Broadening Studio-Based Learning to the K-12 CurriculaDr. Patricia J. Donohue, Instructor

Department of Instructional Technologies

San Francisco State University

Martha E. Crosby, Professor & Chair,

Dr. Takashi Furuhata, Post-doctoral Research

Department of Information & Communication Sciences

University of Hawai`i at Manoa

Studio-Based Learning

Creating a learner-led environment fora new Spatial Studies class atNapa New Technology High School

Our work has extended the instructional model of studio-based learning (SBL) into K-12 education. SBL owes its origins to the master-apprentice educational system used in the guilds of the Middle Ages (Lackney, 1999).

The architectural schools of Europe and North America adopted this instructional model in the form of the “design studio”: a place where students set up their own workspaces—drafting tables, books, drawing and modeling materials—and spend much of their lives working individually on common design tasks (Schon, 1983).

As students spend long hours working on these tasks, they build camaraderie, looking to each other for support and feedback as they work toward a common purpose (Lackney, 1999).

Broadening the SBL model from university computer science to K-12 STEM curricula

The SBL ModelCPATH SBL Model in UH Computer Science:

Student designs of visual ‘code’ solutions

Student presents to class for advice on improvement (design crit) – usually in story form.

Peer/teacher feedback on code ‘thinking’

Student revises design

Spatial Studies SBL K12 model:

Student groups design project

Group: Pre-production (planning), Production (execution), and Post-production (review and reflection ‘design crit’)

Student groups present to class

Incorporate feedback for next projects

SBL Success in CSCPATH: University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Auburn

University, and Washington State University - Research Questions:

1. Are students learning better from the SBL approach?

2. Are students getting more motivated by the SBL approach?

3. How does the SBL approach align with ABET CAC accreditation criteria?

Results showed:Improved: student motivation, critical thinking capacity, sense of community, performance

SBL can be adapted to a wide variety of courses.

At first, it is difficult to get lower division computing students to participate in design crits; however, quality and depth of feedback increases with practice.

Peer feedback is more substantive when students have time to consider each other’s work over a longer timeframe.

Broadening SBL to K-12NSF RET @ Napa New Technology High SchoolFor our program, we wanted to see if

1. K-12 students learned better in an SBL approach?

2. K-12 students could learn the design crit process?

3. We could design a K-12 SBL model that enhanced New Tech High’s PBL model?

Our challenge over Summer 2010 was to adopt the SBL model to a new course being developed at New Tech High that combined:

Mr. Ross’ Digital Media Arts class

+ Mr. Paisley’s Geometry class =

Spatial Studies

2 Spatial Studies Classes

101 students in 2 classes90 respondents to demographic survey

53 in AM class and 37 in PM class

39 male, 50 female

Ethnicity: ~ 1/3 Hispanic heritage (30), ~1/3 Caucasian (33); 13% Mixed Hispanic, 6% mixed multiple, 1% Native American

Study for Spatial Studies outside school? 60% said 1-5 hrs more, 40% estimated >5 hrs

81% have cell phones, 40% have Smartphone; 96% have Internet at home; 20% have own computer

82.2% (74, 3 N.A.) are able to get help on homework outside of school.

Spatial Studies SBL Course

SBL Model Structure = Design Studio with Teams

3-Phase Team Project Model:

Pre-production = planning

Production = project execution

Post-Production = team “reflection” (design crit)

Master-Apprentice style Assessment Scale Master – teaches others (94%)Leader – guides/helps others learn (91%)Journeyman – takes initiative; independence (85%)Apprentice – significant contributions to team (76%)Intern – minimal contributions to team (62%)Novice – observes others learning (38%)Absent – physically/mentally absent (0%)

Golden Mean-based Grading

What students did1. Met in teams of 4 all

semester.

2. Learned SBL design crit process in slow skill-building activities on mathematics-integrated digital design projects.

3. Concluding project: Greek Architecture

8-17-10 “Our first four, nearly simultaneous projects will move from solo to partner configurations, with pre-production design crits. Our freshman-friendly term for crit is “reflection,” and post-production also will include a refinement/editing component.”

9-2-10 “Started a project using SBL with a pre-production meeting (design teams of four) and sharing out to the larger class, before breaking out to individual production of a Photoshop work order.”

