To be fair, I visited on a day with an abnormal schedule due to standardized testing. While I understand how this could work, and it is evident that it IS working, I wasn’t as impressed with what was happening in the academic classrooms. The teachers collaboratively write their own curriculum and textbooks using iTunesU (they are definitely worth checking out and modifying for your own use!), and students complete all work through a variety of apps. It was my first experience with a completely 1:1 environment, and the iPads and an Apple TV were nearly the only items in the classroom. Coming from a very traditional school, I was looking for signs of anything familiar, trying to make connections to find a place to begin transforming our school to a vision similar to what I was seeing. Next, we had the opportunity to experience the academic portion of the students’ day. Every teacher in the school sees their subject area as equally important, and that, plus the apparent genuine collaboration, is what made the integration so seamless. In addition, the arts are treated as an equal with the sciences. Students have the safety to fail, and micro-achievements are celebrated. Everything is focused on authentic learning, and it was stressed that grades are not seen as punitive. We saw more evidence of innovation in the animation lab, dance studio, theater, music classes, and science lab. With all of this, students were the ones to drive the technology instead of being consumers of it. The goal was to help students to define their sense of self through art. Students captured their hydroponic experience with photography.Īs part of their assessment, students used photography skills to create artwork demonstrating what the hydroponics lab meant to them personally, complete with a QR code leading to more information. Since it is a charter school that follows the PA Core Standards, the day is extended to allow time for the instruction in the specialty areas. String Theory has a project-based environment with opportunities for student entrepreneurs. The Arts are the basis for the integration that happens throughout the rest of the academic day. At the elementary level, this is exploration, and once students are in middle school they choose a specialty. Through this school model, students receive instruction in their chosen Arts area or STEM for the first 90 minutes of their day. (Find a detailed explanation that compares string theory to violin strings here.) The school’s goal is to integrate the arts into all academic subjects, which they do through teacher collaboration, innovation, and implementation of their own unique model. String Theory School views particles as one-dimensional strings and explains how those strings interact with each other. Before doing a little research, When I first heard the term, “String Theory School,” I thought it might be related to music theory and string instruments, but I was way off. What is “String Theory School”?įor people who are familiar with quantum physics, the name, String Theory School, may ring a bell. What I saw blew me away, and not because of the technology, but because of the vision. I was expecting to see performing arts classes using computers or iPads. While I was definitely interested in their approach to technology, I couldn’t wait to see how they integrated the Arts. My school district is currently determining what our next technological steps should be, and the goal of our visit was to observe how this school incorporates technology. This school is an Apple-Distinguished, 1:1, performing arts school. She'll tour Asia with NYO before starting her studies at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London in the fall.Last week I had the opportunity to visit the String Theory School in Philadelphia, PA. It'll be a summer full of dreams come true for the recent Philadelphia Performing Arts String Theory Charter School graduate. "Playing at Carnegie Hall is a very big deal for any musician and being invited there this summer is a dream come true," Farrow said. Her first stop will be Carnegie Hall as a member of the esteemed National Youth Orchestra. Now, she and her violin are getting ready to take on the world's biggest stages. PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A teenager from Southwest Philadelphia will be taking her talent across the pond to study at one of the most prestigious music schools in the world, The Royal College of Music in London.Īt just 18 years old, Akili Farrow has graced Philly's biggest stages with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |