{"id":18127,"date":"2016-12-08T13:58:32","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T13:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.impactmania.com\/im\/amir-abo-shaeer-project-based-education\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T09:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T09:01:11","slug":"amir-abo-shaeer-project-based-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impactmania.com\/im\/amir-abo-shaeer-project-based-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Amir Abo-Shaeer: Project-Based Education for the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amir<\/a><\/p>\n

Project-Based Education for the Future<\/span><\/h1>\n
BY PAKSY PLACKIS-CHENG<\/h5>\n
\n

Amir Abo-Shaeer, Founder of Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy<\/a><\/strong>, discusses how DPEA\u00a0prepares students for careers that don’t exist today.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0first high school MacArthur Fellow<\/a><\/strong> teacher, Amir Abo-Shaeer, was recently invited to the\u00a02nd Annual White House Next Generation High School Summit<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Along with DPEA alumna\u00a0Madison Pickett, he\u00a0traveled to Washington D.C. to be part of a panel discussion in connection with the\u00a0NOVA<\/strong><\/a> School of the Future documentary.<\/p>\n

Amir Abo-Shaeer speaks\u00a0with\u00a0impactmania<\/em> about how in addition to\u00a0being\u00a0a high school, DPEA is also a research project in itself, delving into the ways students learn. In the near future, DPEA will be working on\u00a0expanding the successes seen through\u00a0this\u00a0integrated project and technology based approach to benefit other schools, students, and society.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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You were recently invited to the White House Next Generation High School Summit<\/a>. What message did you bring? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Our world has changed very rapidly in the last 15 to 20 years; school has not changed in a hundred years. The two are now becoming more divergent. How do we address that? What goals can school achieve? What do students need to be successful in this changing world?<\/span><\/p>\n

Our school, in particular, has this idea of project- and technology-based learning where the projects are real, authentic, and rooted in newer technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give me an example of project-based learning at Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We have chosen to work on installations of kinetic sculptures and science exhibits. These could go into technical museums or museums of art. We’ve demonstrated that students can work with teachers on a collaborative project by building The Carousel of Physics<\/a><\/strong> that was placed at the\u00a0Santa Barbara Museum of Art<\/a><\/strong>. It has an intention beyond being cool. There’s an educational purpose in\u00a0having students participate in an existing industry sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are exhibit creators, for example, that create exhibits for museums across the country. We’re exploring this idea of a high school \u2014 a unique facility with students who have been trained to work together collaboratively \u2014 that creates professional exhibits that can actually be competitive with what would be found in an industry setting.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/137023238<\/a><\/p>\n


\nWith future jobs such as nano medics and 3D body part makers, jobs we have little information about\u00a0right now, how do you educate students to prepare them for the future roles and responsibilities they have to take on?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The way that we address that is by working on something that’s open ended. As students move into these fields, they’re going to\u00a0be inventing the field that they’re working in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Project-based learning is where the project is well defined. Design-based learning is where we are identifying a set of constraints or a set of problems we’re trying to solve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, we’re going to address that by solving that problem. In our case, we prepare students\u00a0for future jobs by creating and making installations\u00a0using current technology \u2014 industry standard in terms of the types of mechanisms and electronics. That gets students used to the idea of working with the latest software to achieve their goal.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Give me a specific problem that you put forward.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Carousel of Physics – The\u00a0challenge was to create something that was an interactive display demonstrating many interesting and exciting concepts in physics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The

The Carousel of Physics built by 61 DPEA students<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Imagine you’re sitting in a class where you are inspired by something that the professor does at the front of the classroom. These are the \u2018aha\u2019 moments. We wanted this entire device to present these things on demand and in perpetuity. A demonstration that someone might only get to see if they’re in a science college class is now accessible to a five year old. \u201cWow, this is how waves form on a plate vibrating” or “I didn’t understand how a Van de Graaff generator works.\u201d On The Carousel of Physics, we have 61 different physics demonstrations happening, delightfully, artistically, and aesthetically presented.<\/span><\/p>\n

The challenge was how do you get 61 people to work collaboratively together to build a unified installation that is both artistically and educationally coherent and meets specs? That’s what we were able to ultimately do and prove was possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has been a surprising learning in the process of building DPEA?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I would say it’s both surprising and troubling: how hard it is to help students bridge the gap between a traditional learning environment and an environment that is more innovative. We find that it’s extremely challenging to get students who are used to getting points and grades on every assignment and test in this very predictable way to accept us suddenly saying, \u201cWe just want you to be a top performer and work on this open-ended project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That open-endedness,\u00a0<\/span>which is required of all of us once we become an employee or we start our own company, is not addressed in a traditional school setting. People get their first job and they hear, \u201cWell, yes, you’ve learned all this stuff in school, but put all that aside. Now that you’re working in our company, we’re going to\u00a0train you on how to be effective in this environment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We’re watching that transition happen, and it’s illuminating as to how many ways education is ineffective for preparing people appropriately for the world.<\/span><\/p>\n