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The Springfield News-Sun is committed to covering education in Clark County and what it means to parents and students, including recent stories on the new Global Impact STEM Academy and the statewide implementation of the Common Core learning standards.
Springfield City Schools is so impressed with the problem-based learning model that’s being used at the new Global Impact STEM Academy that the district is taking steps to adopt the model into its existing learning academies as soon as possible.
That could be as early as this fall, depending on what happens at the its next regularly scheduled board meeting on Thursday, Superintendent David Estrop said.
The plan is to offer a problem-based learning curriculum within Springfield High School’s health and human services academy, and possibly its STEM academy, as a second choice for its students. The academies’ traditional curriculum will still be offered. The high school has five learning academies in all.
“The model for all of this, and frankly one of the drivers for me, was this is exactly the kind of programming that is currently in place and operating at the Global Impact STEM Academy,” said Estrop. “There aren’t any schools anywhere around here offering training specifically designed to provide employment in (the ag bio-science) field.
“We built it to test this educational program,” he continued. “It has met and exceeded our expectations, so now we want to bring it to Springfield High, too.”
At first look, it might appear that this would create competition for STEM students. Not so, Estrop said.
“We’re all trying to provide more opportunities for more of our students,” he said. “The Global Impact STEM Academy is a great opportunity if you are interest in ag bio-science. If you are interested in the medical end of the world or the engineering end, then you’ll be interested in other options, like those that will be offered at Springfield City.”
Estrop cited as a problem-based learning example a budget problem he might face, which is not just a math problem, but also a political and communications problem.
“The problems they’ll have to solve will require them to use skills from all the fields they are studying, but in a very hands-on way, a very applied way,” he said.
“That’s sort of the way life really is,” he continued. “Only in education do we slice it up in nice clean areas. In life, it is not so clean. That’s what the students will be working on, and we also use a concept called mastery learning. When you learn the concepts, you move on.”
One of the advantages is the learning would not be confined to just the classroom.
“We’ll be working very closely with businesses to provide problems for students that come right out of the business world,” said Estrop. “Our hope is they’ll get connected with what really goes on in the real world. Hopefully it will help them to see if it is something they are really interested in, but also to give them practical experience and the ability to meet those who are already in the field.”
The district already has internship relationships with area businesses, including McGregor Metalworking and Konecranes. Estrop hopes this will help the district expand that outreach.
“The purpose is to create more opportunities for our students, to take advantage of the relationships and open the door for them in the future,” said Estrop. “And it gives the businesses a chance to look at our students in terms of possible future employees.”
The district is also hoping to provide a way that its STEM classes would give students college credit as well, “so our students reduce the time and money they have to spend on college or other advance training,” said Estrop.
The design is to imitate a college model of class scheduling.
“With your required courses largely out of the way heading into your junior and senior year, a student can really take advantage of the wide range of electives that we’ll offer,” Estrop explained. “If students want to work ahead, they can do that. We want you to move as fast as the student would like.”
Mike Skavaril, Health and Human Services principal at Springfield High, said the approach is more “student-centered.”
“It will be giving them a chance to work on more meaningful world problems that are going to be impactful,” he said.
“We kind of tie the words ’21st century learners’ to it, using technology more and collaborating in teams,” he continued. “We’ll focus on making them more effective communicators and improving their critical-thinking skills. They will talk to experts in the field and get used to working with them.”
The differences between this approach and the traditional approach are dramatic.
“The walls of the classroom are extended,” said Skavaril. “The teacher becomes more of a facilitator. Traditional classes are more teacher-driven and classroom centered, more memory- and lecture-based.”
The Springfield High STEM launch would be done with an eye toward future growth as well.
“Students from other school districts now can open enroll at no cost to them at any schools if we have room,” said Estrop.
Skavaril sees a bright future for problem-based learning in America. “I don’t think the other methods will disappear, but I think it’ll grow.”
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