|
Project Challenge
"Most of us at one time or another have been part of a great 'team,' a group of people who functioned together in an extraordinary way -- who trusted one another, who complemented each others' strengths and compensated for each others' limitations, who had common goals that were larger than individual goals, and who produced extraordinary results. I have met many people who have experienced this sort of profound teamwork -- in sport, or in the performing arts, or in business. Many say that they have spent much of their life looking for that experience again. What they experienced was a learning organization. The team that became great didn't start off great -- it learned how to produce extraordinary results."
-- Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline The Project Challenge curriculum is designed to use a combination of adventure-based activities, materials selected to help students better understand themselves and their relationship to society, and participation in in-school and Internet-based discussions to teach and develop autonomous prosocial behavior. Accomplishing the program goals will better equip young people for success in modern society where the ability to work well with others is increasingly valued as organizations move away from top-down management organizational models. Towards this end, The Meadowbrook School provides students in grades six through eight with a comprehensive set of experiences and opportunities designed to teach skills for working in groups and provide for meaningful practice of these skills. A core component of these experiences is the Project Challenge curriculum in which small groups of students face various conundrums that require teamwork to solve. A familiar routine develops during this class: challenges are presented, the teachers become observers, groups of students work together to accomplish the task, and the processing focuses on reflection, connections, and improvement via goal setting. In direct support of the curriculum's learning objectives, wilderness trips focusing on group living skills, cooperative learning in the classroom, and a school leadership structure specifically designed to model team-based working environments provide opportunities for authentic application of these teamwork skills. The Meadowbrook School's Upper School Program Document contains a section entitled Teamwork and Leadership that shows in greater detail how Project Challenge works with other related components of the School's curriculum. Each grade level meets twice weekly during one trimester except during the final two weeks when Project Challenge meets daily and utilize various climbing elements. Safety and skill acquisition - technical (e.g. knot tying, spotting and belaying) and interpersonal (e.g. communication and peer support) are emphasized throughout the program. In addition, each year of the Project Challenge curriculum is marked by a distinct focus and specific activities: Grade Six Teamwork is the focus during the first few months of sixth grade as students - new and returning - learn and improve behavioral skills in preparation for the numerous projects and responsibilities for which the sixth grade is responsible. Communication skills, decision-making models, collaborative planning techniques, ways of giving and receiving feedback, and ways of reflecting on process are some of the course objectives. Activities selected require groups of students to plan and work cooperatively to accomplish tasks.
Grade Seven Building on the previous year, Human Relationships are emphasized - both interpersonal and whole group - as students are challenged to build an inclusive atmosphere characterized by trust, mutual support and appreciation of others. Human relationships are studied at many levels including historical events, other people of various backgrounds (through analysis of writings), and personal experiences. Activities selected provide varying levels of difficulty to challenge students while they learn and practice creating and maintaining an inclusive, supportive environment.
Grade Eight Personal Growth drives the final months of the eighth-grade year as individual students set goals and work towards accomplishing them within the inclusive, supportive environment created the previous year. The development of the individual is studied, and students are given opportunities to learn about themselves. Living a value-centered life is emphasized, and students all write personal mission statements during the final weeks of study. All skills from grades six and seven are utilized to support individuals through teamwork as students strive to meet or exceed their individual goals prior to graduation.
|
|
