As I walk through classrooms this week, I have viewed students reading stories in Spanish followed with a lively debate about the historical accuracy of the films Pocahontas and Christopher Columbus. 

The discussion revolved around what was accurate and what was not, why Disney may have portrayed things the way they did, and what the students learned from it.

I watched some students work on putting together parallel and series circuits to make lights turn on and off. In a special education earth science class, they made volcanos above and below water to look for differences.

Students are working on building the set for the musical, working together in geometry class to determine the formula for the number of degrees in a polygon, and writing essays about the ‘85 Bears and the Washington Redskins’ “Scabs”.

Students are learning through action rather than by lecture style. They are encouraged to be engaged in the lessons, ask questions, and look for answers.

What happens in schools doesn’t look like it did 15 years ago. It’s not quiet learning, there is talking and discussions, and doing. And we are happy to be moving in the direction where students are able to move around and sit in groups to learn.