Students experience the need to know, realize how the piece fits into the big picture, and develop an understanding, which is arguably better than knowing information, but not knowing how to use it. On the flip side, the drawbacks to this approach are the logistical nightmares and the challenge of finding ways to integrate different aspects and issues so that students see how what they learn in one class or project relates to what they learn in another. AAI needs a context to be meaningful. We struggle constantly with how to make it real and concrete. It is good for students to learn what planning is, management, and so on, but if you have a separate exercise on each aspect, it becomes too detached from what the students are interested in.
Kids tune out.
The challenge is to include and identify the aspects without making it too abstract. We use microenterprise development a lot because it helps us to strike that balance. Some things seem to fit together beautifully in curriculum meetings, but they just do not connect for students. It was too abstract of a connection. For 1995-1996, CityWorld is trying a new approach.