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A project launch is an engaging, active experience with multiple entry points for diverse learners that invites multiple perspectives and fosters diverse, innovative thinking.
The project launch typically offers students a common experience in an authentic context, setting the stage for later learning. Interviews with experts or community members, visits to a museum, first attempts at field work, and related project launches offer moments of access and challenge to students with diverse skills, experiences and perspectives.
Focus on authenticity, engagement, and diverse thinking to ensure that every student learns deeply from day one. When new content or skills are introduced throughout a project, educators achieve more equitable outcomes by facilitating mini-launches for those elements of learning.
From the beginning, students and educators see themselves and their communities in their work through Project Launches. They visit relevant sites, hear from community experts, or look into their own experiences, and know that their identity is valued in their learning.
Fieldwork engages students in their discipline’s real work; museums welcome diverse audiences; and expert interviews connect students with real communities. If you can only take one field trip or work with one professional, the launch is a powerful time for it.
Creating a learning experience that engages every student’s hands and minds requires design partners. Community members, museum educators, experts, parents, and students offer important perspectives to conceive of meaningful activities that illuminate the value and dynamics of a project.
