FARGO-Education leaders here gathered at the Fargo Theatre on Thursday night for a screening of "Most Likely to Succeed," a documentary that suggests a new kind of teaching model is needed for the 21st century.
The film intersperses the story of students at a charter school, High Tech High in San Diego, with interviews with experts in order to promote project-based learning as an alternative to traditional schooling.
At High Tech High, students focus on large projects; there is no bell to signal the end of a period; subjects are taught in overlapping ways; and teachers have control over their curriculum. The result, according to the film, is a better learning environment for students.
The old educational model, the film says, was designed to produce obedient, middle-level workers. Given that many jobs are being made obsolete by technology, the film argues that a new educational system is needed to produce creative people, rather than memorizers of facts.
After the free screening of the film, which was well-attended, a panel including the film's executive producer and local education officials expressed support for the methods used at High Tech High and answered questions from the audience.
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David Flowers, superintendent of West Fargo Public Schools, said that "the F-M area schools are on the right track in many respects. Now certainly, we're not High Tech High, and I don't know that we need to be High Tech High," he said, but he said local schools were on a journey toward the vision of education portrayed in the film.
The film's financier, Ted Dintersmith, blasted the traditional education system, especially its obsession with standardized testing. The film he funded suggests that such a system does a disservice to students.
Flowers said schools in the metro are collaborating to ensure students learn "soft skills," that is, the ability to effectively communicate, work with others and think critically.
"The film inspired me to continue on our journey, to continue our collaboration," he said. "There's affirmation in the path that we're already on."
Denise Gorsline, associate vice president for academic planning at Minnesota State University Moorhead, said the film validated the school's use of group projects as a teaching method. "We're on the right path," she said.
Also in attendance were Lynne Kovash, superintendent of Moorhead Area Public Schools, and Jeff Schatz, superintendent of Fargo Public Schools.
