Created August 9, 2021 for The Branch School blog as an informative marketing piece to educate current and perspective school parents on what project-based learning is, and how The Branch School incorporates project-based learning into the curriculum. This blog was part of a series written from the point of view of an alumni.
The Branch School mission statement is teaching children how to love, learn, lead. As an alumni of The Branch School, a good example of the mission statement in action is through their use of project-based learning.
What is project-based learning? Project-based learning is learning that centers on the student by allowing them to choose their own topics for in-depth investigations. It teaches independent study of personally meaningful subjects in a cooperative environment. Projects are done in multiple stages under the supervision of the teacher. The stages often include introduction to the general topic, choosing the project (a driving question or problem to solve), planning, research individually or in pairs, implementation, evaluation, and presentations. At The Branch School projects combine multiple academic disciplines such as reading, writing, math, science and presentation skills into a final cohesive product.
I found project-oriented learning to be a wonderful way to learn because I was able to choose topics that were personally meaningful to me. I could use what I was learning in school along with research skills to answer real life questions. I got to work on topics that were interesting to me and to learn from the topics that my peers found intriguing.
Projects throughout my time at The Branch School consistently provided opportunities for me to learn how to plan, research, write, and present information. The project-oriented process taught at The Branch School from preschool-8th grade developed my love to learn through research and helped me learn to lead through collaborations and presentations. Ultimately, project-based learning projects provided a framework for learning and presenting what I learned which helped throughout my high school and college years.
At The Branch School, I felt secure, socially and emotionally. I was able to develop intellectually and academically in my own way because each project helped me develop confidence. A few examples of project-based learning at The Branch School include:
1st Grade: Chocolate Factory Unit
We studied chocolate through reading stories about chocolate, learning math and science through chocolate recipes, taking a field trip to a chocolate factory and ultimately through a creative writing project on “What would I do if I woke up made of chocolate for a day?”
1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade: Reading Rainbow
Participated in a city-wide creative writing and illustration competition through writing and illustrating an original short story. My stories were titled, “The Lost Baby Star,” “The Lizard Trap,” and “The Fairy Who Wanted a New Job.”
Middle School: Invention Convention
Created new inventions which solved real world problems such as a light up umbrella, a “Forget Me-Not” charm bracelet that serves as a daily task reminder, and a color coded ruler. Interestingly, I recently discovered the ruler I invented is now a real product for sale by someone with the same idea.
Middle School: Sequoia
Created a new world government and architectural dig site.
8th Grade: Capstone
Studied Western Cartoons vs. Japanese Animation. Other students studied subjects as diverse as snowflakes, black holes, making healthy life choices, peer pressure, positive messages about women’s bodies, designing cars and green architecture.
I fondly remember my days at The Branch School. The school is truly a unique place to learn academically, socially, and creatively in a safe and loving environment.
Comentários