Why We Incorporate Project-based Learning
The Love of Learning
At Maharishi School, we want to instill the love of learning in each of our students. We recognize that no one, not even the most developed and mature adult, wants to spend years and years of their life doing something he or she doesn’t want to do. In reality, learning is something we must do our entire life, whether in a job or in relationships or as we travel to new cultures. With that understanding, we believe it is important to promote the love of learning at a young age to teach our students to find subjects they are passionate about and innovative ways to learn about their passions. This is why we structure in project-based learning time.
Daily Routine
Every day students are given 70 minutes to work on a passion project. They problem-solve, experiment, falter and keep striving. Through the process, they learn real-world skills that will serve them when they are adults working on projects at their workplaces. Some of the Learning Goals for project learning are creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, a growth mindset, societal impact and service, interdisciplinary integration, development of student portfolios.
Each project is either designed by a teacher or proposed by the student at the conception stage and addresses an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. The students work either independently or in small teams and exercise real-life skills in their areas of interest while being fully supported by teachers, community experts, and leaders brought in to match the students’ interests. At the end of each quarter, all the students’ projects are showcased as part of a community-wide event.
College Preparation
We are seeing a shift in college preparation. Instead of judging students by their SAT or ACT scores, colleges are taking a more holistic approach. They take into consideration SAT or ACT score, but they also look at the student for their entire high school experience. This is displayed in a portfolio. In our project time, students are able to develop diverse portfolios.
Read more about Project-Based Learning here.
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