Students from Wellesley Middle School recently shared some of their work with a group of seniors at the Tolles Parsons Center.
The students presented videos they had created for a 6th grade social studies project on comparative world religions. Four student groups explained the guiding questions they formulated, the research they conducted, and the logistics they juggled in order to explore their topics and represent their learning in a video news format. Students described some of the obstacles they overcame and some of the lessons they learned through the process. Seniors were invited to ask questions and make suggestions for future projects that would encourage intergenerational collaboration.
Students were asked through the project to explore the role religion plays in a community or in the life of an individual. They came up with their own questions and relied on their own initiative to explore answers. Projects presented at the Tolles Parsons Center covered a variety of topics, including how one becomes a rabbi or minister, what architects need to consider when building houses of worship, what it feels like to be part of a religion that’s in a minority in a community, and how religion impacts the lives of seniors. Students spoke of their interest in learning about ideas and issues that are relevant to the world in which they live today.
The project was assigned by Wellesley Middle School social studies teachers Jonathan Rabinowitz and Lisa Driver. It represents a commitment the school system has made to 21st century project-based learning in which students explore answers to questions within a real-world context and present their learning to an authentic audience. Driver and Rabinowitz have been working with Wellesley Council on Aging Senior Activity Coordinator Ashley Shaheen and Volunteer Coordinator Sara Ravaret throughout the school year to find ways of fostering collaboration between students and seniors.
“The Middle School’s proximity to the Tolles Parsons Center provides the perfect opportunity for intergenerational learning,” explains 6th grade teacher Jonathan Rabinowitz. “We can walk over there in less than ten minutes.”
In addition to the recent presentation, seniors participated earlier in the school year on a panel at the middle school for a project on leadership.
