Evidently, this is gaining a lot of popularity in the traditional school setting... found this on an education site.

Chard defines project learning as an "in-depth investigation of a real-world topic worthy of children's attention and effort." She advocates a three-phased approach: Phase 1 involves an initial discussion of a project topic, including children's firsthand experiences related to the topic. Phase 2 involves fieldwork, sessions with experts, and various aspects of gathering information, reading, writing, drawing, and computing. Phase 3 is the presentation of the project to an audience.

If schoolchildren are given the gift of exploration, society will be the beneficiary, both in practical and in theoretical ways, scholars say. "This is the way that mathematics started," notes MIT's Seymour Papert. "It started not as this beautiful, pure product of the abstract mind. It started as a way of controlling the water of the Nile, building the pyramids, sailing a ship. And gradually it got richer and richer."

Kids who are excited about what they learn tend to dig more deeply and to expand their interest in learning to a wide array of subjects. They retain what they learn rather than forget it as soon as they disgorge it for a test. They make connections and apply their learning to other problems. They learn how to collaborate, and their social skills improve. They are more confident talking to groups of people, including adults. And, as a number of research reports suggest, project-based learning correlates positively with improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, and fewer disciplinary problems.

Examples of projects applicable to the here and now abound:

• At Mountlake Terrace High School, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, teams of students in a high school geometry class design a state-of-the-art high school for 2050. The students create a site plan, make simple architectural drawings of rooms and a physical model, draw up a budget, and write a narrative report. They present their work to real architects, who judge the projects and "award" the contract.
• At Newsome Park Elementary School, in Newport News, Virginia, second graders curious about the number of medicines a classmate takes and her frequent trips to the doctor investigate -- with the classmate's permission -- the causes of cystic fibrosis. They invite experts to tell them about the disease, write up their research, use graphs and PowerPoint to tell the story, sell pledges to a cystic fibrosis walk-a-thon, and participate in the event.
• At the Mott Hall School, in New York City's Harlem district, a fifth-grade project on kites involves using creative writing skills in poems and stories with kite themes. While designing their own kites on the computer and then making them by hand, students learn about electromagnetism and the principles of ratios and proportions. A casual remark by one student leads to an in-depth study of the role of kites in various cultural celebrations.

Useful Websites:
http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning
http://www.projectapproach.org/
http://kidswhothink.blogspot.com/

Ex. of Elementary Using Project Based Learning:
http://www.edutopia.org/newsome-park
http://www.edutopia.org/hula-high-tech-video
http://www.edutopia.org/beginning-journey-five-year-olds-drive-their-own-pbl-projects

Birds in his head

Daedalus
by Alastair Reid

My son has birds in his head.
I know them now. I catch
the pitch of their calls, their shrill
cacophonies, their chitterings, their coos.
They hover behind his eyes and come to rest
on a branch, on a book, grow still,
claws curled, wings furled.
His is a bird world.

I learn the flutter of his moods,
his moments of swoop and soar.
From the ground I feel him try
the limits of the air —
sudden lift, sudden terror —
and move in time to cradle
his quivering, feathered fear.
At evening, in the tower,
I see him to sleep and see
the hooding-over of eyes,
the slow folding of wings.
I wake to his morning twitterings,
to the croomb of his becoming.

He chooses his selves — wren, hawk,
swallow or owl — to explore
the trees and rooftops of his heady wishing.
Tomtit, birdwit.
Am I to call him down, to give him
a grounding, teach him gravity?
Gently, gently.
Time tells us what we weigh, and soon enoughhis feet will reach the ground.
Age, like a cage, will enclose him.
So the wise men said.

My son has birds in his head.

Provocations

Wonderfully, juicy stuff from: www.whiteoakschool.com~

After reading about education for more than a decade, I find that I am drawn again and again to the same core ideas, no matter who is talking about them — authentic art, children orchestrating their own learning, thoughtful and purposeful adults working with children, long-term projects.
Reggio educators talk about “provocations” — deliberate and thoughtful actions taken by adults to provoke or extend children’s thinking.

Unschoolers talk about “strewing” the environment.

This shared concept recognizes that children (like all people) would rather make their own discoveries than be told what to do.

