Building a Construction Curriculum for Your School District

Autor/in	Ruder, Robert
Titel	Building a Construction Curriculum for Your School District
Quelle	In: School Business Affairs, 76 (2010) 5, S.20-21 (2 Seiten) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0036-651X
Schlagwörter	Curriculum Development; School Construction; School Districts; Construction (Process); Energy Management; Knowledge Management; Technology Integration; Pennsylvania + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Curriculum; Development; Curriculumentwicklung; Lehrplan; Entwicklung; Schulbau; School district; Schulbezirk; Aufbau; Konstruktion; Energiehaushalt; Wissensmanagement
Abstract	Embracing the notion of going green, an affluent school district in Pennsylvania spent $83 million as part of the high school's renovation and expansion project. The three-level addition is now equipped with self-dimming lights, energy-efficient windows, a rooftop solar water heater, and a geothermal cooling and heating system. As a bonus for going green, the school district received a $250,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The district used that money to create an information center in the lobby of the building where a touch-screen computer provides students, staff, and visitors with data related to the operation of the school's energy-efficient water and electrical systems. The system will graphically depict utility use over the course of a year. The monitoring system and touch-screen computer can turn this school into a living lab, with science, math, and economics teachers using the data as teaching tools within classrooms. Teachers can also take advantage of the touch-screen computers to weave this technology into the content of their lessons. Clearly, this school district should be praised for incorporating green into its renovation and new construction initiatives. However, including data generated by the green monitoring system into an existing course of study may not happen easily. By using a thematic unit approach to curriculum design, educators can create units that embrace a school district's construction initiatives while integrating the overarching theme of construction into every strand of a school's curriculum. This process will allow students to become part of the construction process from the moment ground is broken at the construction site until the cornerstone is placed or the building is dedicated. Before a school district entertains the notion of a construction curriculum, it is important to ensure that the public will not perceive the venture as a waste of taxpayer dollars or a frivolous exercise. The district should follow policies related to developing a new curriculum or course; secure funding for curriculum development; and dedicate time to develop the courses of study. Using a systems approach that replicates phases of construction may give greater credibility to the value of such a process. This article offers some suggestions that may help educators design a comprehensive construction curriculum. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). 11401 North Shore Drive, Reston, VA 20190. Tel: 866-682-2729; Fax: 703-478-0205; e-mail: asboreq@asbointl.org; Web site: http://www.asbointl.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10