Action Research
Attempts to Disrupt the School Schedule By Zander Lyvers, Grade 7 Humanities to Foster a Collaborative Culture American International School, Hong Kong difficult since each group was working on a completely different project of their own devising. On the last day of the intensive students presented their work to showcase their proposals for environmental change. While the students were able to work together to complete the task, many of the final projects were posters or slide presentations that described the issues that were studied, rather than authentic artifacts that demonstrated understanding.
Introduction Progressive education champions project-based learning as a method to encourage students to develop communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills, while also bridging the intersection between different disciplines. In order to allow for a cultural shift to happen from a more traditional based mindset, structural changes need to occur to allow for transformation. Project-based learning experts propose that schools need to break away from the standardized constraints on time and space that have defined how schools function in the 20th century. In order achieve a shift to a more collaborative culture, the middle school attempted to make structural changes in the typical school schedule that would encourage a lasting paradigm shift in teachers and students. Method This action research documented the strengths and weaknesses of two different attempts to change the structure of the school schedule to allow for students and teachers to engage in intensive projects as an entry point to cultural transformation. The first intensive ran for 6 full school days in October, 2017, and the second intensive ran for 8 partial school days during the following April. The second disruption ran a modified schedule that allowed for students to see their core classes for 45 minutes instead of the typical 80 minute periods. The research focused on the design, implementation, and reflection of both intensive units. The purpose behind these attempts to allow for flexibility in the schedule was to enable students to collaborate and create solutions when engaging in interdisciplinary projects, while also giving teachers autonomy to collaborate and design meaningful learning experiences for students. Results and Reflection The first intensive that students participated in was an Environmental Action project. The general Driving Question of the unit was, “How can I use evidence to make a positive environmental change?� Teachers worked in teams with groups of 40 mixed age level students who were paired in groups of four. During the week, students worked with their group in the morning to research their issue, and then attended skill-based workshops in the afternoon. Students were also given the freedom to choose the medium for their project. Holding students accountable for quality work proved very 42 EARCOS Triannual Journal
After reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of the first project, the middle school teachers decided to try a different approach for the second intensive in April. Based on teacher and student feedback, some of the main frustrations were that teachers did not have ample time to plan, students felt a lack of choice, and the final products did not demonstrate the deep learning that was intended. For the next attempt, it was decided that students needed to have more choice, and teachers needed more planning time to gain a sense of ownership over the projects. Action Plan To prepare for the second attempt in April, teachers organized themselves based on shared passions and interests. For example, a Math teacher and Humanities teacher joined forces to develop a project on stop-motion animation, and an Art and Humanities teacher worked on a campus beautification intensive that challenged students to design a mural and garden. The increase in teacher ownership correlated with a rise in student interest. Teachers created movie trailers for their intensive to get students excited about the choices offered. Once students were placed, the campus was transformed into a beehive of excitement based on applied learning. Students were collaborating on a range of projects from medieval trebuchets to building cardboard boats for a MIT racing challenge. On the day of the exhibition, students, parents and teachers explored the campus to view and critique all of the work that had been done throughout the week. Conclusion Based on survey results, students and teachers preferred the second intensive to the first attempt since they both had choice and ownership over the projects. All teachers expressed high interest in pursuing project-based learning within the confines of their own content areas, which represents a cultural change in teaching that was a result of the catalyzing effect of the intensive projects. Students also demonstrated a desire to continue with these disruptions in the school schedule in the years to come. Out of just over 200 students surveyed, 75% of individuals expressed high interest in having a similar project week the following year. This data reveals that on the whole, teachers and students successfully collaborated to break free from traditional scheduling constraints, which fostered an atmosphere of risk-taking through authentic learning experiences.
