Real-world Projects

It's about connections. The paint brush they are holding or the mouse they are maneuvering should reflect their interests, their world, and their future.

Not every project will be a real-world experience, but every project can be relevant. A still life of drapery may cause some students to disengage, but what if it they were drawing their own personal belongings or the folds of their basketball uniform?

As an art educator it is my goal to use real-world or relevant projects to accelerate student learning and to connect them with future career choices. When students can make connections with how their learning applies to the real-world we begin as teachers to make it r.e.a.l. for them. Real-World Education Accelerates Learning

Project-based learning is organized around projects that provide real-world context and framework for learning. Real-world experiences enhance problem-solving skills, critical thinking, collaborative and leadership skills, and aid in personal student empowerment (Gonzales & Nelson, 2005).

Research from Thomas, as cited in Gonzales & Nelson shows that project–based learning provides:
•         Greater student interest, motivation and empowerment.

•          More sophisticated skill set and knowledge of subject matter.

•            Enhanced problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
•            Better-developed collaborative and leadership skills
•            Higher congruency with workplace needs  (2005)

Educational Philosophy
  • Project-based Learning is organized around projects that provide real-world context and framework for learning. Real-world experiences enhance problem-solving skills, critical thinking, collaborative and leadership skills, and aids in personal student empowerment (Gonzales & Nelson, 2005).
  • Problem-based Learning reverses the roles of student and teacher. Students are given more responsibility for their learning which develops an intrinsic desire for discovery and investigation of a problem. This approach creates a healthy pattern of success for life-long learning to take place. Atypical to the traditional role of a teacher, an instructor using PBL [Problem-based Learning] becomes a facilitator; leading class discussions, mentoring; assisting with valuable resource materials and evaluator; developing appropriate student assessments that provide the “scaffolding” in which the students will use to explore their solution. This hands-off approach creates more proficient problem-solvers, self-directed learners and citizens that are capable of working in community (Barrows & Kelson, 2001).
  • Place-based Learning is eager to awaken young people to the classroom that is “right at their doorstep”. Researching and serving their “own backyard” and local community creates greater intrinsic learning for students.
  • Experiential Learning emphasizes real-world experiences, particularly service-based experiences. The theory rests more on the process rather than the preconceived outcome (Kolb, 1984, p. 21).
  • Multiple Intelligences developed by Howard Gardner in 1983, suggests that there are eight different forms of intelligence. Gardner emphasizes that people learn though a variety of different ways, and thus, our curriculum should be taught in a variety of different ways to engage as many students as possible.

MAE Thesis Abstract by Rachael Van Dyke
A study of over 20,000 American high school students stated that 40% of students admitted to merely going through the motions in the classroom (Steinberg, 1997). As the Industrial Revolution shifted learning from hands-on apprenticeships to streamlined schoolhouse education, lecture-style learning became the new tradition. The conveyor belt approach to education has attributed to disengaged, passive learners over the past two centuries. Recently, varieties of educational philosophies have assisted teachers in motivating their students to become active learners. Studies have shown that students who see relevance in a topic will be more actively engaged in the learning (Paul & Mukhopadhyay, 2004). Teachers who engage the multiple intelligences through real-world experiences have found an increase in student achievement, a decrease in misbehavior and an increase in parental involvement (Kornhaber, 2004 as cited in Gardner, 2004). Theories that fit under the umbrella of real-world projects include project-based learning, problem-based learning, experiential learning and place-based learning. Through real-world experiences in high school art and design students are involved in career- centered projects that involve actual client work, visits to design firms and art studios and community art services. These experiences assist a young person in gaining connections with real artists and designers, portfolio work, and confidence in entering college level classes.