WEBVTT 00:00:05.096 --> 00:00:06.156 Hi, I'm Ginny Strock. 00:00:06.566 --> 00:00:09.626 I'm an instructor in Project-Based Learning at Foxfire High School. 00:00:10.056 --> 00:00:13.596 Most of our students come into Foxfire very credit deficient, 00:00:14.116 --> 00:00:20.246 and we've developed a way for the students to earn credits quickly and with a high interest, 00:00:20.426 --> 00:00:24.516 so they want to perform the tasks necessary to achieve the credits. 00:00:25.506 --> 00:00:29.896 We have developed a project-based learning system for our students 00:00:29.896 --> 00:00:32.235 to come in and earn credits quickly. 00:00:32.665 --> 00:00:37.246 The projects are designed to be aligned with the State of Ohio 00:00:37.646 --> 00:00:39.966 but also to highly engage the students. 00:00:40.626 --> 00:00:41.836 >> Strock to student: Oh, excellent, Ron. 00:00:42.166 --> 00:00:44.406 Are you working with Ms. Miller on this project, 00:00:44.406 --> 00:00:47.726 or are you doing this on your own independently? 00:00:48.126 --> 00:00:52.806 >> Strock: Students choose projects mostly based on credit 00:00:52.806 --> 00:00:55.476 that they need to accomplish to graduate. 00:00:55.956 --> 00:01:02.906 For example, if a student needs an English credit, he may select a creative writing project 00:01:03.236 --> 00:01:06.756 where he would do some creative writing activities that are outlined and, again, 00:01:06.976 --> 00:01:08.916 aligned with the state guidelines. 00:01:09.496 --> 00:01:12.566 On the other hand, if a student needs an elective, 00:01:12.936 --> 00:01:18.206 there is a wide variety of electives he can choose from, from the history of rock 00:01:18.206 --> 00:01:25.906 and roll to Tupac to the history of hip-hop, sports history, 00:01:26.006 --> 00:01:30.456 all kinds of different high-interest, high-energy, very engaging topics. 00:01:31.366 --> 00:01:36.036 Projects are developed by teachers from each particular discipline. 00:01:36.166 --> 00:01:40.566 In other words, a social studies team designs the social studies project. 00:01:40.666 --> 00:01:44.356 When the teachers develop the projects, they also develop rubrics to make sure 00:01:44.356 --> 00:01:48.566 that the student work follows the state standards and has met those standards. 00:01:49.016 --> 00:01:53.136 Tupac is probably our most popular project initially, 00:01:53.606 --> 00:01:56.256 mainly because students are interested in Tupac. 00:01:56.256 --> 00:02:00.806 There's a little controversy there; is he dead or alive, so that's kind of exciting to them. 00:02:01.446 --> 00:02:06.536 And they're able to do the research, and what's interesting about that project to me is 00:02:06.536 --> 00:02:10.996 that most students come in with a set opinion on what they think about Tupac. 00:02:11.796 --> 00:02:14.116 However, by the time they finish the project, 00:02:14.166 --> 00:02:17.826 the opinion has often changed, which I find rather rewarding. 00:02:18.646 --> 00:02:23.966 They're actually learning some new things about something they were certain they knew all about. 00:02:25.126 --> 00:02:29.056 A lot of our projects help our kids with critical thinking skills too. 00:02:29.056 --> 00:02:31.336 That's a big part of the project-based learning. 00:02:31.916 --> 00:02:35.606 We want the students to be able to not just spit back math facts 00:02:35.636 --> 00:02:41.186 but to determine how they can use those math facts in their everyday lives 00:02:41.186 --> 00:02:43.506 and certainly when they graduate from high school. 00:02:44.166 --> 00:02:49.506 We also want them to be thinking about propaganda that they're bombarded with everyday 00:02:49.596 --> 00:02:53.506 on television ads, newspaper ads, those sorts of things 00:02:53.976 --> 00:02:57.836 and to be able to discern what information is valid. 00:02:58.736 --> 00:03:03.546 Students are asked to create different kinds of projects rather than just take a test 00:03:03.546 --> 00:03:05.506 on information they've memorized. 00:03:06.026 --> 00:03:11.956 They may create a timeline based on the events that happened in the Great Depression, 00:03:11.956 --> 00:03:17.116 events that led up to the Great Depression, and the timeline would be perhaps a poster 00:03:17.416 --> 00:03:21.366 that would have pictures and drawings of situations 00:03:21.366 --> 00:03:23.506 and events that happened leading up to that time. 00:03:24.006 --> 00:03:30.056 Also students do PowerPoint presentations for a variety of different projects. 00:03:30.386 --> 00:03:33.456 Those also integrate computer skills. 00:03:34.456 --> 00:03:39.486 Project-based learning has been such a wonderful success for our school and our students. 00:03:40.086 --> 00:03:46.846 We find that students who come in depressed because they have so many credits, 00:03:46.846 --> 00:03:53.096 an overwhelming amount of credits before graduation and they fear that they'll have to sit 00:03:53.096 --> 00:03:59.746 in an old-fashioned classroom and sit and listen and memorize and take tests and so forth. 00:04:00.206 --> 00:04:06.426 Students remember the situations they were in in their home schools, and those situations, 00:04:06.516 --> 00:04:13.366 perhaps sitting still in class whole day and memorizing information for a test, 00:04:13.526 --> 00:04:17.836 those weren't the ways that most of our students learned effectively. 00:04:18.166 --> 00:04:27.726 So by doing project-based education, the kids see that they can quickly move toward graduation. 00:04:28.036 --> 00:04:29.946 It's not the same old thing. 00:04:30.246 --> 00:04:35.746 It's something that provides interest to them, and it also meets their needs in a positive way. 00:04:36.246 --> 00:04:37.886 >> Strock to student: Which one did you like the best? 00:04:38.536 --> 00:04:39.666 >> Student: I think the voting one. 00:04:39.856 --> 00:04:40.216 >> Strock: Really? 00:04:40.276 --> 00:04:40.676 How come? 00:04:40.676 --> 00:04:40.743 >> Student: Yeah. 00:04:40.743 --> 00:04:43.176 Because we got to go up and actually vote... 00:04:43.176 --> 00:04:48.006 >> Strock: My favorite part of teaching is seeing that light bulb come on with the kids 00:04:48.006 --> 00:04:53.076 and saying, "Oh I can do this and not only that, I can begin to do it on my own, 00:04:54.056 --> 00:04:57.386 and I can graduate from high school,"-something most 00:04:57.386 --> 00:04:59.976 of our students never really thought they'd do.