Published in the January 6 – 19, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Swati Dagar

Swati Dagar

Swati Dagar

Many of the science fiction inventions — remote-controlled driver-less cars, drones and hover boards — that we have seen in movies are now becoming a reality. We see them all around us. It’s a norm. Have you ever wondered how this is possible? The answer is creative and critical thinking.

These types of thinking serve as the basis of Paradise Valley Elementary School’s transition to focus on engineering in our students’ learning. The world around us is changing far faster than we can ever imagine. As educators, we are riding this wave of change and preparing our students for the future.

Academic experiences prepare students for what lies ahead of them. Why wait until they are in high school or college to make career choices? Why not provide them with a strong foundation, right from kindergarten, upon which they can build their academic learning?

Children are born explorers and scientists. They make sense of the world around them by disassembling, exploring and then reconstituting. This is engineering at the grassroots level. As Paradise Valley’s principal, I want to lead our entire school community toward changing the way we teach and learn. Providing rigorous, critical inquiry-based, cross-curricular academic experiences is what constitutes our school’s vision for our new engineering focus academy.

After the Morgan Hill Unified School District school board’s approval in September 2015 to explore an engineering academy, our school staff and the engineering steering committee considered various academic options that would best integrate the Common Core Math and Reading and Next Generation Science Standards, along with providing students with the engineering design process experience. In comparison to the scientific process that involves making observations and doing experiments, the engineering design process involves designing, building and testing new things.

After numerous hours of exploring and planning, our school steering committee developed and presented a reinvented focus academy proposal to the board of trustee in December. The proposal was received with an overwhelming support from the community and a 6-0 vote from the trustees.

As our school transitions into an engineering focus academy for the 2016-2017 school year, we expect a lot of exciting things to happen. These include an increased emphasis on studying the various engineering fields of study (such as chemical, agricultural, mechanical and electrical engineering) combined with project-based learning to promote collaborative critical analysis/investigative units of study.

Students will experience academics through cross-curricular content integration- math, science, reading, engineering design process and technology. A scientific “Exploration Lab” and an “Engineering Design Lab” will be added to the current campus set-up to provide students with an area for exploration and investigative study.

The implementation plan is designed to work hand-in-hand with the Santa Clara County Office of Education Curriculum and Instruction Department, which will provide training for teachers in curriculum implementation as well as adopting the Next Generation Science Standards. Teaching staff will be trained in project-based learning strategies across various content areas. The new Paradise Valley Engineering Academy will also work with local businesses and develop partnerships with the larger business community to bring real life experiences for students at school.

The driving force behind this reinvention into an engineering focus school is students — getting them to be college and career ready by providing the foundation for various career options and preparing them to be critical problem solvers of the future. It is all about connecting learning to life right from the start.

Swati Dagar is the principal of Paradise Valley Elementary School. She wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.

Paradise Valley Engineering Academy Goals

• Students are at the heart of the program
• Close the achievement gap
• Empower students to love learning and see the connection to their future/career
• Build partnership between school-family-community
• Prepare students to live productive lives and contribute back
• Provide choice for parents