AHB students experience hands-on, meaningful, project-based
instruction in reading, writing, science, social studies/history,
and mathematics. Our relatively small, mixed-age class sizes
and low student:teacher ratios (generally 12 -18 students per class
with 2 -3 teachers) provide the opportunity for increased
interaction between teachers and students. This allows
teachers to better meet a range of academic needs and to facilitate
in-depth, interactive learning.
Though we do not use standardized tests or textbooks (except as
resources for our teachers), AHB does use established academic
objectives in math and language arts (meeting and exceeding the
standards set forth by the Texas Education Agency.) For
science and social studies/history instruction, however, we do not
follow the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS.) Our
goal in these subjects is to expose kids to major concepts and
timelines. At AHB, rather than having children memorize and
regurgitate information, our teachers work together to find/create
projects that require the use of specific academic skills.
For example, teams of 4th - 6th graders recently created model
roller coasters which were submitted to a Six Flags contest.
This project required students to learn about force, motion,
gravity, measurement, etc. Having to create brochures for
their roller coasters resulted in concentration on persuasive
writing, formatting, and graphic art. Oral presentation
skills became essential as the students prepared for "Projects on
Parade" (an AHB event at which kids displayed the past semester's
projects.) In experiences such as these, learning comes as a
result of a student's enthusiasm and desire to be a part of the
application of new knowledge and skills as opposed to memorization
without perceived purpose. Students come away with true
understanding of concepts, as well as other vital practice with
skills such as teamwork, conflict negotiation, project planning,
etc.
There are certainly things that don't fit into a current
project, that call for additional practice, or which require
memorization (such as math facts.) For this reason, we
balance mixed-ability "project time" with ability grouping for
specific skill instruction in math, spelling (word wall), and
reading. We also provide homework (between 1 and 6 hours per
week, depending on the class) which reinforces important concepts
learned at school.