Hi Blog!

For my first weekly reflection I will be recapping my thoughts after watching the Most Likely to Succeed documentary. 

Starting the semester in EDCI 336 one of our first tasks was to watch the documentary film covering the innovative and non-traditional teaching methods presented at High Tech High (HTH). The teaching practices highlighted in the documentary are vastly different from anything I have ever experienced during my personal education journey. My education, to this point, has primarily been characterized by standardized testing, leveraging memorization techniques to cover a wide range of content, and letter grades. An interesting point I had never thought of that the film argues is the outdated nature of what our current education system was founded on. Our education system was designed during the Industrial Revolution, where factory jobs needed to be filled. Factories prioritized memorization and routine rather than creativity, which is reflected in our school practices of standardized tests and a “one size fits all learners” model of teaching.

Unlike the traditional education systems I have seen in place, at HTH the educational focus is placed on teaching students ‘soft skills’ that can be applied to their everyday lives. This includes skills like problem solving, confidence, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, innovation and many more. The documentary notes that in a technologically driven society, like ours is today, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for most middle-class jobs to be replaced by technology. That is why these teachers are advocating for soft skills that foster innovation and creativity, skills that are highly adaptable and valued by today’s technological focused workforce and cannot be replaced by evolving technologies.

Contrary to traditional education systems that prioritize standardized tests to measure student growth, at HTH, project-based learning is at the forefront. Each semester the students dive into various collaborative, student-led group projects, which help facilitate the acquisition of these soft skills. The projects are interdisciplinary, tying together multiple concepts, and are student-driven, giving them autonomy over their learning. The final projects are displayed for staff, peers and the public, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate and communicate their learning while instilling a sense of ownership and responsibility for their work. After these exhibitions, students have interview style assessments, feedback from their teachers is provided on their individual growth, successes, and areas for improvement. I really enjoyed this aspect of the film. It is widely accepted that many students, myself included, struggle from anxiety induced by standardized tests which is often unreflective of the knowledge acquired. Another finding from the documentary that I enjoyed was the evidence supporting how the HTH teaching model resulted in a greater acquisition of academic content. The HTH students, who drove their own learning, ended up testing 10% higher than state average exam levels, despite the fact the teachers did not teach to the exam standards.

After watching the film, I still have some questions. For example, how do universities assess the HTH students’ eligibility into their programs when grade levels in each subject are usually required for acceptance? Would it hinder their eligibility to certain post-secondary institutions? Another question that remains is, how do students know which programs they want to enter when applying to universities? If all curriculum content is not covered widely and equally throughout middle-high school, are the students missing out on finding their passions before narrowing into post-secondary programs? And how do HTH students adjust from their project-based learning to post-secondary schools where standardized testing is primarily used? Would they be able to smoothly adjust?

I think this educational system is interesting and does raise several points as to why our current system needs a major overhaul. I am curious to see if there will be significant changes in education at all levels to better set up students for success in a highly technological society, or if we are too stuck in our ways and current teaching practices. Without significant funding to support the technologies required for schools like this to operate, I wonder about the feasibility of the HTH model being replicated in the schools I will end up teaching. One key takeaway from this film I will take into my own teaching career is embracing technology. If I want to set up my future students for success, I think teaching them how to use technology appropriately and responsibly will be critical for their learning and success in a technological world.

That’s all for now!