Exhibition Nights Showcase Real-World Learning in Action
At Da Vinci Schools, so many of our practices are about creating hands-on learning experiences for students where they can connect the content learned in the classroom to real-world skills that they can build upon day-after-day in school, and use later in college, career and life.
One of the evidence-based, project-based learning practices that we undertake twice per year is Exhibition Night. During Exhibition Night, families and our community come together to publicly witness and celebrate what students have learned, and how students have translated their learning into projects that tackle real-world scenarios or solve real-world problems.
Asking students to learn the concepts in a classroom setting and then to apply the knowledge through participating in real-world projects that use critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration skills is at the heart of project-based learning.
In November, we had two incredible nights of Exhibition with Da Vinci Design and Communications students showcasing their personalized learning and interdisciplinary projects from the semester.
At Da Vinci Design, 10th grade students learned about Math and Chemistry concepts like surface area and buoyancy, then used the concepts they learned to design full-scale boats in their Fundamentals of Design 2 class out of reclaimed cardboard, then rode in the boats across the pool in our second annual Boat Race.
“The boat race design challenge is a cooperative learning group project where sophomores use the design process to create a concept drawing, blueprint, scale model and full-size boat made from cardboard and duct tape to be raced in the school pool, ” said Jason Kartez, Da Vinci Design’s Fundamental of Design 2 teacher.
During the boat design project, sophomores visited the Los Angeles Glass Center in El Segundo and watched glassblower Joe Cariati and his team making his product line for a client in Dubai. One motivation for taking this field trip was to see how glassblowing relies on a skilled team working together cooperatively toward a shared positive outcome. Mr. Kartez shared that glassblowing is a craft that is intuitive and relies on anticipating the needs of the team as well as reacting to non-verbal communication.
Da Vinci Design 12th graders showcased their Mural & Art Gallery Project, which focused on the resiliency of oppressed groups, highlighting their joy and triumphs. The project was a multidisciplinary project across Ethnic Studies, English, Government, College & Career Readiness, and Entrepreneurship classes, with each discipline taking on a different role in the overall project.
In Ethnic Studies, students designed and painted a mural. In English, students created engaging websites, audio guides, and artist plaques. Government class delved into the connections between chosen topics and government operations. College & Career Readiness explored diverse art-related career paths, while Entrepreneurship focused on preparing the art for sale.
“I like project-based learning, working on real-world scenarios and solving real-world problems. It lets us be really creative with our ideas, to think outside the box, and to problem-solve,” said DVC senior Yarissa Lopez who is the Marketing Pathway.
At Da Vinci Communications, there was a wide variety of projects showcased on Exhibition Night, including Ancestor Altars on Wheels, an interdisciplinary project across the 10th grade Graphic Communications and English classes. In Graphic Communications, students used car culture in the form of mixed media sculptures to remember and honor their ancestors. In English class, students learned about the basic elements of poetry and poetic devices. They then wrote poems honoring an ancestor of their choosing.
Meanwhile, Da Vinci Communications Marketing Pathway students developed full-scale grant proposals for the My LA2050 Activation Challenge, an online, crowdsourced grants competition that engages Angelenos toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles.
“We are so impressed with all of our students and the collaboration and mastery they showed at this round of Exhibition Nights,” said Dr. Matthew Wunder, CEO and superintendent of Da Vinci Schools. “Creating a culture of hands-on learning, innovation, and collaboration is at the heart of deep learning and what we do as we prepare students for college and the real world. Watching these students publicly show off their learning, and demonstrating their deep knowledge, is a joy to witness, and we couldn’t be more excited for them, and more proud.”
Da Vinci has more public Exhibition Nights scheduled in December and in the spring. Families, alumni, community members, prospective families and all are invited to attend!
Exhibition Nights – Join Us!
DV Connect TK-8
Dec. 12 & 14th | 4:30-6:15 PM
Location: 12501 Isis Avenue, Hawthorne
DV Connect High
Dec. 14th | 5:00-6:30 PM (9th graders)
Dec. 15th | 5:00-6:30 PM (10th graders)
Dec. 18th | 5:00-6:30 PM (11th graders)
Dec. 19th | 5:00-6:30 PM (12th graders)
Location: 550 Continental Blvd., El Segundo
DV Science – Spring Exhibition
Mar. 26 | 6:00-7:30 PM (all grades)
