It is enough to open minds; do not overload them. Put there just a spark. If there is some good inflammable stuff, it will catch. – Anatole French
Twenty or thirty years ago (when most of us went to school), education was soundly rooted in the idea that a student’s capability could be measured using a list of verbs (Blooms Taxonomy). These “doing words” were a scale against which a student’s ability could be measured; can he remember? Does he understand? Can he apply? Can he analyse? Can he evaluate? Somewhere along this scale students would reach their limits and there, teachers believed, lay their capacity.
Today we know much more about the science of learning and the developing brains of children. We know that some are great at sport, ok at math and science and struggle with art. Others may be amazing artists but find math daunting, the variations are endless. So how do we account for this? And how can we account for the added complexity of today’s young people who are natives of a world rich in social media, digital forms and instant feedback?
One way which is being trialled at St Edmunds is Project Based Learning. Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which boys work in groups or independently to build knowledge and skills by investigating and solving an engaging, and complex problem, or challenge. Students work on the project over an extended period of time, usually a term, to solve a real-world problem. Through doing so our boys gain opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and build new skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.
Boys in Year 10 extension Science are currently working on a task of this nature. They are modelling the techniques used by planetary geologists and physicists to solve the problem currently faced by NASA – the struggles of using the use of the lunar surface as a base of operations … Working as Planetary Geologists they have to research, design experiments, collect data and relate it back to their theories and ideas. They have to challenge themselves with questions like; is my data correct? Does it match what other scientists say? What does this mean for building in space? How can we actually get these buildings from Earth, to the Moon?
Through tasks like this, boys build a deeper and more meaningful understanding of a much wider range of content knowledge as well as improving their critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based Learning provides opportunities for boys to then showcase this newly acquired knowledge and skills through any means that suits them whether it be in an analytic report or something requiring a more creative approach.
The intention is that these sorts of tasks stir something deeper inside, they build research and collaboration skills. The novel nature of the tasks allow boys to research, to be creative, analytic, and resourceful. And most importantly boys can achieve and succeed by using their own strengths, rather than by jumping through preconceived “success hurdles”. Honestly I’m sure that most students are not be personally interested in building space buildings on the moon, but then again only time will tell.
Mike Brennan
Head of Science – Acting