Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/619098
attributed to the emphasis on collaboration. "Everybody is pretty friendly here," says Alex Ford, a junior. "Project-based learning increases c o o p e ra t i o n a n d i n t e ra c t i o n amon g stud ents. It 's just li ke being at work, when you collabo- rate with people you don't know." TACKLING REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES In Antonio Orozco's Spanish class, stu- dents are assigned to create their own cooking show entirely in Spanish, film it, then prepare the same dish for their family. Their dish must be from a Span- ish-speaking country, and their show must incorporate cultural aspects of that country. Students also create "novelas," or short soap operas in Spanish, reflecting th em e s su ch a s m ar ri a ge , divorce or mental health, and then film their productions. P r o j e c t - b a s e d l e a r n i n g i s th e g o a l i n e v e r y c l a ss , so learning is relevant, stu- dent-centered, creative and has applications in the com- munity. Like the workplace, students are expected to tackle big projects that can take weeks or months. Many of the dis- trict's elementar y and middle " feeder" schools also embrace PBL, so students are used to it. "Our PBL model is not a traditional model. It requires a teacher to act more in a facilitator role," says humanities teacher Elaine Boloyan. " There is not what we grew up with — where the teacher was the 'sage on the stage.' Here the students are collaborating and working in groups, requiring teach- ers to circulate and spend hands-on time with each group." When studying the Great Depression and the New Deal, her 11th-graders are asked to give voice to today 's "forgotten man." Student groups collaborate to cre- ate an infographic about people they feel are forgotten in today's society — such as migrant workers, homeless teens or the mentally ill — and then write letters to someone in a position of power t o i n f l u e n c e s u p p o r t o f t h i s group, arguing the importance of addressing this group's needs a n d o u t l i n i n g s p e c i f i c i d e a s about how to help this popula- tion. " The emphasis on relevancy a n d r e a l - w o r l d c o n n e c t i o n s i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t m a k e o u r campus a sp ecial place," says Boloyan. "Our students are often solving real problems that exist in the community." A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION The school has a seven-period day, and teachers have two prep periods daily. One is spent collaborating with their peers. e goal is to change the definition of teaching as something done in isolation to some- thing that is shared with peers. Some days, teachers may be grouped together by subject matter in professional learning communities; other days, teach- ers may meet according to grade level. On the day the Educator has come to visit, teachers are meeting with "cohorts" — other teachers who have prep period at the same time. The topic is how to align PBL across subject matt er, and ceramics t each er A d am Mu sto sh are s th at h e's h a d an "epiphany" for cross-curricular PBL with a business class: He will ask students to design mugs for Starbucks featuring their heroes, which will lead to a broader dis- cussion of marketing ethos and practices. "I love the collaboration among staff," O roz c o s ay s . "O ur m e e tin g s are v er y valuable. They allow us to improve our curriculum, share different strategies to implement curriculum, and share results from our assessments. We also come up with solutions to help students who don't understand the material." is style of teaching is not for every- one, Goff says. "But for teachers who are innovative, collaborative, willing to look at their practice and try new things without worrying about failure or judgment, this is an amazing place to work." American Canyon High School A comprehensive public school and member of Napa-based New Tech Network, a national nonprofit that help schools implement project-based learning and embed the use of technology with teachers and students. Elaine Boloyan Antonio Orozco teaches Spanish class, which places a heavy emphasis on project-based learning and research, and multimedia assignments. 34 cta.org THE ISSUE INNOVATION