One very successful experiment we made with a group of three- and four-year-olds: We set a lovely bouquet of spring daffodils in the art studio in a beautiful vase, on a small pine table. Next to the table was an easel, a very familiar site in the studio, which had several easels. Instead of being set up with the normal selection of paints, however, there were many glass jars filled with an abundance of different shades of yellow and green. Not just one yellow, but six different subtle shades of yellow. Not just one green, but an amazing selection of greens, from light citrusy green-yellow to dark glossy green.

The juxtaposition of these things was a provocation. No one pointed them out to the children, saying “Look at this! Look at the colors!” No one asked, “Would you like to paint the daffodils?” They were simply in the studio, waiting to be discovered. The children found them, were delighted, and created beautiful paintings. They had new ideas about mixing colors; in fact, their ideas were taken to a whole new level from red + blue = purple. They understood the possibilities, and they immediately incorporated them into their thinking and began hatching new ideas of their own.

We talked about how we wanted students to interact with our classroom. We didn’t want them to come in and know every day that the block area contained this and the art studio had that. We wanted them to come in every day and not know what they might find. This, we felt, would encourage them to see their classroom as a dynamic, ever-evolving environment where anything could happen. In turn, we felt being on their toes all the time would help encourage habits of curiosity and interest.

Rather than put every material out on the first day of school, we added things throughout the year. Rather than announcing any new addition as a special treat and drawing attention to it (which creates the additional problem of 15 children wanting to use it at once), we simply added things and let them be discovered. Then the children told each other and showed each other.

At home, I still value this curriculum of curiosity. I think about how much my actions — careless or thoughtful, accidental or purposeful — affect my children’s attitudes and habits. I think about what a different reaction you elicit when you say “Look at this thing for you to do; here, this is how you do it” rather than simply creating an environment of possibility.

The difference between having an art studio and having art materials in a drawer is that the first acts as a constant provocation — the easel always beckons, the art materials call to you from their sunny shelf. Using that as inspiration, I try to make sure the rest of our home is filled with things that beckon — books, sketchbooks, journals, music, cozy nooks, science tools, field guides, binoculars. And always, always, most important — room to work. A clean table, an empty place on the floor. Not only exciting new things to find and use, but a place to use them.

Back to the daffodils ... I wonder what would have happened if we had put out the same flowers, the same paints, and then told the children that everyone would take turn painting the flowers. No wonder, no excitement of discovery, no figuring out what was there. No deciding what to do with your find, no thrill of showing another child. Instead, a defined task and 14 other people doing it, too. What habits and attitudes does that teach?

Day One: I'm a control freak

We headed out to Michael's to buy a sketch book for this project. I had no idea they were so expensive! We're going to have to rethink the sketch book or find it cheaper somewhere else. Automatically, I stepped in... dictating everything from the thickness to where and how it was bound. Soon, she backed off and let me pick it out... and stood around bored. NOT a good start. On the way to the store she got out her sketch pad and pencils and started to draw. She drew a spool of thread and how she thought that the thread was woven together to make fabric. I loved this. Ella grabbed my sketch pad and started working on her own "project" she said. She drew a trash can and some worms crawling out of it and said, "I want to know how worms get in trash cans!" Oiy. She's started young!

I prompted Anna, just a little:), on speaking politely and clearly... totally psyche her out for this... like I thought that she would be impolite??? She's the sweetest girl ever! I just felt the need to put in my two cents. CONTROL. When we got there, I tried to follow her lead. She wandered over to the fabric and started feeling stuff. Immediately I started talking about what is this fabric made of and what does this one say that it is? She was interested for a nano-second. I wrote down words like, "Organza, mesh, rayon, cotton... 100%... 60% 40%..." My mind raced a mile a minute. I had visions of fabric swatches and magnifying glasses and math lessons dancing in my head. Anna... not so much.

She wanted to find a lady and ask her question. We scoped all the workers out and she finally settled on the lady that sells the sewing machines. Anna spoke in a nice, clear, polite tone... "Excuse me, could you tell me how fabric is made?" The lady looked a little shocked and immediately asked, "Is this for school?" So what do I do? I open my big trap and say, "Yes!" If there were ever a book written about 101 ways to kill a project, I would be the author! The lady went on to say that threads are woven together on a loom. She said she didn't know how to explain it any easier. She looked at me and told me to look online or at the library. She mentioned that we could probably find a hand loom that would give us a better idea of how it's made. I was all on this. Anna... not so much. I dragged them through every aisle. They both clearly wanted to go home. Finally, I relented my control and said, "OK. Let's go."

