by Mary Wilson
Elementary classrooms look much different today than they
did 30, 15, or five years ago. A glimpse inside Tyler Stolberg’s fifth grade
classroom at Belvidere Elementary in the Grandview School District will not
show students at their desks in rows, the teacher standing at the front of the
class while students take notes as he lectures, or even a traditional
chalkboard.
Stolberg’s room, to the untrained eye, may seem like
complete chaos. Some students are standing in small groups around their desks;
others are lounging on a rug in a corner. IPads are powered on and students are
loudly engaged in their assignment, while Stolberg mills his way around (and
over some), to help answer and guide the students in their project.
Three years ago, Stolberg began integrating Project Lead the
Way (PLTW) into his fifth-grade classroom. He began with two launch modules,
infection detection and energy and collisions. The next year, he added a third
module, and the district added two more teachers to launch the program in their
classrooms alongside Stolberg. His students have outperformed the district
average in testing scores.
“I’ve kept adding to it from there,” said Stolberg. “It’s
really been blossoming and our students are getting great opportunities from
it. Not only is it a part of my science curriculum, but now, with what we’re
doing in the classroom, it’s a part of our entire curriculum. We’re tying it
into everything.”
The Grandview C-4 School District prides itself on being a
leader in innovative teaching and learning practices in all classrooms. In fact, the district was one of the first in
the area to implement Project Lead the Way; and by the 2018-19 school year, PLTW
will be expanded into all schools and implemented at every grade level. The
PLTW Launch program empowers students to adopt a design-thinking mindset
through compelling activities, projects, and problems that build upon each
other and relate to the world around them. It allows students to engage in
hands-on activities in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science.
“The district’s commitment to PLTW is more than 10 years in
the making,” said Grandview C-4 Superintendent Dr. Kenny Rodrequez. “PLTW has
provided additional opportunities for all of our students to have engaging
classroom environments where they can solve real world problems while
critically thinking and collaborating with each other.”
On Thursday, December 7, PLTW President and CEO Vince
Bertram toured Belvidere, visiting the district’s innovation classrooms, which
are designed to provide out-of-the box instruction to students.
PLTW, now in its 20th year of operation, is a
nonprofit organization which focuses on the belief that all students, of every
age, need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them
to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond. Upon
hearing of the program, Bertram, a principal at the time, implemented it into
his own school.
“Within a year, we had 300 students in Project Lead the
Way,” said Bertram. “I discovered, as a young principal, that students were
dropping out of school simply because they were bored and school wasn’t
relevant. I saw something really powerful.”
In 2011, Bertram took the lead position for the PLTW
organization, with a goal to expand the program and transform education in the
country. To date, roughly 300,000 students in 2,000 schools are impacted by
Project Lead the Way programming this school year. The program is seeing tremendous
growth and positive results from each district using it.
“We have teachers across the country that believe in this
work and have created regional collaborations of this model,” said Bertram. “I
think it’s that vision, from a regional perspective, that shows why this work
really matters. It’s about amazing teachers. When we can put that combination
together and provide relevant curriculum and professional development, we can
do great things.”
Bertram said that the PLTW mission and goal is to make the program
available to every student in America. Project Lead the Way promotes, according
to Bertram, a great K-12 experience that, in turn, leads to a great adult life.
“The relevancy of what students are learning today matters
for a lifetime,” said Bertram. “You don’t learn math so you can take a test.
You learn math so you can solve real-world problems. You learn science to apply
it in the real world. There is a greater purpose in all of this.”
When Rodrequez became superintendent in Grandview, he told
his staff that if certain programs were available to students at one school, he
wants those same programs available at all schools. The plan was to implement
PLTW Launch for fifth graders at one school, and then expand and build it into
other schools in the district.
“We want every one of our students to have the opportunity
to be exposed to the Project Lead the Way modules,” said Rodrequez. “This is
what we consider to be the best in education. The kids deserve that. They love
it; it is engaging and teaches them a lot of different things that we can’t
quantify in other areas.”
Rodrequez said that PLTW is working in the district thanks
to the teachers who have embraced the programming. Recently, the Grandview
School District was recognized by Project Lead the Way for offering STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes to all students in
kindergarten through 12th grade. Grandview is one of 45 districts in the state
to be designated a 100-percent access district by PLTW.