, check it out.) My goal with this unit is to have my students examine where their food comes from, what it’s made of, and its economic, political, health, and environmental impacts.
One of my favorite challenges of being a teacher at SLA is designing projects that both teach and assess the necessary content. I’m excited about my most recent endeavor, and Chris asked me to share the process I went through in putting together this project for my senior “Science and Society” elective class.
I began by sharing with my students the learning goals I had written when planning the unit. We use Understanding by Design at SLA, so I basically just copied and pasted the “Students should know/be able to do…” sections of that format into a shared google doc. Essentially, I asked my students “Here’s what I think you should know, how can you show me you know it?” I also included a few other suggestions…I want the audience to be more than just me, there should be some kind of personal reflection, etc. We brainstormed a bunch of ideas in class, and recorded them on the google doc that we all had access to. One of the first ideas the students came up with was to have a pot luck where everyone brings in a healthy meal. Someone else suggested we collect recipes for these dishes. I never would have thought of this. My ideas were definitely more boring.
I then took these suggestions and wrote up a rough student guide to the project. I shared this google doc with a few of my colleagues, who offered invaluable advice on how to tweak it (special thanks to Zac and Gamal!) Once I had a decent outline of the project, I gave it back to the students for final comments. They suggested a few changes, and finally, it was done….and all it took were about 10 days, 60 or so seniors, and half a dozen teachers!
There are 3 things that I like about this:
1. Collaboration is one of SLA’s 5 core values. There’s true collaboration all over this project. The students collaborated with each other and with me in its planning. It wouldn’t be anywhere near what it is without the help of my colleagues. The students will work with each other in completing some parts of the project. They’re currently peer-editing each others’ reflections (using google docs, of course). We’ll collaborate in feasting on a bunch of good food, and when we’re done, we’ll have a collaboratively produced cookbook for everyone to take home, and to share with the public.
2. The students have real ownership in this project. After weeks of talking about all sorts of food issues, they have the opportunity to show me what they’ve learned, how it affects them, what they care about, and what we can do about it. Since the final products of this project will be public, students are more inclined to do quality work. And the best part of the project — the cookbook and pot luck — was their idea! How cool is that?
3. This project, and project-based learning in general, allows room for creativity. I was able to be creative in designing the entire unit, the students and I were creative in planning the project, and the students will be creative in what they produce. Yes, there’s a structure imposed on them, but within that structure there is plenty of room for exploration.
I’ve learned a lot by working with my students to design this project, and I plan on exploring these ideas in my other classes. I’m sure my sophomores would need a little more coaching and structure, but I’m also sure that we can figure out ways to work their voice into more of what we do in class. Most of our students have real opinions on these things, and if given the opportunity to help design their education, would probably take us up on it. All we have to do is ask.