Mr. Ross’ Teacher Blog

Mr. Ross’ Teacher Blog

9-22-10 “This is our first true team project, and it gives us an opportunity to use our entire SBL system from start to finish. The pre-production design team meetings … went better than I expected. For one thing, they had a substantial project to attack. For another, there was a thorough process for team creation.”

10-7-10 ““The crit – post-production meeting where decisions on refining the product are supposed to take place – appears to have delivered the goods. Freshmen, six weeks into the first term, are ready to self-manage, self-motive themselves. … This means they are in charge, they are critically thinking.”

Student Group Interviews

Question: what was it like to study digital media and mathematics in one class?Maureen: I think it’s pretty cool how they intertwined the

digital media with the geometry. I didn’t know that you could do like…you could do the geometry stuff like in the digital media thing.

Alex: I think it’s like Misty said…it’s really…I wasn’t sure how they were going to make it connect at the beginning of the year…like…I was like always wondering like..how is the Geometry going to come into the digital media. But then I realized that there was so many different things that we could do with the computer and they could just intertwine with each other really well.

Student Group Interviews

Question: describe any differences in designing projects as a group compared to designing on your own.Alex: Um...I think it gave us a different perspective on your work …like if you are doing something and someone says ‘what if we try it this way’. It can really help but it can also set you back. …maybe you’ll take it into consideration and do it that way..Narrir: Also, I think it’s easier because, if you are by yourself, you have one brain to think of a good way to do something but, if you are in a group, you can all work together to find the BEST way to do stuff so I think you can actually get a better grade in a group, if everyone in the group works then you can get a better grade. If not everyone works, then you can get a worse grade.

Student Group Interviews

Question: How would you describe Studio-based learning?Otis: I think that pre-production meeting is like so that you can find

ideas to do things. And while you are working on the actual project, you can relate back to the pre-production meeting, and then you can refine things if you find a better way. But the pre-production meeting just gets you started so then you know what to do and how you are going to do it.

Farrir: I think the post-production, what you do afterwards, is supposed to be like a reflection on what you did well, what you didn’t do well and what you can improve on next time, and I always find that part helpful.

Thomas: Yeah, I also find the post-production helpful because then in the next project, you can actually use, in the pre-production, what you used in the last post-production. You can say ‘this is what my group did bad last time, so maybe we could do this better ‘ and you can kind of reflect on your last project.

Student Group Interviews

Question: What do each of you think you learned in this class?Misty: Um, I feel like I’ve learned a lot of important skills that I don’t

know. We practically just started school and there are a lot of things on the computer that I never even knew about. I kinda just thought it was just a big toy, a ‘video-game’, but I learned how maybe important it is to different people’s jobs and all the different programs on it that we can use in the future.

Maureen: Yeah, if you learn to use them…like Excel at the beginning of the year. I have Microsoft Office on my laptop but I have no clue what Excel or some of those other programs were until we were taught how to use them in Geometry.

Justin: I learned about, like Narrir said, the Greeks and a lot about the history. And how to make more refined geometrical shapes and arts like, in Mr. Paisley’s [Math] class because he teaches us about flat-fold symmetries and 8-folds and 6-folds so it’s pretty helpful.

Student Group Interviews

Question: Do you think the technology helped?Otis: I think it did help, because then you got to do everything

twice because you would do something in Geometry and you might understand it. But then you’re doing it in Digital Media on the computer so then you get to do it twice and you learn how to do it on the computer and on a piece of paper. So I think that would help you in the future.

Misty: Having the computer there for like examples and being able to do things while he’s [Mr. Paisley] talking, like typing the notes or copying what he’s doing like on Geometer sketchpad, I think it makes it more engaging and I think it helps you maybe think deeper about what you are doing, instead of just listening to a lecture like you would at Napa High.

Lessons Learned & Next Steps

Early Lessons Learned: High School Students need pre-training in critical thinking about design before doing projects.

Students need design crit practice before grouping.

Need individual roles in groups and a process framework.

Next StepsSpring 2011: Refine SBL Model and expand to 9th grade BioFitness teachers (PE & Biology) to implement in an environmental/health science unit

School Year 2011-2012: Adopt SBL across Napa New Technology HS and provide teacher PD.

School Year 2012-2013: Expand teacher training in SBL Model to New Technology High School Network in U.S. (over 100 schools), and to Napa County School District.