The visit to JL Mann High School was very enlightening for me. Being that I teach preschool and my own children have not yet reached high school yet (until next school year), I have not known or been in tune with anything pertaining to the high schools. In fact, I had not set foot in a high school since my 10 year high school reunion (which was a long time ago) until this day. First of all, I didn't realize that JL Mann had a separate building that houses the PBL classes. The students have the option of PBL classes or regular traditional classes which I think is awesome to have those choices.
The way the PBL building is designed is amazing! I really like how you can look into the classrooms as you walk by, and I like the common sitting areas outside the classrooms. I enjoyed watching two teachers co-teach a math class. I was impressed by how they worked together and facilitated while the students worked collaboratively. Being able to talk with the students in three classes about current and past projects was also a treat! What a wonderful learning environment! Although it has been very challenging over the years to create this environment, it is evident that the staff at JL Mann is committed to working hard everyday to effectively implement the PBL approach.
Hi Tieraney,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you enjoyed our visit to J.L. Mann high school as well. I like the fact that students can choose the pbl approach or a traditional approach and that the pbl wing does have it's own building which is set up for this non traditional type of teaching and learning. Thanks, Dawn