This is usually the first question I’m asked when I tell someone I made a career change in 2015 from working in a boys’ school for 23 years to teaching girls at The Agnes Irwin School (PA). Every time, I find it hard to answer without resorting to glib stereotypes such as “Boys need frequent activity during class, and girls care more about their work.”
In the college prep culture of some independent schools, I’ve found that teaching boys and girls can be remarkably similar: Both genders are highly motivated; have an I-want-to-do-it-all attitude, which often leads to overscheduling; and enjoy the company of schoolmates as much as, if not more than, what they are doing in the classroom. I cautiously use phrases such as “the way boys learn” and “the way girls learn” because each group includes a wide and overlapping spectrum of personalities, characters, and learners.
Research shows that female students desire meaning and connections in the classroom to fully optimize learning. It’s been encouraging to see the research surface in our classroom as I’ve observed the way girls learn through my juniors’ completion of personal interest projects (PIPs).
20% Time
Two years ago, at Agnes Irwin, after we read essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau in my Advanced Placement (AP) English sections, it seemed logical to give my students some time to do what these authors recommended: explore the “self.” I gave the girls time to choose topics that interested each of them, to dive into research, and to share what they learned with the class—the Personal Learning Project (PLP) was born. Moving away from the AP curriculum last year provided an opportunity to be more flexible with class time, and with encouragement from the English department head and design help from the school’s innovation team, PLP turned into PIP. Instead of three weeks, students had one class a cycle (every seven days) to work on a project. This program is based on “20% Time,” instituted several years ago by companies such as 3M and Google to give employees 20% of their time to work on projects of their own choosing. Educators have adapted 20% Time (sometimes called “Genius Hour”) for schools.This is how PIP worked last year: After students spent a few weeks identifying possible interests, they chose topics and began exploring them through research, writing, painting, building, interviews, surveys, photography, videography, acting, musical composition, and practice. After each class cycle, they wrote a reflection on progress and challenges, and by the end of the school year, they produced a product, completed a self-assessment, and shared their experiences through five-minute TED-type talks.
Embracing Connections
During the early stages, as students were choosing topics, we experimented with “speed dating” as a format to share information and narrow options. Desks were arranged in pairs; each student shared her top three topic ideas and received feedback from her partner; when time was called after several minutes, one side of the line moved to the next person and repeated the process until each girl had a conversation with all of her classmates. The girls appreciated learning about what their classmates were thinking, and many reported receiving helpful feedback from their peers and gaining the courage to dive into their topics, even with experts.The girls’ learning was amplified when they had the opportunity to share, and their experience confirmed the research from Girls’ Day School Trust about the importance of connection in girls’ education. We built on this initial activity by sharing reflections along the way, and girls honed their ideas through their conversations, supported each other when challenges arose, and developed meaningful relationships as they learned more about themselves—and each other.
Finding Meaning
For teen girls to be successful learners and leaders, they need to engage in work that is meaningful to them—work that they choose to do because it engages them, and work that has a direct effect on their lives or the lives of people they care about. That’s a key finding in a 2015 study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.In many middle and high schools today, academic choices are usually made, or narrowed, for students. While choice can be challenging, it is an important component of meaningful work. PIP provides girls with an opportunity to practice their decision-making, to work for an extended period of time on a project of their own choosing, and to learn more about their own creativity, skills, and interests—all important ingredients for meaningful work.
By the end of the project, most girls reported that having agency made the experience a powerful one. One student wrote: “I really liked it because I learned the research process…[and] it empowered me: If there isn’t research, go get it yourself.”
The Results
It’s exciting to see the number of girls who planned to continue working on their projects after our course ended. One student created and recorded 12 original songs and wants to produce her first album. Another student intends to publish her original art in a book that explores the plight of an endangered species of horses. A third student is passionate about improving the prison system through raising awareness about the wrongfully convicted.So, what’s the cost of implementing a project that uses 20% of class time? To fit PIPs into our course that focuses on the essential question, “What is the American story?” I had to give up units on Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five and selected essays by Emerson and Thoreau. However, some important curricular gains are a more varied writing practice that helps girls find their voices—before they have to write personal essays for college—as well as a substantial research and public speaking experience, which serves as a helpful foundation for a capstone experience in which each senior delivers a 10-minute talk to the upper school community about a topic that interests her.
While I’m not sure about Vonnegut, I’m convinced that Emerson and Thoreau would cheer us on because we’re putting their ideas into action instead of just reading about them. More important, I want my students to know that their own American stories matter.
