Network Schools – Wayne Gerseny to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/03/magazine/thomas-piketty-interview u w B l.html?h I’ll smid=url-share the Is for

Tom Vander Ark has offered many potentially positive ideas on how the Covid 19 pandemic could change the landscape of public education. In this Forbes article he suggests that capstone projects might be a better means of measuring student learning than the traditional final exams given to students at the end of the school year. And what does Mr. Vander Ark mean by a Capstone project? He suggests an interdisciplinary undertaking that requires the student to show the relevance of his studies to the real world, a project that requires that they work with classmates as a team. He writes:

Big integrated projects build agency—the knowledge and confidence that you can contribute. It teaches project management, research, problem solving, writing, and presentation skills. Team projects develop collaboration skills and learners will have the opportunity to gain experience in remote working and the use of modern tools.

Mr. Vander Ark offers several examples of how this is already happening in school districts and describes various resources that are available to teachers who are interested in pursuing this direction. Now might be the time to broaden this initiative!