SENIOR PROJECT

In 2009, I was asked to collaborate with a small team of three 12th grade teachers at Waianae High School (WHS) in Hawaii. We were given the task of creating a "Senior Project." The first year, we came up with some lofty goals and objectives and each of us went about achieving them in our own ways. The second year, we built off of what we had all learned to make the project even better. 

This project quickly became a graduation requirement and one of my students favorite projects. Not only does it teach students the benefits of life-long self-directed learning, but it also teaches them a host of life skills, including, but not limited to: planning and time management. Without a doubt, the Senior Project is one of the things I am most proud of creating as a teacher. 

The Senior Project is a self-directed learning opportunity, as well as the culminating assessment of all students’ English education at WHS. Students must choose between three projects: Self-Development Project, Community Service Project, or Career Project. Students must then find a mentor, work on their chosen project for 15 hours outside of school, and produce a final product as proof of their learning stretch. 

In the meantime, all English students researched and wrote a 10 page research paper in class. This was a thesis-based paper on an approved topic related to their project. Finally, students combined the information and experience they gained from their projects and papers and presented them formally in front of their classmates, teacher, and five adult judges. Of course, the students worked on a variety of smaller tasks that prepared them for the project, paper, and presentation. If you would like to know more about those practices, please feel free to ask. 

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