Harvesting potatoes that are ready to eat in eighth-grade science.

Combining a lesson on the proper technique for throwing a ball with logic in P.E.

Performing in Mandarin against a backdrop of a student-made film.

Measuring out a typical Oregon Trail wagon on the bluetop.

Project-Based Learning Continues to Grow in 2015-16

5/18/2016

The shaping and molding of different subject areas through project-based learning continued unabated at Burke's in the 2015-16 school year, including the following:

Eighth graders visiting the Learning Garden as part of their science curriculum, harvesting vegetables and planting new ones to study the life cycle of plants.
Students learning the logic behind computer programming during Hour of Code through simple coding games using plastic balls in P.E.
Upper School Mandarin students using laptops and video cameras to record short films for the Lunar New Year.
Building handmade ovens and using them to bake s'mores — while also gathering data — in sixth-grade science.
Second graders measuring out and building their own Oregon Trail wagons on the bluetop, then piling in for a real-life representation of the cramped living conditions.

Project-based learning is a cornerstone of a 21st-century education, allowing students to learn traditional subjects through tackling real-world problems and using their imaginations. Thanks to the Makery mindset permeating the Burke's campus, this method of teaching has truly grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years — keeping students and teachers challenged in the classroom.

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