The program offers a credit-bearing experience for 20 high school students at Lyons Community School in Brooklyn, NY.  Students are offered admission to the program based on academic need, according to recommendations from teachers, guidance counselors and administrators. Students attend regular classes at Lyons in the morning, and then go to the Urban Workshop work site in the afternoon.  Three teachers run the workshop, and also offer various forms of support for these students to complete their in-school requirements.

 

Academic learning in math, science and writing are integrated into construction projects through planning, building and reflection. Through these activities, students use high-level academic skills in applied situations. Students who participate in the Urban Workshop demonstrate growth in a number of areas, including:

•    attendance

•    academic achievement

•    development of practical skills

•    positive peer/team interactions

•    positive attitude toward learning

In the first formal program evaluation, student accomplishment will be measured with various types of data, including secondary analysis of existing school records, student work portfolio from the program, reflective writing by students, teacher observations and parent interviews.

 

The program provides several different types of academic learning experiences (click on each header below for more information and examples):

 

These classroom sessions may consist of investigating a series of math problems, analyzing a political conflict or exploring a piece of literature.  They will cover a range of disciplines and habits of mind, and will originate from the context of our current construction project.

 

As students are in the process of building something, challenging questions naturally come up.  We will make these questions explicit to students and challenge them to actively seek answers.  Activities can involve mathematical calculations in a construction blueprint, scientific experimentation on different soil types or reflective journal writing at the work site.

 

In order to earn high school credit during their time at the Urban Workshop, students must complete a portfolio of projects in various disciplines.  The projects draw upon all the research, design and information-sharing necessary for the Urban Workshop to successfully carry out its construction projects.  Projects may include construction designs and blueprints, land surveys, and neighborhood historical profiles.