Building a scale model house, wiring an electrical outlet, and connecting water supply and discharge lines for a toilet: they are all part of project-based learning (PBL) experiences at Summit Academy Transition High School – Cincinnati. School Intervention Specialist Tre Davis says the real-world experiences, built into the school’s curriculum and culture, allow students to solve problems in real time and build upon both academic and practical skills and knowledge.
The new offerings follow more traditional ones like engineering a container to prevent a raw egg from breaking during a fall, calculating the load-bearing capacity of a bridge, and designing, building and testing a catapult, the likes of which the school has been providing instruction on since 2021.
Taught by Davis and fellow teachers Christina Riley and James Smith, the curriculum not only challenges students with math and science problem-solving, but also exposes them to career possibilities in the skilled trades – carpentry, plumbing and electrical.
The classes, which began during the second quarter, will continue through the rest of the school year. The ninth to twelfth graders in the class are building upon their knowledge one class at a time. They began the coursework with introductions to vocations by professionals working in those fields. By the end of the school’s third quarter, students in the electrical program will wire full-scale walls and rough wire ceilings, set electrical boxes and run cables. Those in plumbing will connect various types of piping and have their connections pressure checked.
“For the fourth quarter, the electricians [students] will be doing the finishing wiring,” says Davis, explaining that they will wire up to an outlet, light switch and ceiling light. “The plumbers will be installing a toilet onto a small platform and connecting the supply and discharge lines.”
Davis says the new project-based learning offering has been well received by students.
“Many of our students from the beginning of the PBL experience have provided positive feedback in the form of a reflection that we provide at the end of each week,” Davis says, adding that students are invested into the projects because of their connections to real-world situations.
Curriculum Director Mari Dew adds that the school has gradually built up its project-based learning opportunities and “are doing impressive activities with our students.”