When we got out, I couldn't resist... "Well, what's next?," I say. "Well, now I want to know how to make thread."

BUT... we aren't through exploring the fabric issue yet. Let's go online and find out how to make our own loom. Let's find a book about how Indians use to do it and compare it with how they do it now. How about finding out how they make fabrics with such cool designs.

I resisted.

So, I'm not sure how this going to go. Her mind doesn't think logically enough. She's not asking the right questions (or the ones I would have her to ask.) If she goes to the library and finds some boring pictureless books or gets on the internet and has to sift through useless garbage before she gets to a good sight then won't she loose interest? Don't I need to find these things for her first? Is she too young to look this stuff up herself?

The point is for HER to find it, her to ask the questions, her to explore, her to develop sifting skills, reason and logic. Not me. (Although, I sure could use some help in these areas myself.)

I think her interest in this is minimal at this point. I'm wondering if I should just let it go or keep on? What do I do next that won't be leading her, but opening up her mind to explore?

I think that I might set out some fabric and a magnifying glass and see what she does. She did ask to go to the library tomorrow, so I'm going to take her there.

Clearly, the hardest part of this project learning is ME... getting over myself, getting over my control issues, getting over my own disabilities.

Right now, the girls are playing together in their room. I hear Ella yelling, "All aboard! We're going to Haiti to save the children! Let's go!" Not many kids find themselves playing "save a life." I love that their hearts are being opened to compassion and helping others at such a young age.

I still have questions about whether this style of learning will teach the girls the things they "need" to know. I can see how projects could include different aspects of science and history and math, etc. But history is chronological. Shouldn't it be learned in that manner? Math concepts build on one another. Shouldn't they start at the basics first? More questions then answers. We'll follow this where it leads and find out.

I am debating about whether I should set up some math "activities" and lay them out for her to choose what she wants to do. Perhaps, adding a bit of a montessori flavor to this would be a good idea.

This is a great experiment.

Jumping off a cliff

Yes, mom... apparently Ella can blog now. I didn't even know that she had posted that blog until today. I showed a few friends this site and saw it there. How in the world did she manage to find this site, get into the posting setting, and actually publish it? Hmmm....

I've been reading a lot recently about project-based learning. It fits right along with the unschooling philosophy and blends in nicely with the "interest-based learning" that I've been thinking about lately. If you want to read more then please check out: http://www.whiteoakschool.com/

Anna asked me today why weren't starting school like her friend is? I told her that I am changing my philosophy on education and kind of just bared my sould as to what I hope for her as a learner. I told her that I wanted to help her learn about what SHE wants to know, that I wanted to help her discover what she loves, that I wanted her to learn HOW to learn and to love learning. I talked with her in brief about this project based learning and her eyes lit up. Immediately she asks, "Mom... how do people make fabric?" Uh, what??? NOT the topic I would have chosen, but OK. Let's roll with it. SO, I say, "Great question! Let's find out! How do you think we could find an answer to that question?" Because the whole point of this is not that she find the answer, but that she learns HOW to find the answer... that she learns HOW to learn, how to discover, how to ask good questions, how to be resourceful, how to piece together information, how to think critically and logically. So the process is JUST as important (if not more so) then the end result. Anna says, "I don't know. Maybe we could go to the fabric store and ask them." My mind starts whirling. Fabric store- Joanne's. Does the lady making $6.50 an hour at Joanne's know how fabric is made? Will she look at us like we are CRAZY? Will she treat my sweet Anna nicely? Will she encourage her learning instead of discouraging her? Oh me oh my oh!

Well, we'll find out! Stay tuned!

Honestly, this whole approach is thrilling, exhilirating, and terrifying all at the same time! I don't know how in the heck it's all gonna go down:) But it's a thrill to take my daughter's hand, put my trust in her God-given natural ability to learn and be curious, and follow that wherever it leads.

I have to admit, though, that almost all of my fear is due to the fact that I was traditionally schooled and do not know education in any other light. Do I REALLY know how to learn myself? Do I LOVE learning? Do I still have a natural curiousity or has it been damaged beyond repair by years of being spoon fed knowledge? Do I know my own interests and passions? Do I really know myself? How can I help her discover herself if I don't even know me?

Perhaps this is the great journey! I am leading my daughter on a path to discovery and along the way, I have a feeling that I will be discovering myself!

Fun and Fear. That is what I feel right now!

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