In a School Day
When do students learn the best?
According to research done by Dunn and Dunn, there are four categories of learning times:
30% of students learn best in the morning.
30% of students learn best in the afternoon.
30% of students learn best in the evening.
And then final 10% learn whenever they are required to.
The times that students currently attend school may not be the best times for them to learn. The school of the future will have a schedule better suited towards the needs of the students. Since it is divided equally into the morning, afternoon, and evening, with some learning all day, the ideal school would cover all areas with school starting later in the morning and going into the late afternoon. That would also give the students who learn best in the morning and evening more time to study at their peak times.
Class Choices to Fit any Lifestyle
Several studies have shown that students learn best during their "preferred time" of day. That suggests that the most difficult courses should take place during a students preferred learining time. Since it would be very difficult to scheudule courses without knowing a student's preference, the only solution is to abandoned the current high school scheduling methods. Instead, the school will take an approach similar to the way that colleges schedule their classes. Teachers will only teach one class per day, and the student's preference of the time of day will be met if possible. Teachers could still teach more than one subject, but it would vary by day, as would the student's scedules.
Balancing School Lunches
In an effort to make school lunches healthier, more vegetables will be incorporated. A balanced meal will better sustain the students throughout the school day. The biology program will teach students to produce their own products to contribute to the school lunches. It will teach them the importance of being self-suficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective.
Doctors and researchers are fighting to get hotdogs and other processed meats taken out of school lunches. Scientists concluded that processed meat increases the rick of colorectal cancer by 21% for every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily. PCRM dietitians analyzed the elementary school meals available at districts participating in the National School Lunch Program. Out of the schools evaluated, 75% served at least one healthy vegetarian entrée every day. While many students prefer to buy lunch at school, the students here will be encouraged to bring a lunch from home in a reusable bag.
Healthy Eating
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| This is picture is from a PUBLIC DOMAIN website called http://www.photos8.com. |
Transportation minus the Footprint
To reduce the carbon footprint of the school, hybrid buses will be used to transport students to and from the school. Ron Barnett of USA Today wrote an article about hybird school buses, and how 8 states are now testing hybird school buses. The price per bus would be roughly $210,000. Even though it is more costly than a regular school bus, Ewan Pritchard of Raleigh, N.C.-based Advanced Energy estimates that the buses will pay for themselves in 6 years. As the estimated life of a school bus is 15 years, there would be 9 years of saving money. Taking into account that and the energy saving, these hybrid school buses will be a great asset to future schools.
Eco-Friendly Busing: The Hybrid Way
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| Picture of a school bus created by team member Michelle, April 2009. |
Saving the Most Basic Resource of Schools
Learning to limit paper use will help schools save money, and help reduce the waste. Though any paper used will be recycled, the school still will look for ways to limit use. For example, students can submit assignments online by using a school laptop. It would reduce the paper waste, while teaching students to use computers effectively and in different ways. The use of computers for regular assignments will open the doors to all of the multimedia available. It will enrich the students' learning experience, while helping the school, and the environment.