Do as I Say AND Do as I Do
In education we often talk about teaching students to work in authentic ways, and being able to work cooperatively in teams becomes one of our biggest goals for them. In real work people with different expertise, styles and interests join together in a group, and somehow the body pulls its disparate elements together to accomplish meaningful work. Kids at Port Neches Middle School get practice doing this in their project-based studies, and maybe as importantly, they learn about cooperative effort by watching very good models as well-- their teachers, who team up to plan integrated instruction for them every day.

Multidisciplinary Studies
At Port Neches Middle School, in Port Neches, Texas, teachers work in cross-curricular grade level teams to deliver really coherent, multidisciplinary instruction to their students. One sixth grade team, made up of Kathy Dugger (science), Tanya Davis (math), and Sue McBride (reading), is taking project learning to new heights. After working together for six years, these teachers, with a language arts and social studies teacher, have fine-tuned their efforts and offer at least one comprehensive project each term. As participants in the Intel® Teach Program training this summer, they integrated technology into one of their efforts, the “Don’t Trash the Earth” project showcased here.

Don’t Trash the Earth
Kathy, the science teacher (aka “recycle queen”), started a recycling project as an extra-curricular activity seven years ago. She promoted its extension into the other disciplines, and now students look at recycling from different angles during reading, language arts, math, science, and art.

During “Don’t Trash the Earth”, students analyze the state of waste management at PNMS, look at municipal waste management and current economics of the recycling market, and assess student, staff, and community attitudes about recycling. They divert material from the waste stream in a variety of ways, and turn trashy odds and ends into useful and attractive gifts to sell at a holiday business fair. The fair has become a local tradition, with families collecting items for it all year. Baby food jars, stray socks, scraps of ribbon, Pringles cans, and jigsaw puzzle pieces are diverted from the waste stream, and see new life as snow globes, TV remote cozies, picture frames, and other treasures. Finally, students bring their learning together in a culminating project—a multimedia proposal for improving recycling and waste management in their school and community.

“When kids get involved in the community, things start to happen.”
An interesting problem arose recently, when community curbside recycling was stopped. Concerned students led a campaign for its revival, and lobbied community leaders, all the way up to the mayor. Though the campaign was unsuccessful, students were undeterred. They found an independent recycler to take their annual three to four tons of waste paper (saving 60-70 pulp trees). Additional projects that divert waste are in the works as well. The honor society collects returnable beverage containers, and everyone saves pull-tabs from soda cans to benefit the local Ronald McDonald House. This winter alone, the sixth grade craft fair earned $1,200, and the proceeds were donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “Kids are really empowered by these projects,” Sue says. “They live in a world of get, get, get, all you can, then they do all this work to the benefit of someone else. To do all that work and then give it away is really neat. The recognition they get from the community is just great; it’s really genuine, and they deserve it.”

Making Multidisciplinary Studies Work
Multidisciplinary studies are fairly uncommon in middle schools, and Port Neches succeeds in its endeavor for several important reasons. Integrated instruction is valued by the school district administration, which has supported the concept for the last nine years. Administrators help schools configure their program to make it work: teaching assignments are arranged so faculty members teach at a single grade level, and teams are afforded a group planning period every day. Shared planning time and a common group of students makes collaborative projects possible.

The teachers note that families benefit from this arrangement as well, because a core group of teachers knows each child well. The teachers benefit, too, bringing their individual strengths to bear and sharing the workload. When asked how diverse types operate in a team (“Some of us are way too organized” says Kathy), the teachers say their complementary skills are nicely balanced. “The two super-organized people love to help the creative types structure their efforts a bit,” Kathy says. Organizing the technology components of the project takes support from outside the team. Lynne James, the building technology coordinator helps with scheduling (and rescheduling), so pieces of each project are done in time. The whole school engages in projects that require technology, so juggling access to two labs is a big job. “The labs are in use all the time, everyday,” Kathy says.

Technology Benefits
Sue, Kathy, and Tanya have supported their curriculum with technology in various ways. Students weigh the costs and benefits of waste management systems by analyzing data in spreadsheets. They promote their proposals for recycling and advertise the craft fair with attractive brochures made with publishing software. Students build public awareness through persuasive messages presented in looping slideshows that run during school events. The teacher uses run the gamut, from guided reading programs, to Webquests, to demonstrations using computers and s-video or projection systems, to summarizing grades, writing newsletters, and publishing class projects on the Web for off-site access.

The sixth grade teachers comment that their technology abilities differed before they participated in Intel® Teach Program, but “Now we’re pretty much on the same footing,” Kathy says, “and we’ve helped bring other teachers along who didn’t participate in the training.” Sue notes, “It seems the more we learn the faster we are at picking up new technologies. I learned to use Inspiration (a graphic organizer software program) last week, and I’m ready to use it with kids right now.” Staff development activities only take them so far, however. Tanya reflects, “I’m always amazed at what kids can do; they pick up technology so easily. I’ve learned as much from my students as from anything.” At a school where everyone’s a teacher, and everyone’s a learner, the power of collaboration takes education to its zenith.

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