A New Way to Teach: Begin with the End
Educators get schooled about project learning. More to this story.
| Buy DVD | Credits
Release Date: 8/19/2004
Running Time: 8 min.
Video Credits
Produced, Written, and Directed by
- Sue Chen
Executive Producer:
- Ken Ellis
Associate Producers:
- Marian Shaffner
- Miwa Yokoyama
Editors:
- Sue Chen
- Karen Sutherland
Camera Crew:
- Brian Cardello
- Sue Chen
- Ken Ellis
- Miwa Yokoyama
Narrator:
- Joe DeFrancesco
Intern:
- Kari Barber
Additional footage provided by:
- Marin School of Arts and Technology
Produced in association with
- The Buck Institute of Education
The contents of this video were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
- © 2004
- The George Lucas Educational Foundation
- All rights reserved.
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Since this video was produced in August 2004, the Marin School of Arts and Technology, one of five Envision Schools, has closed. Four other Envision Schools campuses continue to operate in the San Francisco Bay Area.



This presentation definitely shows that a student who is totally absorbed and involved in an assignment will learn so much more about the subject. Having the students follow all through the 12 weeks incorporating the the "watershed" into all their subjects makes for great learning and terrific retention of the subject matter. Team teaching is a must and cooperation between teachers and students is a must. Having a hands on experience is truly the best way to experience anything.
Lara
I think your project is a wonderful learning experience for secondary schools. Teachers sharing projects is a good idea. I think the Middle Schools could use this kind of teaching. Getting out of school and into the other areas of their environment with guidance could help promote learning. They have so much energy and they need to be molding themselves to use it wisely.
I love the collaboration and synthesis that occurs when students are challenged to deliver a whole package. I think it was really important what the teacher said about keeping the teams focused and having a solid plan in place to keep them from shutting down; an experience I've had o'plenty! The project was rich and being a humanities and theatre teacher I especially appreciated the on going video reports and the professionalism the students were pushed to achieve. I'm curious as to how many students and teachers participated in the project.
Closed?
Does anyone know why the school closed?
MSAT
Staff comment:
Sadly, ". . . there remained tension between the school and the city of Novato's central administration, a product, as it has been elsewhere, of two essentially autonomous entities." You can read about it here in the local paper.
This presentation definitely shows that a student who is totally absorbed and involved in an assignment will learn so much more about the subject. Having the students follow all through the 12 weeks incorporating the the "watershed" into all their subjects makes for great learning and terrific retention of the subject matter. Team teaching is a must and cooperation between teachers and students is a must. Having a hands on experience is truly the best way to experience anything.
Begin with the end, not bad way :D
BMC, administrator of Marie Curie high school