In the past couple years, you may have seen a few changes to the look and feel of hallways and open spaces at SA – a sculpture installation here, a community quilt there, new cafeteria art or a mural on the walls. This is not an accident but a calculated focus by teachers and administrators to double efforts on collaborative artwork, multi-age/class teamwork, and integrated project-based learning that connects classroom curriculum with the EFS mission at SA. But what are “integrated projects” and “project-based lessons”? Why do we do them and who makes it happen? Parents had a chance to join the November PTO meeting to learn about the art and PBL (project based learning) effort from one of the faces at SA who leads this effort, David Paarlberg-Kvam (known around SA as Mr. PK)
Mr. PK joined the SA team in 2023 to fill the 0.6 art teacher position at SA. He brought over a decade of experience teaching art and working with Southern Vermont teacher teams to bring classroom learning to life with big, tangible, and often large-scale spectacles. It was clear within that first year at SA that there was space and interest in growing that effort at this school. Since 2024, SA has used a portion of its discretionary RISE funding to keep Mr. PK full-time and build space in the schedule to have him serve as a project-based-learning resident for grade level teams. His role as Project Based Learning Coordinator is both a unique one in the district and one that has become valued across the grade levels. During his residencies, teachers are invited to dream big and plan experiential learning that both reinforces concepts from the classroom and engages students with different ways of problem solving, collaborating, making connections, and sharing their learning. By working closely with EFS (Education for Sustainability) Coach Kestrel Plump, and academic coach Matt Limtiaco, teacher teams and Mr. PK are able to create lessons and projects that are highly rigorous, grounded in the Big Ideas of Sustainability, and help all students thrive.
While some of the marquee productions – like the Trout Parade or hallway installations – may be the most forefront examples of arts integration, it is actually some of the less public projects and problems that get Mr. PK most excited.
“When teachers want to plan 3D and 2D mapping projects connected to place-based exploration, or build a storefront with parent volunteers to help kids understand money and math, or build cardboard installations of ecosystems, or create a student play about local aquatic plants…these are the things that get me excited about my work and the list goes on and on!”. The kids and teachers here are endlessly creative and I love making these ideas come to life.” Says Mr. PK
But it is so much more than building fun activities. Kestrel Plump shared why she is so excited to have this focus at SA.
“Project based learning presents students with problems that need to be solved. Because our students are all different, the ways they approach and solve the challenge is always different. The variety is what makes project based learning so exciting– both for students and teachers. Students need to engage their scientific, engineering, and critical thinking skills to try out a solution and assess it for its success. One of the best ways we can serve our students is to engage them with the Engineering Design Process. Students also feel that the work they are doing is real, and has meaning beyond a simple activity. ”
Strong PBL programs across the nation are linked to significant increases in literacy rates, test scores, student engagement data and even the ability to persist through difficult tasks. It even shows a strong correlation to improving chronic absenteeism. And it is the perfect vehicle to practice SEL (Social/Emotional Learning) skills. Kestrel continues,
“By its very nature, project based learning is crosscurricular and requires a wide range of skills to be successful. It focuses on student voice because inevitably they come up with solutions and designs teachers would never dream up. I know it is the most authentic way to prepare students for the projects and challenges they will face throughout their life.”
SA student PBL projects can be on view on the SA art webpage, on the Sustainability Academy instagram @sustainabilityacademybsd, and on Mr. PK’s @dpkartwork instagram dedicated to sharing the work of the students and communities he has worked with.
Leave a Reply