At Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, we're entering a third year of transition from a school tradition where students could elect to do a senior project in a largely unstructured environment, without the support of a course.
We're continuing to learn about how our still-new Capstone Course should continue to develop, pushing students to employ the highest level of skills they have gained throughout high school, from research and writing to presentation and communication. Since the course is an optional elective, we're wondering what we need to do to attract enrollment, without hiding the fact that the work will be harder than other elective classes.
Students enter Capstone with a broad range of preexisting skills. How should we differentiate instruction so that students who need structure receive it, while students who thrive with more independence are given the space and time they need?
Also, which course activities take the “wind out of the sails?” Which ones generate the most excitement? This feels almost like an endless feedback loop, as we're seeing what works and what doesn't, and as every individual student as well as every cohort brings a unique perspective.
As an example, we’ve asked students to regularly (weekly) blog about their projects. The feedback we received from students, was, lets say, largely unenthusiastic about this aspect of Capstone. At the same time, as with many (most?) Capstone programs, reflective writing is of fundamental value. Our plan for next year is to provide more individualized prompts for posts, and to shift away from calling it a “blog”.
A simple answer for many of these challenges is just that: cater to each individual student’s needs by better individualizing the experience. This inevitably requires more time and more faculty support especially as the program grows.
We’ve also seen the value of the cohort. Students thrive when they’re part of a community of learners on parallel journeys, or even on the same journey. The challenge is to maintain a balance of individualism and collectivism.
Kevin McGrath, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, MA
The views of each blog post are the experiences of the individual instructor and school and do not necessarily represent the views of the Consortium