Hand-on learning

I would like to encourage hands-on learning in my classroom as opposed to constant test-taking as a way to evaluate my students. I think that students learn more in the application of information covered in class rather than memorization of information and facts for a test that are soon forgotten. This leads to burp-back education which I am trying to avoid.

I believe application of information through projects will help the students put the information they learned into action, which is especially helpful in an assignment in science or social studies, where information would be hard to retain otherwise. I believe these kind of applications will also help our students to learn to ask questions and to think!

I also believe that projects help the students get a clearer understanding of the concepts being presented and make what they are studying more interesting.

I would love to do something in the classroom similar to "The Edible Schoolyard" where the students actually get to plant, harvest, and eat the things they grow. That is probably not feasible in most schools but we could grow plants in pots int he classroom or have window boxes to grow things in to learn more about the life cycle of plants.

I would also like to incorporate some computer technology into math and science lessons to help reinforce what is presented in the lesson. Computer programs are available to give students a chance to practice math skills and do chemistry lessons online through a virtual lab. I think this is something that would benefit many studetns who can't understand the concepts unless they actually get a chance to experiment with them and apply what they learn, such as a visual or bodily-kinesthetic learner.