DANVILLE — One classroom in District 118’s fledgling “New Tech High” program is working on a project to solve Danville’s recycling problems.

Another has hopes to design and build an access ramp for the wheelchair-challenged high school building.

So, what wide-ranging community problem did you solve in high school?

Administrators say the new class projects are just a start and more will follow as the rest of the high school comes on line to join a groundbreaking education program relying heavily on laptop computer use, real-world problem-solving and project-based learning.

“It’s just taking real-world problems and using them to teach the curriculum. I think it’s pretty powerful,” said Darin Chambliss, assistant principal and director of New Tech High, now in its second semester and one of two such programs in the state and 40 in the country.

“Everything has relevance.”

He said students have been feeding off that power and are starting to realize they are in control of how they learn.

Chambliss reported at the Jan. 13 school board meeting that attendance for New Tech students in the first semester was the second-highest in the district and that students passing core subjects were being reported at astounding rates. More than 90 percent of students in the first semester were passing math and science, with English and social studies students reaching the high 80 percentile range.

“They’re getting an opportunity to see the relevance,” he told the board earlier this month. “If decisions need to be made, the students make them. It’s been interesting to see some kids hold some of the other kids accountable.”

New foundation

That’s because of New Tech’s structure, which breaks students into smaller “teams” who depend upon one another to complete portions of a project.

Projects are picked by the students under general direction provided by teachers, who introduce core curriculum objectives and oversee progress through an end-of-the-year presentation.

For example, instead of just reading about the Holocaust, students are creating a digital museum through a new U.S. history and literature class that incorporates historical knowledge and biographical accounts like Anne Frank’s. Another recently approved class will combine the topics of law and American democracy.

“It’s kind of learn on the fly with certain things,” Chambliss said, “but they take it a little deeper.”

“We can show them what proper collaboration looks like,” said Abbie Myer, an American literature teacher who teams up with U.S. history teacher Jacob Bretz to form the new “American Studies” class.

Myer said the concept has been a transition for teachers, too. Instead of standing before the class and speaking to them, teachers now have constant one-on-one interaction with students and help if needed from a fellow instructor.

“It’s nice to have somebody backing me up,” she said of the tandem-teaching concept.

Bretz said the new teaching tact has been difficult to master, but he’s already seen results in students.

“Both the students and the teachers have had to unlearn,” he said. “They’ve been forced to be more proactive with what they need and they’ve really taken ownership. More kids are staying after school to get things done.”

Bretz said the beauty of the teaching concept is that it encourages students’ self-motivation and requires them to find their talent within the group — and then lets them use it to help the team succeed.

“We all have things that drive us as individuals to succeed,” he said, adding time-management and work ethic become nearly as important as the “Three Rs” under the program because it’s a skill that can be applied to any career.

“They make their own timelines and organize the project themselves,” he added. “They choose what they want to focus on.”

Chambliss said future plans include having students make digital portfolios of their work which could be shown at an as-of-yet unorganized job fair.

New community

One of the keys to the program’s success will be how well the community embraces it.

School administrators are still adding coursework for New Tech and two other houses expected to come on-line next year, “Global House” and “Aces House,” to include all of the high-school-age students but freshmen. The “house” concept will expand next year to seniors and is expected to encompass more than 100 students at each level who will use 400 laptops.

But to make it work, leaders say, the school will need to form partnerships with the community, which will be asked to help with everything from project advice to service on panels that review year-end student projects. So far, about 80 panelists have been lined up and partners include the University of Illinois and Danville Area Community College. School officials also are working on a partnership with Indiana’s Purdue University and have already adopted a New Tech Twitter account to encourage networking.

Phil Cox, DHS assistant principal and director of the oncoming Academy of Creative Experiences, or ACE House, has already worked to form partnerships that will provide more-artistic opportunities for students.

Cox’s proposed “Artful Learning” program uses drama, writing and other performance mediums to achieve community-based goals through class projects.

“We’re looking to give our students direction,” Cox said.

GLOBAL House, short for Global and Local Outlooks through Business and Action Learning, led by Assistant Principal Rowdy Fatheree, will take a similar tact as the other groups but with a global perspective.

All three “houses” are geographically separated as well, with dedicated teachers and classrooms assigned to each program area. The concept is an offshoot of the Gates Foundation education charity.

New Tech caused extensive remodeling on the third floor of the high school’s 1972 edition, funded in part by a grant from the Vermilion Healthcare Foundation. Implementation cost for the program is estimated at $2.5 million over five years.

New solutions

Recently Ron Stevens, a local construction contractor who volunteers with the Vermilion County Handicapped Association, was found walking the halls of the high school after being contacted by one of the math classes for the wheelchair-ramp project.

“He’s going to walk us through it,” said teacher Andrea VanLeer.

Stevens said when he attended school he never thought that over the course of his career he’d be using most of the math he learned in the classroom.

“I was always thinking, ‘I’m really not going to use this,’” he recalled. “I know I wish when I was in school they had people coming in and giving us knowledge like this.”

VanLeer said the ramp project idea came from classroom discussion over how they could take on a real-life project using slopeline equations.

“The more real-life something is, the more kids buy into it,” she said.

Bretz agreed. He said he’s excited about the possibilities as the fledgling program becomes an experienced one.

“Everybody talks about wanting our kids to have 21st Century skills,” he said, “but nobody really teaches them. It’s only going to continue to grow.”

Chambliss said the use of laptop computers and Internet research wouldn’t replace books anytime soon, but the concept is less reliant on the press-printed word than traditional learning methods.

“We view books like any other resource,” he said. “There are a lot of other resources out there. We’re teaching kids to be more of a critical thinker. Too many times it’s easy to say, ‘I’ll just look in the book.’ We see the kids taking it a step farther.”

Student response

Kids in the class seem to be responding.

DHS Principal Mark Neil told school board members at the last board meeting he was pleased with what he’s seen so far through the New Tech approach.

“I’ve seen a huge difference in some of the students,” he said. “It makes me proud to see the progress we’ve made. It’s been well worth it.”

Jordan Dannenberg, a junior, said it’s a bit unusual getting used to not being in trouble for talking in class.

“I would say it’s easier because you don’t really have to rely on the teachers so much,” he said. “We can ask each other questions. They like for us to consult other sources and we can use the computer to open up discussion boards. Instead of just talking, we can communicate in a lot of ways.”

The general rule for students asking a teacher a question is that they must have first asked three other students. The directive is designed to wean students from being teacher dependent and force them to find answers on their own.

Sophomore Selena Rodriguez said she already enjoys using a computer keyboard so the transition to a relative paperless classroom has been one of many positive experiences.

“I like working with groups better and I don’t have to carry as many books around,” she said.

New Tech student Rowell Guy said he’s appreciated the autonomy and it’s made him feel more responsible for his work.

“You feel like you’re independent, but the teachers and groups still help you,” he said. “It’s like preparing you for college, to me.”