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Learning at Tech Valley High School
At Tech Valley High School, we are guided by
innovation, collaboration and success and are committed to educating students
in a new and different learning environment.
This unique environment will inspire
exploration, discovery and a passion for learning. It allows students to meet
graduation requirements in a different way, using project-based learning —
real-world projects that connect learning to their course of study — and work
in teams of students and adults.
Although Tech Valley High School’s academic
programs and the day-to-day activities of the students differ in many ways
from other schools, students at Tech Valley High School will earn a Regents
Diploma or an Advanced Regents Diploma, and the curriculum meets all New York
State learning standards.
What is
project-based learning? Project-based learning brings together
intellectual inquiry, rigorous real-world standards and student engagement in
relevant and meaningful work. Many schools offer project-based learning
experiences for their students, but Tech Valley High School is unique because
students are thoroughly immersed in it.
One very exciting, and unusual, aspect is Tech Valley High School’s
unprecedented partnerships with leaders from area businesses, technology
companies, higher education and organized labor and government. They were
involved in shaping the school, continue to be participants and collaborators
in the educational program and are helping develop the project-based learning
experiences, in cooperation with educators.
Why project-based learning? The best starting
point for learning is with real, genuine issues of importance to students and
communities. Active, concrete experience, driven by the “need to know,” is the
most powerful form of learning. Adolescents learn best when they encounter
intriguing topics and people in real-world situations, and when they are faced
with genuine challenges, choices and responsibility for their own learning.
Thus at the heart of Tech Valley High School’s course of study are real, rich
and complex problems and issues that involve learning 21st century skills—all
wrapped into project-based learning experiences.
How does
project-based learning offer academic challenge? Student retention of
their learning increases as they have opportunities to work on complex
problems beyond repetition and review. Project-based learning (PBL) offers
students multiple opportunities to apply their learning in new situations
where the answer is not obvious—where students are confronted with challenges
that have no clear answers, where they must solve unforeseen problems and meet
unpredicted obstacles. PBL requires teachers to cover fewer topics in greater
depth with the goal of developing a deep understanding of subject matter that
scientists, technology companies and business leaders in Tech Valley say is
needed in our high school graduates. Learning at Tech Valley High School
requires students to master the subject matter necessary for traditional
Regents exams but also requires them to develop the skills to meet the
rigorous requirements of working in a technology-rich, intellectually complex
and personally challenging world.
What
are 21st century learning skills? These are the skills students will
need to succeed in a global, 21st century environment, including:
- Taking initiative in their learning and
becoming “lifelong learners.”
- Working successfully on a team.
- Taking responsibility for their work and
their learning.
- Confronting and solving unforeseen
problems.
- Managing and planning for short- and
long-term goals.
- Presenting and defending what they have
produced.
What role does
technology play? It plays an important role in teaching and learning. The
focus, however, will be on the experience of learning. Students will learn
both with —and from—technology. There is a 1:1 student-to-networked-computer
ratio. Emerging technologies serve as both teaching tools and subjects for
development of projects.
Are physical education classes, sports and
extracurricular activities available? Physical education is integrated
into the school week by utilizing local physical fitness facilities, under the
constant and coordinated supervision of certified teachers. There are
extracurricular activities determined by students’ interests. As the school
grows, there will be more clubs and extra-curricular programs to support the
curriculum and respond to students’ interests. There are no interscholastic
sports teams, and the school schedule makes it difficult to participate in
after-school interscholastic sports. Although students are eligible to
participate on their district teams, transportation can be an obstacle.
What else makes Tech Valley High School different?
Advisory time:
Advisory
time is scheduled to provide an opportunity for students to develop a close
relationship with a consistent group of 10-12 peers and a single teacher.
"Advisories" are designed to create a place where each student can be well
known by a teacher and where his/her academic and personal growth can be
coordinated. They help develop personal and academic skills necessary for
success in high school and beyond and provide a teacher who is the main
contact for parents or guardians.
Individual investigations:
While
project-based learning infuses the curriculum and instruction, it is important
for students to have autonomy and responsibility to pursue topics that
interest them in a rigorous and independent manner, and then to be held
accountable for their work in a public exhibition. Individual investigations,
which will help students pursue personally meaningful questions, will involve
demonstrating their individual ability to identify and answer complex and
relevant questions as they develop the skills for lifelong learning and
self-directed development. Together with their advisor, parents and community
partners, students select a topic and then can spend as long from two-four
weeks (several hours per day) on their investigation. To be certain that they
connect their interests with the New York State learning standards, they work
in conjunction with their advisor.
Senior project:
Students
are required to complete a self-designed senior project, a long-term
investigation that will demonstrate their ability to (1) be a
self-directed learner, (2) utilize a wide variety of research and
methods of investigation and (3) present results in a meaningful way to
peers and adults. These projects will be driven by students’ interests, their
need to demonstrate important skills and input of adults involved in their
lives. Senior projects help students engage deeply in a topic they care about
and make cross-disciplinary connections with the world outside school. By the
time students are seniors, they are able to articulate interests and devise
involved plans to pursue those interests and present their learning to a jury
of peers and adults.
Partnership with the New Technology Foundation
(NTF):
NTF
provides a national model of project-based learning in a technology-rich
environment. Tech Valley High
School is adapting that model in New York State.
The
partnership allows the school to access the New Tech High Learning Systemtm
to help shape the
program
and curriculum as well as to NTF’s existing data
bank of
more than 800 projects and best teaching practices.
Community service:
Students
are required to complete community service projects to help them connect to
the community and learn important skills and ethics. These projects will
increase in duration and complexity over four years, and students will design
and complete a significant community service project (approximately 50 hours)
and present their work to parents, students, community members and other
interested groups.
Grading at Tech Valley High School:
One of
NTF’s important components is the New Tech High Learning Systemtm,
which Tech Valley High School uses. It allows the reporting of more than just
a number or letter grade as well as assessments (evaluations) of work ethic,
core content knowledge, collaboration, presentation skills, written work and
critical thinking. These reports allow a full understanding of students’
strengths and weaknesses and give parents and teachers guidance in how to
tailor each student's academic program. While overall averages are reported,
assessment is both ongoing and cumulative. Schools using this method have
reported significant success in helping students develop 21st century skills
as well as in preparing students for college and work. (Please see
www.newtechfoundation.org.)
College credits:
Earning
college credits is required. Articulation agreements are being developed with
the colleges and universities throughout Tech Valley.
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