Foster City Islander Article - 11-08-2006
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Charter Public |
Phyllis Moore, President, Foster City High School Foundation |
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New Skills for a New Century
Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Washington Post editor Katherine Graham all received the same advantage—their education included Project-based Learning. This successful hands-on approach will be the main teaching method at Foster City’s charter public high school.
Project-based learning develops the essential skills our children need to compete and thrive in the 21st century global economy—critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication. It also teaches self-discipline and instills responsibility, together with interpersonal and project-management skills required for successful leadership and teamwork.
Project-based learning engages students. They learn while working on practical projects of personal interest to them. They learn critical thinking by taking on complex problems. They learn research techniques by solving those problems. They learn collaboration by working in teams. They learn leadership by leading those teams. They learn communication by reporting their results and presenting them to other students. They learn technology by using technology.
A few examples of actual learning projects illustrate the power of this approach: learning science and sociology while planning a human settlement on Mars; learning history and public health while researching the political and economic effects of Bubonic plague epidemics; learning ecology and political science while predicting the effects of deforestation on global weather; learning law and communications while producing a public service announcement on the hazards of using cell phones while driving.
Project-based learning builds on the unique interests and talents of each individual and taps into each student’s natural zest for learning. It empowers them to explore, encourages them to create, teaches them to overcome obstacles and fills them with confidence. Most importantly, it teaches them the skills they need to succeed in today’s world and instills a lifelong love of learning.
