Category Archives: Why Change?

Students Create Innovation Lab Video

Posted on January 10, 2018 by courtneyhawes

For students, By students: Alex, Ben, Nina, and Sophie created an informational video about InLab [here]. Enjoy!

Posted in Announcements, FAQ, Student Blogs, What is PBL?, Why Change? | Leave a comment

Making at Deeper Learning 2016

Posted on March 25, 2016 by courtneyhawes

This morning, Courtney swapped her usual dry-erase marker for a butane torch. About half-an-hour earlier, we had a choice to go to sessions and discuss topics generated by attendees. Or to make stuff. Courtney, a Humanities teacher, spent Wednesday at workshops about brain training … Continue reading →

Posted in Outside GHS, Weekly Wrap-ups, Why Change? | 4 Comments

Engineering Elevated in MPX STEM

Posted on February 11, 2015 by courtneyhawes

It’s February break in Connecticut and a friend’s wedding in LA, a very hospitable Mid-Pacific Institute, a cheap flight, and my own curiosity brings me to Hawaii. While this trip is self-funded, there’s lots to be learned that can benefit … Continue reading →

Posted in Outside GHS, What is PBL?, Why Change? | 3 Comments

STEM and Humanities Combine at Mid-Pacific eXploratory

Posted on February 10, 2015 by courtneyhawes

It’s February break in Connecticut and a friend’s wedding in LA, a very hospitable Mid-Pacific Institute, a cheap flight, and my own curiosity brings me to Hawaii. While this trip is self-funded, there’s lots to be learned that can benefit … Continue reading →

Posted in Outside GHS, What is PBL?, Why Change? | 3 Comments

EXPLORING THE ADJACENT POSSIBLE (AND THE WARM WEATHER OF SAN DIEGO)

Posted on January 21, 2015 by mikebelanger514

Ever since I joined the Innovation Lab team, I’ve heard about High Tech High (HTH), a network of public charter schools in San Diego. The other InLab team members who visited last year described it in quasi-religious language, a mythical … Continue reading →

Posted in Outside GHS, What is PBL?, Why Change? | 2 Comments

A Student Says It Best

Posted on September 9, 2014 by kyaiera

Over the past couple of weeks, in the midst of all the back to school hubbub, the words of a former student keep coming to mind. In the concluding paragraph of his final exam for my Modern World Lit. 500 … Continue reading →

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Learning Math in a PBL Program is Way Different (and that’s okay!)

Posted on August 20, 2014 by courtneyhawes

Since this project started, I’ve constantly struggled to see where math fits into a project-based learning environment. The math most of our students would naturally use in academic research is heavy in statistics, modeling, and basic Algebra/Geometry. Conversely, the standard … Continue reading →

Posted in FAQ, What is PBL?, Why Change? | 1 Comment

The Problem of Creating Better Mentoring Solved Through PBL Environments

Posted on August 13, 2014 by cshaw97

In my career as a teacher, and now especially as an Assistant Dean, I have often pondered the tough questions about education.  Why do some students of average or better intellect fail while others succeed?  Why is there an “achievement … Continue reading →

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The Seeds of Innovation

Posted on July 29, 2014 by kyaiera

The best back to school PD day I ever had didn’t involve administrators, union leadership, or even fellow teachers speaking and presenting. Instead, all of the Stamford Public School teachers gathered in an auditorium and listened to Neil deGrasse Tyson, … Continue reading →

Posted in Why Change? | 1 Comment

Problem-based Learning

Posted on July 15, 2014 by mikebelanger514

On the first day of school, I show my students the classroom scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In it, Ben Stein, speaking in an unwavering monotone, “teaches” an economics lesson to a class of bored students. More like a … Continue reading →

Posted in What is PBL?, Why Change? | 1 Comment