Student Centered Learning & Passion Projects at Blue Mountain Union
By Laurie Anne Kozar
When navigating the pedagogy of student-centered learning the differences of strategy, approach and opinion may be disorienting. That is where an experienced educator and leader is a boon for students, staff, and communities. Emilie Kinsley is one such experienced educator. Emilie has worked in the region for close to two decades. In that time Emilie has taught English, been principal of the grades school, a classroom teacher - left the school system for some time - and returned as principal of the middle & high school at Blue Mountain Union (BMU). Grounded in these experiences Emilie effectively engages students who are enrolled in the Senior Capstone Seminar – a class that is framed as Personalized Learning or Student-Centered Learning. It is Emilie’s insightful and intuitive understanding of the families and students within the BMU region that makes this program so successful in this rural community.
BMU is located in the lower section of the Northeast Kingdom and serves both Caledonia County and Orange County. BMU is different from many of the smaller rural schools in our region, for starters it is not small: BMU comprises around 450 students from K – 12th grade – all under one roof. On any day of the week this building is its own bustling community. Located just off Rt 302 in Wells River BMU is not the result of recent school consolidation, rather the school formed in the 1960s from the pooled resources and efforts of the towns of Groton, Wells River, and Ryegate. Although it is a little geographically removed from the residents – especially those who live on the outer edge of the towns served – the school is at the center of community life. “Our open house has always had excellent turnout”, Emilie enthusiastically shares. And indeed, it seems that parents and families are engaged with the school and the students. “It is not just family members that support students, but extended family, and their family’s friends, and their neighbors, and that expands our student’s learning opportunities – especially for our senior students engaged in Senior Seminar.”
What exactly is ‘Senior Seminar’?
The Senior Capstone Seminar is a focused yearlong study opportunity made up of personalized learning opportunities. “It is a flexible learning environment that allows for unique combinations - A nuanced framework,” says Emilie. Those unique combinations are as unique as each student that engages in the Capstone: Individualized studies provide for studies that are socially embedded and are based on student needs(s), interest(s) and ownership and their passions. To provide for assessment and alignment with standards that form competencies Emilie and students work to develop study plans that define their learning and create opportunities to contextualize their learning. The creative projects that BMU seniors are currently working on are as diverse as students’ imaginations and provide relevance to their interests and their life trajectories.
Emilie utilizes student-lead planning, as well as peer-to-peer student support in the three meetings the students attend each week. This allows students with different learning styles and diverse goals to manage their projects in their own fashion while meeting the requirements of the program. Many opportunities for learning happen outside of the school day. Emilie observed that “students work on their projects beyond a usual 8-hour school day.” This includes school activities, mentorships, internships, work on family farms, and even travel to take advantage of learning opportunities outside of the state. “Students are so engaged in their learning that they also work on projects on weekends and holidays.” Emilie insists that it is the relevancy that fuels student’s drive to learn - passion is the magic ingredient of independent study.
The Nuts & Bolts:
When Emilie came into the role of the Senior Capstone Seminar, she took the opportunity to redesign the program and to incorporate students’ choice (based on their own interests), with a forward looking, post high school trajectory. Students select from a menu of options that include three strands of learning: a service strand, a self-development strand, and a career development strand. Students can focus on one strand, but more often the strands are intertwined and must include 60+ hours of work.
STRANDS OF STUDY FOR CAPSTONE SEMINAR
Service Oriented Strand – Develop and Implement A Community Service
Examples include develop and implement a unique promotion for raising funds for a local cause; engage the community in a clean-up effort of a public area such as a park, beach or school; organize a field-trip or seminar of interest for members of an elderly home or the school community; or perhaps even begin their own non-profit to address an unmet need within the community.
Self-Development Strand - Develop and Demonstrate a New Skill
Construct or to create something applying a new skill or new knowledge such as develop and lead a yoga class, design and build a physical product such as a musical instrument or tiny home; perform a song they have written, produce a play they have written, develop a choreographed performance; develop mechanical tools or technology such as a computer program for practical application; write, edit and produce a film; organize a major public event; or begin a business.
Career Oriented Strand- Post High School Career Trajectory
Students begin by researching a career-area of interest. After identifying a career area of interest, the student researches and identifies a local company or organization that will sponsor them for an internship or job placement or military service. (Riverbend Career & Tech Center often works as a partner and assists students with opportunities to participate in co-ops and job placements as part of their Capstone project.)
As students identify their interest area, they work to develop a project proposal with learning goals using the strand framework. The final proposal must be approved by the teacher. Students participate in regular meetings with their Senior Exit Teacher/Mentor as they work through their projects. Students also meet 1X per week as full group, as well as participating in weekly smaller group meetings with Emilie. Emilie is also available to coach students individually. Standards of academic rigor include documentation of service hours, an annotated bibliography, and students must also plan and execute a presentation providing an overview of the project (as a whole) to the community and students must present a final overview of the project along with the transferable skills to a panel of judges - a bit like a thesis defense. As students frame and pursue their learning, apply problem solving, connect with community resources, and work on and defend their projects they discover an important life lesson: their own resourcefulness. The common outcome of the Senior Capstone Semester can be captured in one word: empowerment.
Examples of Personalized Learning:
Some of the diverse student Capstone Seminar projects Emilie shared with us include: A student making a difference for animal shelters in the area, another student is working with BMU students around music and is creating a performance to present in the spring (Karlie Blood), another is building a guitar (Mathew Webster), another student, inspired by world famous Cuban artist, Ángel Ramírez, and their mural project in St Johnsbury, is creating a community centered mural that includes design as well as a social justice components; another is participating in an internship for speech pathology, yet another is interested in antique truck restoration – each project is wonderful, interesting and filled clearly framed with learning components! The descriptions just scratch the surface of the passions that move students in their learning.
Emily shared a bit more deeply about two projects: The first is a dairy farming independent study – Owen Murray originally started the project with a strand of community service that included showing younger students the tools and the work of a dairy business by hosting a “Dairy Day” at the farm. Owen, also the editor of the electronic school newspaper, Bucks News, was then inspired to attend the World Dairy Conference in Wisconsin with a press pass. Owen is also researching herd management and herd growth, including milking, breeding, and management tools that include newer technology: electronic collars that provide immediate individual cow’s health data to the dairy manager – these electronic collars track diet, temperature, pulse, and other metabolic functions.
Karli Blood began her independent study around the service strand of learning and music education; however, the studies have taken an interesting turn that took her all the way to Nashville, Tennessee, and a recording studio. Karli shared that she was scheduled with her band to perform as a warm-up act at her aunt’s campground. When the rest of the band could not make it, Karli courageously stepped into the spotlight and performed solo. This led to the main act recording Kalie’s performance, sending it (with her permission) to their producer in Nashville who contacted Karlie and her parents and offered to record two original tunes in Nashville. Karli shared that she is now completing her original project (developing a performance with younger students in 3rd to 6th grades that will be presented in May). And has more time scheduled at the Nashville recording studio with a contract! Of the Senior Capstone Seminar Karli had this to say: “The capstone seminar offers students an incredible opportunity to pursue their passion.” “These are passion projects for us.” Karli also reflected that, “it is the support of family and friends and teachers that allows students in the Capstone Seminar to grow confidence, learn a lot, and have a lot of fun doing it!”
Blue Mountain Union
Emilie Knisley emilie.knisley@oesu.org
