Excerpt from Lynda Weinman’s 12/29/14 email:
We published over 1,000 courses this year, and I would never be one to pick favorites, but I did personally oversee the creation of two documentaries that share my passion and support for in-person, project-based learning. If you have a moment, learn about an innovative STEAM high-school program that’s teaching engineering to girls and boys in a way that makes it so fun, the students don’t want to go home at night. Then discover what happens when young minds are encouraged to observe and reflect on school subjects—rather than merely listen and regurgitate facts.
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In 2002, a school district in Goleta, California, attempted an experiment. They introduced DPEA, the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, a program designed to teach twenty-first-century skills via project-based learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Once “art” was added to the program (STEAM) they attracted 50% more girls, and got better adoption from parents, mentors, the outside community, and students. The Academy has now been running for over ten years and is recognized as a pioneer in education reform, prizing independent thought and modern skills over standardized testing and book-based lectures. Here the students, teachers, and administrators tell us why it works. Learn about their cutting-edge robotics program, multidisciplinary approach, and the unique collaborations that happen between students, teachers, and parents.
Watch the Online Video Course Visual Thinking Strategies
What if teachers taught with questions rather than lectures? What if students were asked to reflect instead of regurgitate? Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) challenges the standard model of teaching by encouraging a reflection-and-response style of learning. Designed by art educator Philip Yenawine and developmental psychologist Abigail Housen, VTS relies on children’s natural ability to observe, using imagery as the starting point for learning. The teacher asks open-ended questions; students reflect and respond. The process has been proven to strengthen critical thinking skills, language development, confidence, and collaboration. Watch VTS at work in three Louisiana schools and find out what alternative teaching methods like these might have in store for America’s classrooms.
What if teachers taught with questions rather than lectures? What if students were asked to reflect instead of regurgitate? Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) challenges the standard model of teaching by encouraging a reflection-and-response style of learning. Designed by art educator Philip Yenawine and developmental psychologist Abigail Housen, VTS relies on children’s natural ability to observe, using imagery as the starting point for learning. The teacher asks open-ended questions; students reflect and respond. The process has been proven to strengthen critical thinking skills, language development, confidence, and collaboration. Watch VTS at work in three Louisiana schools and find out what alternative teaching methods like these might have in store for America’s classrooms.