Course description

A multi-disciplinary team of students spends a week over winter session at an elementary school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school integrates project-based learning and the arts into its curriculum. While on site, the team works directly with children to model the use of high- and low-tech resources for organizing and inspiring the tough work of learning through complex projects. In 2017, the team focused on video filming and editing; in 2018, the project was writing, illustrating, and binding short stories. Pre-departure seminars near the end of the fall semester familiarize students with the project, the school’s background and strategic plan, and basic classroom-management skills.

Outcome 1: Describe the academic and other standards to which elementary school students and their teachers in Louisiana are held accountable.

Outcome 2: Explain the history, demographics, current student performance data, and rules and protocols for the elementary school.

Outcome 3: Discuss advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of engaging in participant-observation as a method of understanding a context such as a school

Outcome 4: Explain why it’s valuable to, engage in critical reflection during and after a community- engagement experience.

Outcome 5: Give clear directions and ask clear questions that help students complete the different parts of a multi-faceted project.

Outcome 6: Describe the challenges and benefits—for students, education professionals, and schools—of enacting project-based pedagogy (vs. more conventional direct instruction.

Outcome 7: Demonstrate modeling skills for elementary-age students.

Outcome 8: Examine the daily challenges of school professionals (teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals) and be more comfortable and skilled at interacting with them

Permission of instructor required. An interview with the instructor.

No upcoming classes were found.

Previously offered classes

The next offering of this course is undetermined at this time.