Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1017146
John Davenport says an "interest-based curriculum" gives students purpose to learning. " Apathy vanishes when students take control of their own learning." — John Davenport, Portola Valley Teachers Association Give 'em a choice Eighth-grade social studies and language arts teacher John Davenport decided to shake things up last year, after 20 years teaching. He implemented "interest-based curriculum" at Corte Madera Elementary School in Portola Valley — which means stu- dents focus on what they are interested in, within the context of U.S. history. After students are surveyed about their interests, they are matched with like-minded students. They work alone if there isn't a match. Some students choose to study the impact of "screen time." Others choose lesbian, gay and transgender rights. Some focus on unfair treatment of women in Hollywood, which has become quite timely. Another chooses to study warfare. Students research the history of their topic and include demog- raphy, economics and geography. They build a website for their research. Then they pose real-world questions related to their topics and collaborate on solutions. Students studying LGBTQ+ equity, for example, found it lacking on their own campus and convinced the administration to hold an assembly to educate all students about the need to treat each other with respect. "From data analysis they determine what needs to be fixed and how to fix it," says Davenport, president of the Portola Valley Teachers Association. "It gives them a real, authentic purpose to learning. And just like the real world, sometimes they must defend their work." In the process, students cover the standards. Last year, they scored high on the standardized test. Students share their research with the rest of the class via Google classroom discus- sions, podcasts, or articles posted online. "Sometimes kids are apathetic because old-fashioned instruc- tion isn't working," says Davenport. " Yes, it's a big change from lecturing to becoming a resource for students. But apathy van- ishes when students take control of their own learning." 24 cta.org BTS 2018 s p e c i a l i s s u e