Oct 2, 2006

Why we do the JUA

The JUA is many things - a fun trip to Boston, a city exploration, an eye opening experience for country dwellers, a chance to show skills for urbanites.

At it's heart though I think the JUA is a very personal attempt by me and the students and staff who design and run the JUA each year to do three things.

We seek to make learning happen from inside you, in a real setting and where it really matters.

So much of school can be prepatory for some far off time. I think we're better than most at NHS at making classroom learning relevant. On the other hand we're still bound by traditional structures like classrooms, teachers and desks.

The JUA starts with YOU deciding what you want to learn about. We group you with other like minded students who care about animals, sports, film, poverty, medicine, cultures or whatever it might be. Each of you will ask a question, a real question, an essential question, that will guide your experience before, during and after the trip.

Together with you, teachers and seniors we design not a TOUR but a series of interviews and experiences that will lead you to find answers to your essential question.

Finally you'll share your process and results with the world through this and other websites you'll help create! That's right - there is no more paper portfolio! All your work will be shared online with the world!

That's what the JUA is. Real questions, real answers, that matter to YOU. I'm just the facilitator - it's your JUA.

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