The Mancos School District on Friday will host a Celebration of Learning Project Based Learning Showcase that allows students to spotlight what they have learned this school year with their project-based learning curriculum.
“During these showcases, our pre-K through 12th grade students and teachers show off the extraordinary work they’ve done throughout the year,” aid Adyan Farrar, project-based learning director and coach.
Throughout the years, the showcase has gone by names including the Open House and the PBL Exhibition. It is now called the pre-K through 12 PBL Celebration of Learning.
Last year, the event was held in March in conjunction with the science fair as an annual event. Now, it will be a biennial event.
“This year, we are heavily investing in our project-based learning initiative and will be holding two of these PBL showcases this year, one on December 1 and one on April 26,” Farrar said. It will take place in the Performing Arts Center and the West Wing hallway.
The five themes are the power of stories, learning about ourselves and others, an eye on science, culture and communities and reflecting on the past, designing for the future.
The reflecting on the past theme art show will be presented in the West Wing hallway and will be hosted by kindergarten through 12th grade art teacher Alys Hansen.
Visitors will also be able to interact with the event and get the chance to learn more about PBL while having “a chance to give us kind, specific and helpful feedback,” Farrar said.
“This (kind, specific and helpful) is the language we use with the students as a part of the critique and revision process that is so important in PBL,” Farrar said.
“We want to show that learning is a process, not a product, so most displays of learning will not only show students' final work, but also the work they did to create that final piece. In some cases, students are still in the ‘messy middle’ of their work, since we aren't finished with the semester, so this will be what visitors see. We say, ‘Process over product’ because that's where learning happens,” Farrar said.
Attendees may also be able to see the “driving questions” students used to get their project off on the right foot, such as text-based, discussion and provision protocols, photos and slideshows of students working on their projects and more.
The junior class will also be hosting a fundraiser for their class and will be selling premade bento snacks made by the culinary class.
“Eventually, we'd like to hold one or two big celebrations per year, and then also have students participate in their own smaller content or grade-specific exhibitions throughout the rest of the year. We want to grow this event to be much more student-led and student-focused. This is a goal for us,” Farrar shared.
Organizers said they hope to see many visitors attend the celebration, saying, “Students and teachers put a lot of work into this event and it's always much more fun for us when we get to chat with our friends in the community. Hope to see you there.”
