Teach Kentucky’s Paul Barnwell Leads Project-based Learning Course Focused on Community Wellness.
What’s the Story? Louisville Youth Community Wellness Advocates launched on September 17th-18th, as six educators and 17 students from Fern Creek and Manual High School retreated into the woods at local Bernheim Forest to begin the learning experience. The project represents the first hybrid, credit-bearing project-based learning course in Jefferson County Public Schools–and perhaps the state–and is directed by veteran TKYer Paul Barnwell. Fellow TKYer and Fern Creek Spanish teacher Raeann Stengel is one of the teacher mentors for the project.
During the course of the overnight retreat at The Bean House, students and educators engaged in team building and began discussing the challenges they perceived as vital to greater Louisville’s well-being. These include the urban heat island effect, dealing with abandoned properties, addiction issues, and early childhood education access, among other concerns.
Following the structure established by Vermont’s flagship What’s the Story? project, students will now enter the individual research phase of the course, utilizing a blog to chart their thinking and learning. Barnwell and teacher mentors Kris Abplanalp, Kip Hottman, Alisia McClain, Diane Polley, and Stengel are excited to get the project underway; the student roster could grow to 25 and include another partner high school in the near future. They are also seeking thought partners for student participants–if you’re interested in local advocacy work and helping the students stretch their thinking by commenting on their blog posts, please contact Paul Barnwell at .
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