BY BLAKE BEAMAN
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Project Lead The Way: Intro to Engineering, a course introduced at Roseville High School this year, is a hands on, interactive project-based class that strays from the established note-taking format that so many curriculums on campus predominantly revolve around.

In this engineering course students are constantly working in groups to find solutions to problems, whether that be building the longest paper bridge or designing an earthquake-proof building out of raw spaghetti noodles – students always have something to work on, never sitting at their desks with their heads down hoping for the bell to ring.

A hands-on style of learning has a massive appeal to kinesthetic learners and is generally more engaging than any PowerPoint that I’ve sat through.

Cooperation is essential to succeed in this course, which also brings out a little competitiveness in students. This competitive environment in the class promotes excellence while not straying attention from the content, making the students want to be better than their peers and find the best solution to whatever problem that comes their way.

Personally I am the type of student who responds well to the type of learning that PLTW: Intro to Engineering offers, which is why it’s much more enjoyable for me; however I believe this course would still be enjoyable for other brands of students as well.

I learn far more efficiently in this class than I have in any other classes because of the learning environment that it offers. Students are much more willing to collaborate, which motivates others to learn and creates a productive environment that should be present in every classroom. However, in most other classes on campus, there is little to no collaboration between students, leading to a very quiet classroom with students learning, consequently, little to nothing.

This course is very well designed, as projects are constantly changing and consistently challenging students to think and apply their knowledge critically. It really lays the question “when are we going to use this in real life?” to rest.

I never know what to expect when I walk into class everyday, which I get excited for because I am going to get the opportunity to design something that I never even thought I would come close to creating.

I do not get that excitement when I walk into any of the other classes that I have. Some other classes I have on campus are very conventional and monotonous, where other students and I have to endure the same routine of our teacher standing in front of the class and having us take notes off the powerpoint they are presenting.

I’m not saying that all math, history and science classes at school should be project based and have a competitive, fun environment like Intro to Engineering. However, these mainstream classes should try to erase the note taking and create an environment in which students collaborate with one another and are willing and motivated to learn.