Abbie Funke teaches high school English at West Delaware High School in the West Delaware Community School District in northeast Iowa. Funke sought out training through AEA Learning Online so that she could bring work-based, hands-on projects to her classroom. Here are her thoughts:

• What is your project and who are you partnering with?

My students are partnering with Homestead 1839 to design and build a chicken tractor as well as design a butterfly garden! 

• What prompted you to take on a project?

My students are part of the Delaware County STEM BEST course at our school, and while we were waiting for responses from local businesses, I told them to look at the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-based Learning website for projects. They applied for and were accepted to these projects, so now they are working on both projects from the website and community-based projects.

• Was there a steep learning curve? Who did you reach out to for help?

There would have been a steep learning curve had I not attended the Agile and Scrum for Education training with Laura Williams (21^st Century learning specialist for AEA Learning Online) before beginning the course. That training really prepared me for this very different type of learning. 

• What are you seeing with your students?

The students are becoming really good at delegating tasks and building their own timeline. It was weird for them at first, because they're so used to their teachers giving them timelines, but after the first few days, they really took it and ran with it!

• What are your students learning?

The students are really learning how to make their learning their own; they'll ask me if they should do something, and I tell them it's their project; they need to figure it out! They struggled a bit with that at first, but now they are doing very well with it. We're to the point where they tell me what their idea is and ask my thoughts, but my thoughts aren't the driving force behind their decision making.

• Why should other teachers consider taking a hands-on, real-world project with a business partner?

Other teachers should consider this because it makes learning more meaningful.  Knowing that they are accountable to someone outside of their school is incredibly motivating, and the quality of the work shows that increased motivation. It's also teaching students real-world skills they wouldn't get in a traditional classroom!

Don’t miss out on this professional development opportunity

Registration is now open for the National Work-Based Learning Conference to be held right here in Iowa on April 22-23 at the FFA Enrichment Center on Des Moines Area Community College’s Ankeny campus. Hosted jointly by Iowa’s work-based learning coordinators and the national Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), attendees will learn from national and state experts on how to build high-quality student experiences and programs.

Keynote speaker Casey Sacks, deputy assistant secretary for Community Colleges at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, will kick off the conference. In addition, a wide range of breakout sessions geared toward instructors, counselors and administrators is in development, which includes a session on integrating projects from the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning into classroom instruction.

Contact Kristy Volesky, education program consultant for business and marketing, work-based learning and the Iowa Intermediary Network with the Iowa Department of Education, at kristy.volesky@iowa.gov, or at 515-281-3615, for more information.

Hey, teachers, here's a roadmap

to getting started

You know you want to. But how to begin?

Finding and using a network of supports can make the difference in having a successful experience with implementing projects into your classroom.  Here is a suggested progression of trainings and resources available to schools.

1. Schedule an in-person or Zoom Clearinghouse for WBL Overview session for K-12 staff! Contact jake.welchans@iowa.gov for more information.
2. Bring Community Members in for a Lunch & Learn or host a Community Think-Tank to learn how area partners can get involved to create authentic learning opportunities for students. This is a great time to get the conversation going about potential projects and share them on the Clearinghouse for WBL! For more guidance or resources contact lwilliams@aealearningonline.org
3. Schedule a more in-depth professional learning around implementation of authentic projects in the classroom. Contact local area education agency consultants to see what local support is available or attend a state-wide opportunity. Contact lwilliams@aealearningonline.org to learn more about state wide offerings. 
4. Seek consultative support to help to help align projects to standards & learning targets. Contact local area education agency consultants for support! 
5. Join the Iowa Authentic Learning Network (Iowa ALN) Google group for real-time support and idea sharing! Check out Iowa ALN Teacher Resources or check out Authentic Learning Program Implementation Considerations
6. Dig deeper into project management with a two-day Agile for Education: A Scrum play by play training! Contact dcleveland@aealearningonline.org or lwilliams@aealearningonline.org