Manor New Tech HS Not Using Textbooks

Below please view a recent broadcast of Manor New Tech High School in Manor TX. Manor New Tech uses Project Based Instruction as it's primary teaching pedagogy and many of it's mathematics and science teachers are graduates of the UTeach Program at the University of Texas at Austin and have taken this Project Based Instruction course. In addition, Manor New Tech is where our current students do their field experiences. The following story is from a local television affiliate. -Dr. Petrosino

Manor New Tech High School has already taken the idea and run with it. The high school is a public high school and has the same subjects like other high schools. However they do not use textbooks to teach kids the curriculum.

Every classroom has several computers that students use. They gather in groups of 2 to 4 to learn about a specific project that falls under requirements of the states standards.

"The main format here is project base learning," Manor School Superintendent Andrew Kim said. "So all of our instructions are through projects hands on activities that are front loaded to kids. Mainly our students have open access to various sites through the internet to gather info they need to create an answer to complex assignments."

Manor New Tech High School has been open for three years with zero drop outs. This year they will have their first graduating class, many moving on to four year universities.

Manor New Tech, built on the New Technology Foundation model of project-based learning, is strikingly different from what is found in traditional secondary education classroom settings. MNTHS student population is made up of applicants accepted through a blind lottery. As a result, the student population at MNTHS is diverse in all aspects, including the two largest subpopulations of young men and young women of color. Additionally, the project-based learning environment sets up an atmosphere where learning is student-driven, engaging, and meets the needs of a wide variety of academic abilities.

Updated: Wednesday, 07 Apr 2010, 10:31 PM CDT Published : Wednesday, 07 Apr 2010, 5:35 PM CDT