In the classroom of the future, Learning takes place in teams of students and is based on themes that are relevant to students and society. Teachers show students how to learn with analogies, by posing questions, and by demonstrating methods of finding answers. Teachers are linked or partnered with scientists in research facilities or related businesses. Students work on actual problems in the business, medical, and research worlds. For example, student teams work with local agencies and companies to examine local problems in transportation, urban water supply, waste disposal, recycling, and new-product development.
Students write up their observations and interpretations in their personal journals.
Students gain access to data from the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other agencies to work on real problems with teams from other high schools in other states and countries. Students have direct access to the questions being posed by research teams, to their data, and to the teams themselves. Instead, many options are available, such as year-long classes, evening classes, and work credit related to team involvement in community projects that real address real issues and solve real problems. Vocational-biology classes are popular and allow an emphasis on learning job skills needed by laboratory technicians who monitor robotics in laboratory experimentation. Student teams isolate genes in plants, feed into national databases, and help to develop new medications, engineered plants for agriculture, and so on.