Blazing
a new trail
Project Lead The Way innovates Nixa
technology and engineering classes.
By: Mason Miller
Nixa High School Journalism
A national program called Project
Lead The Way, which is embedded in
Nixa schools, is striving to make sure
the next generation of workers will be
prepared for the progressively technological
jobs that await them.
This non-profi t organization creates
curriculum that provides students with
hands-on learning and advanced knowledge
in a variety of areas, including
computer sciences and engineering.
Nixa School District offers several
classes at the junior high and high
school that incorporate this curriculum.
Scott Moulder teaches one of the
PLTW courses at the junior high, and
he says the courses provide students
with the learning environment they
need to succeed.
“Project Lead The Way provides a
broad spectrum of all kinds of classes
that are trying to teach students to
engage in very critical thinking and real
world applications,” Moulder said. “It
gives them an opportunity to do that in
a very focused and structured way.”
Moulder’s class is called App Creators,
which is offered for the fi rst time
this year. Its goal is to teach students
computer coding and how to build
an app from the ground up, and it’s
designed to help students create apps
that can be useful in the real world.
Currently, students are working on an
app that displays the human body, with
the objective of dragging the various
body systems to their correct location.
For a junior high science class, this app
could assist in students’ learning and
help them retain the information by
providing a hands-on way to practice it.
Yet, the creation of apps isn’t just
for the benefi t of others. Moulder said
working with computer programming
and coding stretches students’ minds in
new ways.
“They’re learning to see a problem
and start to think of various systematic
ways to approach it and solve it, and
that can apply to so many different
aspects in the classroom and even
outside the classroom in the world,”
Moulder said.
Andy Hulburt, the PLTW engineering
teacher at the high school, says
the curriculum gives students a new
outlook on their schoolwork, whether it
be engineering or core classes.
“I think the students realize how
interesting it is and how complicated
it is, as well. I’ve also found that they
now realize how important it is to follow
through on their mathematics and science
classes,” Hulburt said.
For four years, the high school has
offered PLTW classes, which include
introduction to engineering, principles
of engineering, engineering design and
civil and architecture classes.
The PLTW engineering curriculum is
designed by a national board and sent
in by engineers and other teachers, so
what the students are learning is very
real world information, says Hulburt.
The assignments are specifi c to the
world of work and all of the coursework
has hands-on activities, as opposed
to classes that are centered around
traditional testing.
Students working in groups to create
a well-polished end product is also a
benefi cial part of the PLTW curriculum.
It has impacted the students and their
learning, whether it be in computer
programming or engineering.
Nixa Public Schools started implementing
the PLTW programs to provide
students with the most opportunities
in these particular technological career
paths, Hulburt says. A majority of colleges
and employers are looking for
skills that are specifi c to the software
that is used in these classes.
“It helps the students become better
prepared for college, there’s no question
about that. It also has taken several
students straight to work, depending
on what their skills are,” Hulburt said.
As a teacher, the PLTW curriculum
has taught Moulder to improve his
teaching methods and try unprecedented
ways to help students learn.
“The biggest thing for me is it has
opened up new ways on how to think
about the structure of a class and new
ways of how to challenge students,”
Moulder said. “Instead of just giving
students step-by-step directions, it’s
the teacher asking questions and the
students fi guring out the answers,
which helps with the problem-based
learning.”
Both Hulburt and Moulder agree
that PLTW has reconstructed students’
thinking patterns, broadened their horizon
and provided a gateway of opportunities.
With this much positive infl uence
on their classes, PLTW has seemed to
earn a good reputation in Nixa, and it
could be a program that expands in the
district in the future.
“This program can go all the way
from K-12 if needed,” Hulburt said. “As
far as the high school, there are many
courses available that we could offer
in the engineering and science areas.
These four we are offering are fundamental
courses; there are many others
available too.”
10 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE SPRING 2018