Biomedical class ‘real-world’ education

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

It’s a familiar scene in education. A teacher stands at the front of the room, lecturing from chapter whatever, page whatever, as students fight to keep their eyes open and actually concentrate on the teacher’s lecture on…whatever.

Let’s face it: today’s students are a different breed, and advances in technology and curriculum call for a different type of education. Textbooks? So “old school.” Students today are learning in a project-based environment, and the Internet has actually become the familiar version of the textbook in many courses currently offered at local schools.

Yes, the textbook still exists, but capturing the attention of today’s computer-savvy kids requires a computer-savvy education. Hence, Project Lead the Way, a national educational program centered around project-based learning. While Van Wert High School has offered the curriculum in the science arena for approximately five years now, this year’s freshman class is finishing up its first year of a newly offered biomedical sciences program.

The program’s premise is simple, requiring teachers to educate students through a variety of hands-on projects, rather than straight lecture from a textbook. For instance, on the first day of this school year, students in teacher Chuck Rollins’ class were greeted with a “dead body,” “blood” on the floor, and two EMTs who were surveying the scene. Not exactly your typical “what did you do this summer?” essay assignment, but it’s a curriculum that’s designed to prepare students for real-world situations.

“They are learning skills that translate into the workforce,” Rollins said. “People don’t take tests for a living, or answer multiple choice questions. The whole idea behind project-based learning is for students to learn how to collaborate and work together as a team.”

Transitioning students to this new type of learning has been a challenge, Rollins said, but it’s a challenge that students have readily embraced. “Because they have a lot of freedom, students have to learn how to stay focused and on-task,” Rollins said, adding that it’s been a challenge for him as well. “For years, teachers have been trained to provide answers to students when they ask questions. So the students get a little frustrated when they ask me a question and I won’t tell them the answer,” he added. “Traditionally, that’s what teachers do, but in this class, I might facilitate how they can find the answer on the computer, but I’m not just going to tell them the answer. A large part of the course is designed to enable them to figure things out on their own, which helps them develop their critical-thinking skills.”

Even without the absence of a typical textbook, students are required to meet deadlines for different projects, and develop interpersonal skills by dealing with different personalities.

“That’s really how we exist when we get out into the real world,” Rollins said. “The skills they are learning in this class will translate into 21st-century learning, where books aren’t as important as they used to be. Today, you can find anything you want on the Internet as long as you know where to look and what sites are more valuable.”

The first-year curriculum of the biomedical sciences class revolved around the death of a woman, and students investigated different theories and medical issues to determine the cause of death. Students were familiarized with anatomy via a trip to the Bodies Exhibit in Toledo, where they got up close and personal with preserved human bodies.

“They were able to see all the muscles and nerves, and all the body systems and organs, so they really got a good look at what human anatomy looks like,” Rollins said, adding that students also dissected a heart at the beginning of the year to learn about the circulatory system and how it works.

The entire biomedical sciences program is being offered due to a $750,000 grant that was awarded to only five schools in the state, and Van Wert High School was one of those schools. Beginning with next year’s freshman class, all students and staff will begin transitioning to the “new tech” model of teaching and learning.

“This model, which actually stands for new technique, is completely project-based,” Rollins said, adding that the core principle of the new program is cross-curricular teaching. “Next year’s freshmen will be the first group that we will teach in this new system.

“There will be two different classes teamed up with two different teachers from different curricular areas, so projects will be designed to cover two different sets of content standards at the same time,” he explained.

For example, next year’s students will have physical science and Algebra 1 as one class taught by two teachers simultaneously. Students enrolled in that class will have a double period and will learn the content of both classes by engaging in a project that covers both sets of standards.

Rollins is currently finishing up the program year, and preparing students for an online test developed by Project Lead the Way staff. Students who score high enough on the test can apply for college credits. “It’s similar to an Advanced Placement class, but they’re taking it as freshmen,” Rollins said, adding that students who score 80 percent or higher on the test can purchase three college semester hours of credit, which represents a huge savings to parents. “They can get these hours at a fraction of the original cost,” he said. “Essentially, students who take all four years could potentially graduate with 12 college credits just by taking this program.”

The program is so well respected that nearly all universities are accepting this course as credit.

“The only variable is that some colleges will count the credit as elective, and others will count it as a science credit,” Rollins said. “It varies from school to school, but it’s being accepted everywhere.”

Another big benefit of the class is exposing students to the growing field of biomedical technologies, which is far greater than just doctors or nurses. “There are so many different jobs available out there, so students are getting some exposure to that.”

Freshman Nick Krugh appreciates that exposure, and said it will serve him well as he molds his education towards his desired career of dentistry.

“I knew this program would give me some background on the human body, and next year, I’ll actually be able to double up my sciences, so that will help me out a lot,” Krugh said.

With year one under his belt, Rollins is looking forward to continued growth in the program.

“The kids love it and think it’s really cool. Whenever you do anything for the first time, you never do it as good as you will down the road, so I really think this program will grow and more students will become interested in this field,” Rollins said. “There are a tremendous amount of jobs available, and this field continues to grow as the baby boomers get older and require services. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Eric Yeung likes the freedom the class provides, and the ability to work through problems on his own.

“I think it definitely gives us an edge,” Yeung said. “It allows us to work together as a group, and it’s actually giving us real world experience, which is totally cool.”

Rollins summed it up by saying the whole thing just makes good, common sense. “The world is totally different now, so we have to prepare kids differently for working in a totally different economy than we had just thirty or forty years ago,” Rollins noted. “I personally believe this model of teaching is right on the money to get kids prepared for the modern workforce. Makes sense to me.”