4 Keys To Helping Your Child Succeed At A Project Based Middle School

Whether you've already made the decision to send your child to a project based middle school or are still wondering whether or not it's the right decision for your family, you want to offer your child the best possible chance of succeeding academically. When you elect to send your child to a project based school, you'll experience a number of advantages. You'll also discover that it's a little different from sending your child to a normal middle school.

Walk them through the process. If your child has never engaged in project based learning before, it can feel very intimidating. Make sure that they fully understand the process before they're expected to jump in. Give them the tools that they'll need to develop their own understanding, pursue their own interests, and take their learning as far as they're capable of. Discuss the shift to project based middle school with your child before they take it. This will help make the transition easier and increase your child's chances of success from the beginning.

Help guide the process. In a small project based environment, your child will receive plenty of one-on-one attention from their teachers. By providing additional help at home, however, you can help guide the process in a direction that is appropriate for your child's interests. You know your child best! Sometimes, help comes in the form of sitting down with them and working together to research or further develop their projects. You don't want to do the work for them, but can offer key insights that will help your child soar to new heights. In other cases, your child may benefit more from a simple reminder to remain on task, plenty of time and space to work, and available resources dedicated to completing their project.

Offer feedback.One of the most critical facets of project based learning is the feedback your child will receive from their teachers and their peers. Learning to review other students' work is part of the process, but so is accepting criticism and using it to perform better on the next project. Offer feedback for your child as they develop their projects and further their educational goals. They're learning how to work with it: how to shift their research as a result of outside feedback, how to adapt the project based on information from other sources, and how to add others' points of view to their personal thought processes without allowing that feedback to overtake what they're attempting to accomplish. Your feedback gives your child another valuable perspective throughout the project.

Watch the results. Project based learning is a highly successful form of education that has been immensely beneficial to many students. Like many forms of education, however, it's not for everyone. If your child struggles with a lack of motivation or a general disregard for the entire educational process, project based learning may not be enough to give them the incentive to learn. Keep an eye on your child's grades and embrace the opportunity to check what they've learned. Consult regularly with their teachers to discuss their successes and failures. The more involved you are in your child's education, the more likely they are to succeed no matter what model you're using.

Deciding on a project based curriculum for your child sets them up for success. As their parent, however, it's your job to give them the tools they need to take that success to the next level. By staying involved with the entire process, from discussing the transition in curriculum with your student to offering feedback and help as they learn to navigate this new style of learning, you can enhance their educational journey and help them develop skills that will last for a lifetime.