BASHA GIVES BACK

Background

Current education research indicates that one of the best ways for students to learn is through problem-solving. Not only is problem-solving good educational practice, but problem-solving is also an important skill for students to possess when they enter college or the workforce.  In fact, our new national approach to education emphasizes college and career readiness. At Basha High School, we want our students to be prepared for the future. To do so, we have created a research approach that will focus on problem-solving, technology, the world community, and incorporating our school’s mission statement: Benevolence, Honor, Scholarship. 

Teaching research skills is, at times, a difficult task. Researchers have broken down the research process into six skills: task definition, information-seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. These skills, when taught in the correct order, build upon each other and lead to greater academic success. Our new research model incorporates these six skills and spans all four years of a student’s time at Basha High School. 

We begin with our freshmen; these students are asked to select a problem to research — this could be a community problem, a statewide problem, a national problem, or a global problem. Students begin slowly, learning the context of their issue during their freshman year. Then, in sophomore year, they research in-depth and become experts on their chosen topic. During their junior year, students will develop a problem-solution essay based on their expert knowledge. 

Finally, during the senior year, the research model really gets exciting. Now that students are knowledgeable on their topic, we ask them to act on their knowledge and truly make a difference by creating action plans that make a positive impact. Basha High School has a tradition of philanthropy, and we want to empower our students to make a difference in the world. The inspiration: a determined, benevolent Basha student raised enough money to build a school in Africa! With encouragement from teachers, parents, and community members, our students will continue to amaze us with their ability to make their mark on the world. 

How Our Students Make a Difference

During the first quarter of the year, our seniors will develop an action plan that describes how they will act upon the problem they researched in order to make a positive difference. Projects may range from individual community service to community-wide initiatives. 

Our students will have two quarters (October-March) to complete their action plan and create a presentation on their project that will be shared with teachers, peers, and community members. The presentations will be required to incorporate up-to-date technology. Presentations will be showcased for families and community members at our school in April. 

We hope that you can see how our school’s research initiative can have multiple positive effects. First, our seniors will have the motivation they need to make a positive impact on a local, national, or world problem. Secondly, they will be learning through problem-solving and real-world experiences. Lastly, their benevolence and scholarship were honored with our yearly showcase! However, perhaps the most important contribution is empowering our students to make a difference. Of course, it is our hope that this initiative does a wonderful job preparing our students for college and future careers— but we also hope the project shapes outstanding citizens as well.