Project i: Student-Driven Learning Pilot Starts in Muskego Middle Schools

Sixty students at Bay Lane and Lake Denoon Middle Schools will begin testing a new learning model when school starts on September 1, according to a recent Educational Services Committee meeting.

The pilot’s new name is  “Project i,” which will “individualize” learning so students can “innovate, inquire and imagine” as they develop 21^st Century learning skills, according to source documents and Tammy Kapp, Educational Services Director for the Muskego Norway School District (MNSD).

In the pilot, the role of the student is to build their own learning plans and manage their learning process to achieve academic standards, using teachers not just as instructors but also as advisors, according to program documents. 

“Each student will need a laptop,” Kapp said, indicating Project i will provide laptops to participants after parents sign an acceptable use agreement.  Technology will drive student learning, documents say.

Feedback and communication with parents and teachers is also an important part of the program, Kapp said.

Students will use Google Apps, share documents between groups, and have 24/7 access to materials on Google servers, said Bob Boyd, Technology Director for the district.

Two classes of 30 will take part in the middle school pilot, one at Bay Lane and the other at Lake Denoon.  Participants were chosen by lottery from an applicant pool of 100, according to Kapp.