MOKANE, Mo. - South Callaway continues to move forward with its project-based learning (PBL) curriculum, in which students learn hands-on in the classroom.
For two years, the school district has been incorporating new learning techniques and projects to improve overall district test-scores and student learning and fill gaps in the district's curriculum.
Superintendent Kevin Hillman said the district has been refining the qualities of the district's PBLs so they could be incorporated across different grades and subject matters.
"I feel proud of where we are on our journey and the work teachers have put into it," Hillman said. "And students are responding to it."
At the end of February, both the elementary and middle school held public PBL events. Eighth-grade history teacher Chad Hecktor had students design and test board games for the purpose of learning more about American history. Students had the option to create the games based on lessons they already covered, or they could research further into topics that had not yet been approached in class.
Students created 17 new games with names such as "Operation Overlord" and "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride." At the end of the "HistoryCon," which Hecktor based on other popular game conventions, attendants rated their top five games they played during the event.
While Hecktor said he was nervous about making the event public, the games were effective.
"I was more nervous than anything," Hecktor said. "But people were really receptive and said they learned things from the kids' games. I had a lot of compliments on their performance, and I think most people were generally pleased with the overall results. I was, too."
Several school board members attended the event and played games with the students and then moved down the hall to check out the fourth-grade students' "Living Biographies" event.
Fourth-grade teachers Rawn Nash and Bryan McKay had students dress up as different people throughout history they considered role models. The students also created tri-fold posters to showcase some of the things their person did during their lifetime.
One student dressed as boxer Muhammad Ali while others dove further into history and dressed up as historical figures like George Washington and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
"PBLs are a different way of bringing an idea home for kids," Hillman said. "Some people are visual learners, while others are intrinsic or auditory, and PBLs bring all those components together."
While test scores could indicate whether the PBLs are improving student-learning, Hillman said introducing new changes to the curriculum shortly drops the district's test scores until students become accustomed to the new standards.
"I'm expecting a jump soon," Hillman said. "Over the last couple of years, we've seen that attendance is up while discipline is down. We feel like we're in a really good area."