Volume 13, Number 2
March/April 1997
Making Schoolwork More Like Real Work
Exemplary School-to-Work Programs Show Promise for More Purposeful and Engaged Learning
by Adria Steinberg
"During freshman and sophomore year, I didn't pay attention in class because I really did not care. I care now because this is something I really want to do. When you are interested in the work that you are doing, you will go the extra step . . . you will not be bored as you would if you were in a classroom listening to the teacher. . . . The program is not just about being released from school, but more about learning because you want to learn."
Rohit Rana shared these views in an article he wrote during his junior year at Cambridge (MA) Rindge and Latin School, several months into an internship in facilities management, that was cosponsored by Rindge and Harvard University. His words appeared in a newsletter that he and fellow interns put together as part of the language arts component of their integrated program of school and workplace learning.
Only a small percentage of students have the opportunity to participate in such programs while in high school. Asked to comment on their experiences, many--like Rohit--use it as an opportunity to critique "regular" school. Although this in itself is not surprising, what is striking is the frequency with which students report that at work they have better learning experiences and feel better about their relationships with adults than they do at school.
This is an excerpt from the Harvard Education Letter. Subscribers can click here to continue reading this article.