We learnt together in a structure that lacked the usual hierarchical norms. In a true design thinking approach, someone would try something; if it worked, we copied it; if it didn’t, we modified the approach. I was more of a facilitator than a teacher, and the boys were never forced to be there. By its definition, project-based learning is “a student-centred pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of realworld challenges and problems”.1 But in my opinion, there is a critical factor that helps to achieve success: there needs to be a shared passion between the teacher and student to make this activity viable. A lot of time is invested in these projects, and when the passion is not there, the project can become a chore.
Hugo Oakey and Noah Matthews (OSC 2021) with Steve McLean
Making waves in and out of the classroom Imagine doing a course with no assessment, no specific outcome, no timeline, no structured classes, virtually no plan and not even a teacher in the traditional sense of the word. This is exactly what a small group of avid Year 12 ‘foilers’ and I set out to do in 2021. Getting this project off the ground took a group of people confident enough to delve into the unknown with the freedom to explore contemporary education. Thankfully, Scotch provided these boys with the independence and space to explore something they were interested in and see how far they could take it. If you have driven down the coast, you might have seen surfers seemingly pumping their boards out to sea without a wave in sight and wondering how they are doing it, if there is some sort of new hovercraft technology. There is a fair chance that you are watching someone ‘prone foil’. Foiling is the latest development in extreme sports that uses a hydrofoil [a lifting surface that operates in the water] to keep the board and rider hovering above the surface in a feeling better described as flying than surfing. Foils can be used in many different applications: with a wind wing, on a windsurfer, on a stand up paddleboard, but the style of riding we are talking about is ‘prone foiling’, which is essentially paddling onto a wave (or ‘chipping in’) and pumping around, catching wave after wave after wave and treating the ocean like an endless skatepark. When I was in the surf, attempting to ride my new hydrofoil, I noticed some Scotch students doing a far better job at ‘foiling’
28 | senior school
than me. I had a chat with the boys, and we discussed making our own foil boards. They loved the idea and began researching design and construction methods, looking into the costs and logistics of making these boards. During the pandemic, a time when there was so much confusion for Year 12 students regarding online learning, exams and early entry to university, maintaining student motivation was at the forefront of every teacher’s mind. I thought this was a perfect time to explore a course that relied purely on intrinsic motivation and give some Year 12 students a break from the routine of study and day-to-day classwork.
There was no roadmap … we had to work this out together. And the motivation was definitely there. Nearly every day after school for about six to eight months, there were between three and eight boys in the design workshops designing and creating their boards. They did not rely on their teacher to give them instruction because I did not know how to make these boards. There was no roadmap … we had to work this out together.
Traditional education often relies on the teacher being the content expert. In this model, the student would take notes on the subject and perform pre-determined exercises and tests. Project-based learning gives a much more hands-on, authentic, inquiry-based approach to education that allows students to take control of the problem-solving process and fail many times on the learning journey. It gives students the confidence to make mistakes and not be afraid to try something that has never been done before … to become a designer, engineer or inventor. There were many occasions when the boys had planned to work on their project, but other things got in the way. In other words, there were good waves, and they wanted to go foiling. Having this freedom was important because it meant that only the people that wanted to be involved were involved. They have learnt so much about the physics of hydrofoiling by being part of this project. They have listened to guest speakers from the industry, spoken to professional foilers, got tips from board designers and spent months making and testing their boards. We have all become even more passionate about the sport. Originally, I thought this might kickstart the boys into starting their own foiling brand, but, as it turns out, they have begun a successful podcast called The Foil Project, filmed at our podcast studio, Studio Scotch. The point of this project is not really to focus on foiling but to consider the potential of project-based learning, discover your passion and find like-minded teachers who can help you on the journey. Mr Steve McLean Design & Technology Teacher | Enrichment Leader – STEM 1
Design & Implement Project Based Learning, Intercultural Development Research Association, San Antonio, Texas, http://www.idra.org/images/stories/ IDRA_Project_Based_Learning_flier_0716.pdf
