Forward Leaning Schools - The Applewild Pilot

In Search of Deeper Learning chronicles the quest of award-winning professor Jal Mehta and accomplished educator Sarah Fine to uncover deeper learning in America’s schools. What they found is that deeper learning is more often an exception rather than the rule, but that powerful pockets of deeper learning exist and can often be found in the fringes of the school day – in extracurriculars and electives.  Their critically acclaimed book has led many to ask, “How do we bring what lives on the periphery to the center of the school day?”

That’s a question EXPLO tried to answer this fall when it partnered with the Applewild School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to pilot an EXPLO course. In between math, ELA and other courses, seventeen 7th graders immersed themselves in a complex crime scene simulation as part of EXPLO forensic science.  

Matt, who previously considered science his weakest subject had a change of perspective. "So initially, it's like, oh my god. This is so overwhelming, but then they throw you in and you actually have to do it and it made it feel like, oh, I could totally do this." 

Another student, Kathryn, spoke to the course's emphasis on real-world collaboration and leadership: "It felt so real to me. We bought into the story. We worked in groups… I learned how to be a leader. Sometimes I had to say to my group, 'Hey guys, we gotta focus up. We're almost out of time.' And I think I learned how to be a good leader and a kind leader."

For Aiden, the course represented a dramatic departure from traditional science education. "It's the first time that I ever did something that felt like a sort of cool science," he explained. "In a regular science class, you listen to different lectures on heat or physics or photosynthesis, and then do a little research and experimenting, but you never actually learn things that really help the world or that are used in a cool, unique job." He appreciated the course's authenticity, noting how the investigative process pulled back the curtain on real-world challenges: "Some stuff that was hard to get through was when some things looked like they didn't connect, and then we'd have to trash the whole idea and take a closer look. It's a bit like a super lengthy math problem; if you do a step wrong, then you have to go all the way back.  It might be why some real-world cases take months or years to solve."

Faryn highlighted the course's impact on personal learning challenges:

The power of the approach was equally evident to the teachers. Kaitlyn Berwick, an Applewild teacher, compared the EXPLO approach to a more traditionally designed course,  “So I think EXPLO focused a lot more on the critical thinking piece and a lot on the collaboration. Sometimes in science we collaborate and discuss but definitely in EXPLO we need to think about this individually AND as a team. … As compared to a traditional class, where there’s an answer and there’s not an answer and no side conversations … part of me had to relinquish control (in this course).  In an EXPLO classroom there’s lots and lots of discussions between teams and teammates themselves….  It was a great time overall. I enjoyed it as a teacher because I was kind of in the trenches with the students.  I was learning along with the students.”

Dr. Amanda Packard, Associate Head of School, observed the course's broader impact: “They are so involved in what they are learning.  They're finding it so enjoyable that they don't want to be pulled away from it… they’re connecting with it all the time. I think it does help with all of their classes because they feel like they can work on that in the back of their minds and it’s going to stay there throughout the day.  I don’t think they let go of the problems easily from forensics class, and I think that’s teaching them that you can even quietly work on a problem.  It doesn’t have to only be with the forty five minute confines of class.  From the week before the class began they were excited and I never saw their enthusiasm waiver.  There was always something new.  It was always something interesting.  There’s always a different way to look at a problem and there’s always a way to go back to the drawing board to see what you can do.” 

Beyond impacting the students in the course, the course is already causing a buzz with the sixth graders who can’t wait until it’s their turn to take the class next year. During a recent admissions open house panel, the audience asked students about their favorite courses.  For two students there was little hesitation,  “Forensics.”  They shared in detail what they did and why they were excited. 

As report after news report tells us that student engagement is waning, what the Applewild pilot demonstrates is that when students are deeply connected to their learning, everything changes – their motivation, their skills, the world and even their perception of the school itself.  As a forward facing school, Applewild is clear that the future of education is not about delivering content. It's about creating experiences that prepare students to think, adapt, and lead in an unpredictable world.  

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EXPLO has had a team of curriculum developers and instructional coaches working with industry experts in a wide range of fields. The team has designed 150+ immersive hands-on micro-courses that are interdisciplinary in nature, experiential, tied to the real world, and built for engagement. These courses were tested with tens of thousands of EXPLO students hailing from 101 countries in grades 4-12 as well as with 1200+ teachers. Students in these courses regularly practice critical thinking, collaboration, navigating ethical dilemmas, and managing uncertainty.