:: The 4th Era ::

by Kent Tempus

summary by MiddleWeb SmartBrief

"Sixty students in grades 5-7 in Oconto, Wis., will learn most academic subjects through student-led projects as part of a new charter school that opened on a traditional middle-school campus. While math will be taught through traditional instruction in longer, 80-minute blocks, other core subjects -- science, social studies and reading -- will be integrated into projects. "With this, the kids will be able to develop skills without even realizing it at times," teacher Jenny Holmgren said. "

by Ian Quillen

 

"Creating a safe recreation space for teens; protoyping a recyclable lunch tray; setting up a water delivery system to guard against urban fires; building a public awareness campaign to combat hunger. These are just a few of examples of the types of tasks students are taking on when they participate in the Design Learning Challenge, an effort to get students to figure out how to solve real-world problems in their communities.

 

"Combining project-based learning, with an emphasis on the arts and design thinking, this academic competition now in its third year — a partnership between the Industrial Designers Society of America, or IDSA, and the National Art Education Association, or NAEA — has more than 750 students participating this year."

Via Rebecca White, Jim Lerman