Teacher Voices

Julie Young at the AB-Tech peer review event.

Julie Young, English

There were quite a few connections to English, including speaking, viewing, and listening, researching, peer editing, grammar, and technology.

Students chose their crews and made all the decisions from which questions to ask, where the interview would take place, who would operate the camera, what the sound should be like, what format (iphone video or mp4, etc), and more.

“Seeing the proposed town park project through the people's eyes who were there in its heyday made the project real for our students. They could see the absolute love and joy people had for the old pool park and realized how important their oral histories would be to get new people involved in the goal of getting a new community space.”

Erin Long with Photography crew

erin-interview.mp4

Interview with Erin Long

Erin Long, English

In general the students found connections when articulating the written portions of the project and in the presentation of found materials.

My students worked hard and everything looked really nice for the night. I was pleased with the way they jumped on new ideas for what needed to happen, organized themselves and got to work.

“I gave the students some general ideas about what we needed to do for the kick off, but they chose EXACTLY what they wanted to create.”

Linda Ammons with the refreshment crew.

Students created several invitations for peers to vote on. This was the winner!

Linda Ammons, Math

We fed over 200 people in 1 1/2 hours and ran out of food.

The first step that was really student driven was the invitation/flyer that went out to the community. A student came up with the format and other students helped get it completed.

“Everyone talked about how good the food was and like the variety that they had to select from.”

Douglas Cutshall with the Tech crew

Cover of the program for kick-off event

Doug Cutshall, Math

We had 3 groups within the crew: 3D modeling, video editing, and the creation of the program for our kick-off event.
Students gained experience with CAD software, video editing software, and a desktop publishing applications.

“The students that made the printed program for the kick-off event went above and beyond and did a stellar job creating it.”

Students in Scott Whitney's entertainment crew

Scott Whitney, History

Students worked in peer groups to research and make decisions.

Students utilized a variety of resources to learn about the history of a place and local music traditions.

“Attendees of the event represented a broad cross-section of the community.”

Oshen Wallin with the fundraising crew

Fundraising crew at the kick-off event

Oshen Wallin, Science

My crew needed to search for various grants and funding sources to finance the implementation of the park.
The Earth/Environmental science students developed an environmental analysis of the area. This more directly reflected the geology, hydrology, and flora of the area.

“The students seemed to love being able to work on a project that was solely their responsibility.”

Leslie Schoof with crew members

Students creating their project

Leslie Schoof, Science

Our kick-off event, Diving Into Marshall Memories did not align very well with my biology curriculum, but it did align perfectly with the communication, presentation, and teamwork skills that we focus on at MECHS.

If we had it to do over again, I would structure the first peer review / feedback session differently. There was no real need to go to AB Tech.

“Everything about the PBL Crew went well. The students took ownership of the work early on and my role was that of a facilitator only. It was an odd experience; seeing them making all the decisions and knowing that they were 100% committed to turning out a fantastic product. The night of the kick-off my students broke down the evening into shifts so that everyone would have a turn presenting their exhibit to the community. As I circulated I saw my students explaining what PBL/CBL is and how it is different from traditional learning. I saw them talking animatedly with members of the community. They were obviously proud to be associated with a school that gives students the opportunity to make a difference in their community.”

Eric Blackman with the timeline crew

Getting feedback at AB-Tech

Eric Blackman, History

“Literally the first educational experience I have ever been involved in as a student or educator where teachers were the main riders on bus and the students and community members were the main drivers!”

Students and staff enjoying the kick-off event

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