|
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.
|
