A key pillar of what makes Saklan’s project work so uniquely enriching and rigorous is the way students get to extend their learning beyond the walls of the classroom. Project Based Learning gives students a sense of authentic purpose by seeking to answer a question or solve a problem that is relevant to their lives.
Often this means taking our learning off campus and connecting with experts in relevant fields who can help students with their need to know questions or provide valuable feedback during the revision process. Students often head out into the field to learn directly from professionals and we also invite experts into our classrooms in person and via zoom as well.
Our staff are lifelong learners with authentic inquiries, so they regularly get out into the field to answer their own big questions! Just this summer our teachers attended a variety of professional developments. In this way we not only model for students what it means to engage with experts, but we grow our knowledge so we can be experts for one another and, occasionally for each other’s classrooms too! Don’t be surprised if later this year your child tells you Vickie or Linda popped into their room to share about the climate and weather of Egypt, changes to the Nile River, or camel adaptations!
Each year, as our projects evolve we are eager to connect with new experts- we’d love your help! Perhaps you, a family member, or a friend would be interested in connecting with Saklan students! These opportunities to connect in classes help us deepen our project curriculum and drive student inquiry and learning. Use the button below to sign up as an expert for one of our PBL units. You can also email Linda Lathrop, our Project Curriculum Instructional Coach at llathrop@saklan.org. This fall we are hoping to connect with folks who can share about:
- Religious or cultural traditions
- Emergency preparedness (particularly for fires and earthquakes)
- City planners
- Architects
- Archaeologists
- Museum curators or employees
- Writers
- Scientists who study outer space, animal adaptations, or insects)
- Agriculturalists or farmers
- Musicians
#SaklanLifeLongLearners #SaklanPBL #SaklanGuestExperts
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