Students at Greene County Middle School presented information on topics ranging from video game design to bow hunting at the second Learning Fair of the year Feb. 25 at the school.
The Learning Fairs are modeled after the Science Fairs teachers remember from their student days.
Nineteen teams did presentations of 5 to 7 minutes on a topic of their choosing. For the fall Learning Fair, students selected their own teams. This time, students could select from a list of topics but they could name only one student with whom they wanted to work. The building leadership team reviewed the student surveys and then grouped students by topic, honoring as many students’ requests as possible.
School principal Shawn Zanders said the students not only learned more about something that interested them, but they gained workplace skills. “One of our goals is to encourage kids to work with other students with whom they may not have another connection. Thus far, I believe our efforts have been pretty successful, despite not being able to arrange the exact situation that each person would like. Kids are learning cooperation and compromise in a positive setting, and they are recognizing this, if their self-reflections (completed after the Learning Fair) are an indication,” Zanders said.
An original goal of the Learning Fairs was to help students develop what are deemed “21st Century Skills” in the Iowa Core Curriculum including time management/planning skills, communication and teamwork skills, research skills, and presentation skills.
Guest evaluators for the Winter Learning Fair were Mike Holden, Kirsten Carman, Kim Braun and Pat Richards. They were asked to provide feedback and positive criticism to the students.
Twelve teams presented their projects at the fall Learning Fair. The spring Learning Fair, which will be in early to mid-May, will feature about 70 students. At the end of the year, all middle school students will have presented at one Learning Fair.
