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By Tom Farmer, Editor
tfarmer@pitsco.com
Photo and graphics by Melissa Karsten, Graphic Artist
mkarsten@pitsco.com
ST. GEORGE, Utah – Kids say it all the time, and adults often
dismiss it as just another cliché, but something rings particularly
true when students – and teachers – say that Pitsco middle-level
curriculum is “just keeping it real.”
That’s what the hands-on exploratory labs in the Washington
County (Utah) School District do – they keep it real, with “it” being
math and science.
“It’s not just some random activity somebody thought up to
keep you busy for a few minutes, but this is something that relates
to a career in the workforce,” said Fossil Ridge Intermediate Lab
Facilitator Mark Mitchell. “It’s something that you can actually
go out and do.”
When math is taught through the repetitive calculations found
in a book or on a board, students quickly disengage. But when the
math is presented as a necessary step in a real process, kids pay
closer attention. “They get a lot of math opportunities through the
Pitsco Modules,” Mitchell said. “Because it’s related to either the
equipment that they’re using or the experiment that they’re involved
in, it’s more applicable and they see where it applies, rather than
it’s just a problem in a math book.”
That’s not just teacher-speak. Students acknowledge a higher
tolerance for math in the hands-on lab and even an enjoyment of the subject when it’s taught in real-world contexts such as
bridge building, robotics, electronics, and wing design.
“Math is fun this way because it puts it into
the fact you’re learning. It’s not some random
math problems that have nothing to relate to,”
says Ryanne, a seventh grader at Sunrise Ridge
Intermediate. “When you’re in the Modules, you’re kind of learning
(math) the whole way. And you don’t even realize it.”
Kaleb, a seventh grader at Lava Ridge Intermediate, adds,
“Going around to these Modules you can find what you want to do
when you’re older and stuff. . . . Most times when you’re reading
in a book, you’re just waiting until it gets over. But
this, you can’t wait until the next day when you do
something else.”
That assessment is music to the ears of Lava
Ridge Principal Kalyn Gubler. “They’re really getting
it here. They see how life all fits together, ‘why I have
to have math.’ Look at the different explorations they
are doing. Math fits into those. ‘Why do I need to have science?’
Science fits into those.”
Connection to the core
When math and science become approachable, even engaging,
a deeper understanding naturally occurs and improved test results
soon follow. All five Washington County intermediate schools
scored above state averages in math, science, and language
arts in 2011. (See related story here.) That’s not just a
coincidence; it’s a trend. The Pitsco labs have been in place for
nearly five years in the district.
Tonaquint Principal Bobby Garrett says student discovery of
math and science applications in the CTE lab sheds new light on the
importance of core classes that might once have been viewed as
irrelevant. “They’re making connections with everyday life things,
which is really important,” she noted. “Then they become more
attuned in the class. When they make connections with their world,
that makes them more motivated to stay on course in a core class.”
District Career Pathways Director Terry Moore
says that CTE and core are not viewed in isolation
in Washington County schools; instead, they are
treated as complementary components. “I think
we have to be honest and say, it’s not just a career
and technical pathway that we’re looking at,” he
explained. “We’re looking at dovetailing all of those
things together in academic pathways because CTE
fits into that academic part very nicely.”
Sunrise Ridge Intermediate Principal Sandy Ferrell concurred,
noting that the main value of the Pitsco program is that it makes the
math and science relevant to students as they begin to entertain
thoughts about careers. “They are doing projects where they
understand why they are learning the math and science,” Ferrell
said. “They make it applicable to real-life situations. They can also
see the connection between the math and science and careers.
They understand they need to be successful in those classes to be
successful in careers.”
Seemingly everyone in the district subscribes to
this same philosophy, which is not surprising after
hearing Superintendent Max Rose talk about the
importance of CTE and his commitment to it: “It really
is critical for every ounce of energy we put into the
core as such, we need to put the same amount of
energy into the vocational areas, the career areas.”
Early explorers
The earlier that students can begin exploring real-life
applications of math and science, the better, Moore says. That’s
why the Pitsco program is required for all seventh graders in the
district. “We start in earnest in seventh grade and work with them
further on in eighth and ninth grade to broaden their horizons and
experiences in CTE. Then we try to move them toward a pathway.”
The system meets the needs of
seventh graders in particular because of its
exploratory, self-directed design. Tonaquint
Intermediate Teacher Brian Armstrong says the
course aids in the process of self-discovery at
an early age as well. “If they learn a little more
about themselves and career paths, they’ll have more of a
direction when they get to high school,” he said.
Ferrell says the wide array of topics covered at the
15 workstations in each lab offers ample opportunities to
explore a variety of career experiences. “I think the key to
it, at this level, we want to expose them to a wide variety
of things, not just a few things, because they are making
decisions,” she said. “They can specialize a little bit more in
high school. They need to find things that match with their
interests and their abilities, and this lab does that.”
Actually, the lab does more than that. It also “keeps
it real.”