By Sonya Wrisley, THE Journal
To realize her vision of learning where students work in “makeries” and “collaboratories,” the principal of a new school needed a BYOD program and an adaptable personalized learning platform. The curriculum at D39C emphasizes self-paced, personalized learning; listening to understand; collaboration; creativity; and critical thinking in all subject areas. Integrating subject areas within projects is a key part of our process, since this approach encourages students to make connections in their learning. To help students discover their particular talents and interests, we dedicate the afternoons to exploring different topics. We then design related projects that will progressively build on students’ fluencies and skills. Each morning at D39C is designated as “integrated learning time,” when students participate in projects or small-group instruction. The afternoon is for “Deep Dives and Explorations,” three-to-12 week projects (depending on the grade) that can include computer coding, stop-motion animation, furniture design, musical theater, engineering, video-making or any activity that grabs a student’s interest.
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