Page 40 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

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PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
HANDS-ON LEARNING SPACES: 5 LESSONS FROM CAREER TECH By Bobby Williams
THE EXPANDING IMPORTANCE OF STEM EDUCATION and project-based learning requires a rethinking of the tradi- tional school planning and design process. A practical way to
start is to adopt a broader, non-traditional mindset, especially during a school project’s conceptual phases.
Fortunately, planners and designers can draw inspiration and benchmarks from recent middle- and high-school projects, es- pecially innovations in career tech education (CTE) that depart from conventional design and offer replicable lessons for im- provement. These early adopters’ experiential and career-based learning focuses on integrating science and math-based oppor- tunities and coupling that mission with a hands-on, engaging and highly relevant problem-solving curriculum.
The success of this model is found in the demand for career technical education by a broad range of students interested in today’s knowledge-based technology, science and health oppor- tunities.
Two recent examples of applying the experiential lessons of career tech in school design are the redevelopment of Bristol County Agricultural High School (BCAHS) campus in Digh- ton, Mass., and the new Dover High School and Career Techni- cal Center in Dover, N.H.
Bristol County Agricultural High School offers a rich cur- riculum rooted in STEM and environmental education and sup- ports a working farm within its 220-acre campus. The school offers its 640 students real-world experiences through seven CTE programs: environmental engineering, animal science, natural resource management, agriculture, floriculture, arbori- culture and landscape design.
Dover High School integrates academic with CTE educa-
40 SUMMER 2022 | spaces4learning.com
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