Project and Process Based Learning in Ypsilanti

Some schools just have that feeling of a subtle, positive energy that permeates all throughout the building. New Tech High School in Ypsilanti is one such school. New Tech High Schools, which are a national network of schools, are centered on project-based learning and assessment. I usually cringe whenever I hear the words "project based" as some schools do such an injustice to the term only having students conduct low level research, slap said research on a poster and consider it a project that is "done." This was not the case at New Tech. Teachers co-taught all courses so classrooms had titles, such as "BioLit," and "Algebra Squared," and "PhysiTech" combined biology and literature, algebra and science, and physics and technology into a 90 minute block schedule. Each classroom used space to combine up to 30 plus students in each and the chalk board instead of being used for rote memorization and random facts was used to post key documents in the project cycle. Each project started with a "entry document" that provided students the overall learning objectives of each project, the goals, and the roles each student would play. For instance, in the Social Studies-English classroom, students were studying World War II and while each group was given a particular topic, for instance, D-Day, each person was responsible for a different aspect of that event (military, political implications, economic provisions) in which each had to report. Additionally, each person on a given team was to play a role that would additionally contribute to looking at the issue from a different lens (i.e., a French diplomat, a British solider, etc.) creating an opportunity to build student empathy. In the BioLit classroom, the facilitator, as he was called, had students brainstorm a list of some 40-50 questions using the "entry document." In his classroom, students were studying obesity and had plans to teach students at a local elementary the biological and social impacts of choosing healthy eating and living habits. While some schools pretend to play "project based" and list colorful words on the web site obscuring the truth, New Tech painted a clear picture void of any such confusion and is effectively building student understanding through a robust process of project and process based learning.