ACADEMICS FEATURED

A New Approach

According to the
RRISD
school district,
by
staff reporter most of our schools
Kat Weems
curriculum should be
taught in a way known as Project
Based Learning. This way of learning is
defined as a dynamic classroom approach
in which students actively explore real-world
problems and challenges and acquire a deeper
knowledge. By using projects to get their point
across rather than a worksheet to complete at
home, teachers could potentially show students
the real life applications of their subject. The
Buck Institute for Education has done research
showing that students who use PBL (Project
Based Learning) are more attentive in class,
tend to retain information longer, and are more
connected to their schools and communities.
Because PBL is an active way of learning,
students have the ability to communicate with
both their peers, and their teachers. These
students would be able to collaborate with
other students while working on their projects,
If the families were
and not just copy answers from a worksheet
to pay for all of the
that was handed to them. Students have the
costs that a college
opportunity to interact with their teacher,
includes, the debt
ask questions, have discussions, and get the
would be passed
information that they need rather than sitting
down to their student. for an hour and a half getting lectured. This has
According to
led to students participating more and being
the Federal Reserve
more attentive in class.
Bank of New York,
Students are able to apply what they are
46 percent of recent
learning in class to what they are working on
graduates were in
outside of the classroom- their projects. Instead
jobs that dont even
of daily homework, students who use PBL are
require a college
able to go out into their communities and gain
degree. If a student
new and relevant information on the subject
was being pushed
that they are researching for their projects.
into attending a
These projects can range from anything
college or university,
resembling a small art piece to a huge public
its highly likely they
event that the student organized.With these
will end up dropping projects comes a more open and active student
out. Dropping out
of college is seen in
a negative manner
in modern society,
and according to the
Huffington Post, if a
When sitting in
person starts college
class, confused about
and then drops out,
by
information a teacher
staff reporter
they feel like total
has just given, the
Shelby
Hughes
failures.
feeling of helplessness
Having a college
starts to creep in. Grades are dropping and the
degree isnt key for a
information just isnt clicking. Need a solution?
happy life, especially
Khan Academy.
if youre not ready to
Khan Academy is a free and online tutoring
go. Going to college
website with a variety of subjects. The website
at the wrong time
has grown drastically in numbers and quality
can cause unwanted
and has been proven to act as a tutor and a
stress, a decline in
free way to gain more knowledge. According
mental health, and
to New York Times Magazine writer, Clive
emotional instability. Thompson, more than two million users watch
College might be
videos every month, and all claim they answer
for you, or it might
about 15 questions per second. The program
not, but whatever
is helping students master difficult and vital
you choose: make
subjects, which has given teachers and students
sure youre happy and a way to learn without feeling helpless.
satisfied with your
If a student is struggling with a subject
decision, and ready to ranging from physics to algebra, or just needs
face its effects.

Simple Success

College education is not

required to be successful
by staff reporter
Nayma Villalpando

Contrary to
popular belief,
a college degree
isnt necessary for
someone to have
a successful life.
Theres plenty of
different career
options available in
America that dont
require a college
level education, most
jobs nowadays only
require a high school
level education.
College should
only be for the ones
that are mentally,
emotionally, and
financially prepared
for it.
College costs
money, we all know
that. But did you
know that most 2534 year-olds that
attended college are
still paying off their
student loans? Even
if they get a degree,
theyre stuck with a
huge bill. Therefore,
stuck paying off
debt for years. All
too often, the jobs
they land after
graduating dont pay
enough to make the
degree worthwhile.
Many low income
families cant deal
with financial stress
and responsibility
that comes with the
burden of college.

January 2016 | Prowler

Project Based Learning should be used

more often in classrooms for success

due to the fact that they have to go

out and communicate with people
in their communities, both at
school and at home. Because of the
scale of some projects that students
do (some projects last over two
months and have been done over
the summer holidays), the PBL
students group together and create
a community of sorts that helps
them learn about communicating
with others and working together
to reach an end goal.
Not only are the students
subject to school communities,
but adult jobs as well. The projects
prescribed by the teachers
sometimes involve traveling
to parent workplaces or other
businesses to get the students
to look into real world jobs and
problems.
The projects always have a question or
problem that has to be solved somehow
through the project process. The point of
the project is to get students to engage in a
rigorous, extended process of asking questions,
finding resources, and applying information,
according to the Buck Institute for Education
(BIE). The students are supposed to be able to
learn from experience, rather than sitting in a
blue plastic chair all day, listening to a teacher
stand in the front of the class and lecture for 90
minutes, much like we do now.
However, our school system still insists that
the way that we are learning, just sitting and
taking notes from a projector or paper, is a
good enough method, and that it shouldnt be
changed. We need to learn from the BIE and
allow students to get outside of the classroom
and into the world, where their knowledge can
actually be used. Students are more than likely

Next Level Tutoring

going to want to go out and do a project rather

than having to sit at their house and work on a
couple of pages of whatever busy work that was
assigned to them.
Converting our system of learning to
the PBL fashion would benefit not only the
teachers, who have to grade every piece of
work that they hand out, but also the students,
who have to fill in answers on papers for at
least four of their classes on a daily basis. This
project based style of learning leads to real live
results that help to mold and shape the mind of
students, who are working in ways that can be
tied to the real world use of the subject being
taught. It is not a hypothetical question of
will we ever use this outside of school?, it is a
demonstration of how it is used outside in the
world. So why shouldnt we change to Project
Based Learning, instead of sitting, listening,
and taking notes, with no real enthusiasm
towards learning at all?

Program allows students to go further

beyond the classroom in their subjects

extra practice, Khan Academy gives insight

on various subjects and offers clear tutorials.
In addition, it also gives examples of problems
with step by step instructions on the process of
solving.
News reporter, Joe Pugliese says the videos
are generally 7 to 14 minutes long, consisting

of a voice-over, describing a certain concept

or algorithm. The website is adding more and
more information to its database every day,
leading to better tutorials and more insight on
different subjects.
When struggling with a subject, students
must decide between two things; give up and
fail or get a tutor. For those who choose a tutor,
this can be highly expensive and inconvenient
at times. Instead of stressing over funds, the
website understands that the people who
need a tutor might not be able to afford it. The
website allows you to save the fnds and gain
the help and information for free. Families with
low incomes now have access to help not only
inside the classroom, but also at home.
The website is beneficial to people, teachers
and student, who want to gain knowledge.
Khan Academy continues to grow everyday,
and what better way to gain knowledge than a
website that anyone can access from anywhere
and at any time.