Model Program
LEARNING BY DOING
DESCRIPTION
We learn through the acquisition of experiences; which is the basis of Learning by Doing. The experiences that build up our knowledge base cannot be learned vicariously. Human beings are natural learners and we discover things before we learn from them (Schank, 1995). Learning best occurs when students’ backgrounds are incorporated, classrooms are student-centered, and students take responsibility for their own learning (Fisher, 2008). Instructional time is devoted to engaging students in inquiry, collaboration, and discussion.
Life is complicated and our focus on Learning by Doing offers our students strategies to approach issues, make sense of them, and formulate solutions to a variety of problems. Students tackle well-crafted, teacher designed, interdisciplinary standards-based lessons that present relevant problems. These lessons address and develop content knowledge and 21st century skills that provide students the foundational tools they need for the rest of their educational careers and will be required in the workplace.
Nobel supports students in developing 21st century learning skills. Twenty-first century learning means that students master content while producing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for diverse cultures. To be prepared for college and career, students must demonstrate the three Rs (relationships, relevance, and rigor), and also the three Cs (creativity, communication, and collaboration). They demonstrate digital literacy as well as civic responsibility. These critical skills are practiced and developed through the strategies imbedded within Learning by Doing, and support our students’ social-emotional and behavioral development, benefitting all students.
Nobel’s goals parallel the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP): culmination rates of 100%, academic proficiency for all students, 100% attendance, increased parent and community engagement, and total student safety. Learning by Doing is aligned with our district’s LCAP through meaningful experiential learning that promotes a safe and respectful learning environment, optimizing student attendance, academic proficiency, and culmination, as well as increased parent/community engagement.
Implementation AND MONITORING
Nobel’s charter renewed for 2017-2022 with the vision to provide students with a school environment that allows them to become successful lifelong learners with skills in critical thinking and problem-solving so that they are college and career ready. Experiential learning is the most viable pedagogy in use today and many educational theorists assert its value (Kolb, D., 2000), (Moon, 2013), and (Squire, 2011). This pedagogy puts learners at the center of knowledge creation, and when combined with reflection and metacognitive analysis this type of learning produces significant results. These and other studies demonstrate that learning is maximized in an apprenticeship model: when students are Learning by Doing.
Our sixth-grade team of teachers has historically engaged our incoming students through Learning by Doing. These project-based lessons are then shared with the larger school community and parents throughout the school year as students present their learning in a variety of ways: paired class demonstrations, grade-level presentations, and school-wide exhibitions. These projects include: Black History Invention Museum, GRAPES of History (ancient civilizations focusing on geography, religion, achievements, politics, economy, and social structure), and Marketplace (student created businesses). With the success of our sixth-grade program, we recognized an opportunity to support our seventh- and eighth-grade students beginning with our English and history departments.
Nobel’s school-wide instructional focus with Learning by Doing kicked off in 2017-2018 with a professional development schedule that included training by the USC School of Education for English and history teachers in inquiry-based learning (IBL). Common planning time was allocated for collaborative lesson and unit design to allow teachers to implement their IBL lessons in the spring semester. Through our Instructional Leadership Team and Professional Development Committee, additional time was provided for teacher teams to share their lessons/units, complete with student products, and teacher reflections in a culminating year-end professional development highlighting best practices.
Nobel’s methods of monitoring our students’ academic growth include school-wide analysis of annual Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC) results, with additional department focus specific to the California Common Core State Standards (CCSS); teacher and counselor analysis of student grades; and the LAUSD School Experience Survey.
Nobel’s Instructional Leadership Team and Professional Development Committee prioritize Learning by Doing in their monthly meetings, supporting staff as they continue to develop and create additional avenues of involving all stakeholders in the program. Nobel continues to reflect on the effectiveness of Learning by Doing through consideration of our students’ engagement, teachers’ reflections, and stakeholders’ involvement/feedback.
RESULTS AND OUTCOMES
The 2018 SBAC English Language Arts data from our targeted populations (Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino; Socioeconomically Disadvantaged; English Learners; Students with Disabilities) showed we increased in all populations, with a significant increase for our English Learners.
From 2016-2017 to 2017-2018, our Black or African American students increased nearly 11 points; Hispanic or Latino students increased 13 points; our Socioeconomically Disadvantaged students increased nearly 11 points; and Students with Disabilities increased a little over 6 points. Nobel’s English Learners grew nearly 16 points. Overall, our students are 46.9 points above standard, showing an increase of a little over 12 points.
The responses to the annual LAUSD School Experience Survey were analyzed to assess our progress on parent engagement. The findings are directly aligned to the goals established for LCAP. Nobel demonstrates that it has met the standards for the performance indicator concerning parent engagement as it exceeded 90% positive responses in 7 out of 7 questions.
From our 2017-2018 School Experience Survey, 82% of our students reported that they are happy at school, compared to 74% for the district’s combined middle schools. We saw a 6% increase from 2016-2017 for students who reported that they feel like they are a part of the school, and we rank higher than the district’s combined middle schools in this category.
Anecdotally, our English and history teachers consistently remarked on the enthusiastic engagement of students during the second semester who had rarely, if ever, participated in class. These students were actively involved inside and outside of the classroom, producing some of the best student projects from the IBL lessons implemented in the spring semester.
In spring 2018, Nobel students spent hours planning and preparing to share their inquiry-based learning projects with their families and our community at the annual open house. Some students required space for stakeholders to interact with the projects, while other students needed space that allowed them to share their process and reflection of their work with guests. Technology was an integral element of many student projects, which provided extended learning opportunities in setting up and troubleshooting the technology. What was notable about the event was the level of student involvement leading up to and throughout the evening, and the positive feedback they received from stakeholders.
Although we have made gains in the recognized areas, we know there are opportunities to support our students’ growth in other areas. This year our math department is engaged in a collaborative lesson creation process with grade level peers, focusing on student engagement, in particular with target populations struggling to achieve proficiency in traditional, textbook-based classrooms. Professor Ivan Cheng of California State University Northridge is leading our math teachers through the development of J.I.T. Problem Based Learning Lessons that incorporate technology to accelerate student learning and mastery.
As Nobel’s STeM Magnet program grows to incorporate the visual and performing arts (STEAM) for 2019-2020, we see the opportunity to provide more regular use of technology in all classrooms to support our students through the Learning by Doing strategies, whether in online research, recording and reflecting on their processes, or as a means of producing and publishing their final products.
Nobel’s staff is committed to closing the achievement gap, involving families and community, and engaging all students through Learning by Doing.