As we approach the final months before summer break, it’s the season for diving into more research projects. Exciting, right? Some of you may be wondering why we started doing these projects in the first place.
At high schools across the country, students are trading textbooks for teamwork as they dive into project-based learning—an educational approach that emphasizes real-world problem solving over rote memorization. The movement has gained momentum thanks in large part to Edutopia, a nonprofit initiative launched by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, which has championed and documented innovative teaching practices since the 1990s.
(Mr. Schafer)
Ms. Angela Summers explains, “I think the benefit is that you gain hands-on experience with something larger than what we usually do here, and you get to work with other people, which is a huge advantage. In the working world, many of the skills that businesses look for are collaborative and communicative skills, and this is the best way to develop those skills for future jobs.” This is why we continue to work on these projects year after year.
For this Viper journalist, my experiences with these projects have changed my perspective on their value. They help you communicate better with the people around you and allow you to express your creativity based on the lessons you’ve learned in your classes.
Spanish teacher Ms. Karimy Bryson here at Verrado, shared, “I love them. As a teacher, I see these projects as an opportunity for students to really bring their own voices into what they’re learning. They’re not just being told what to do; they choose aspects like the country to focus on or the restaurant to research. They get to make it their own, and that’s what makes it meaningful.”
Senior Gianna Serino added, “Getting to build a perfect human with my group was super fun because it was a really unique project. We loved giving our perfect human, whom we named Chaday, little details in her outfit. It was also fascinating to see what science says is genetically perfect. Getting to construct her in class was easily one of the best days in class because you got to see everyone else’s creativity through their projects. ”
These projects aren’t just another task we have to complete every year. Instead, they offer us valuable lessons about how the real world functions, especially in terms of communication and collaboration skills that are crucial for success in both school and future careers.
