Creative Curriculum Options for High School Students Who Have Failed

Help students achieve their goals with creative curriculum options

For high school students who have failed, the idea of going back to school can seem intimidating. Students fail for different reasons. Some fail due to lack of interest and a resulting lack of effort, while others fail due to diagnosed or undiagnosed learning challenges. A combination of individual support and creative ideas are necessary to help the student engage with curriculum material in a positive and a successful way.

Individual Education Plan

Create a plan for the student.

High school students who have failed will benefit from a more tailored approach to curriculum. This is where the individual education plan comes in. The individual education plan assesses the student's interests and skills and finds the places where they connect with the existing curriculum. It also assesses the student's particular learning needs and determines what support is necessary to help the student succeed in completing the curriculum. This individualized plan is a necessary step before determining what creative curriculum options will work for a specific high school student.

Applied Learning Using Internships and Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship teaches skills that can be curriculum-connected.

Internships and apprenticeships give students valuable real-life skills that can translate into a job in the future. They teach students to be on time and put in a solid effort on the job. Work experiences also teach students many of the skills found in the high school curriculum. For example, a construction job involves physical work, and it also involves math skills in the form of geometry and calculating measurements. An apprenticeship can also engage the student who is failing due to lack of interest, since it is a hands-on and applied experience. Create flexible attendance options that allow you to work real-life internships and apprenticeships into your curriculum.

New Learning Formats

Use learning formats that make students feel at home.

Help students with different learning needs connect with curriculum materials by choosing learning formats that cover the curriculum in a different way. Try giving students the autonomy to explore the curriculum through self-defined group projects done with a group of interested students and with teacher support. Choose an online curriculum and ask students to create a website or computer program that shows their understanding of a subject. For students with dyslexia or other text processing challenges, use videos and real-life situations to complement text-based curriculum.

Self-Directed Curriculum

Have students work together to create their own curriculum.

High school students are nearing adulthood, yet often they are treated like children. Students who do not wish to complete certain exercises in class and fail the course may be doing this to show that they have no interest in participating in coursework that they do not control. All students can benefit from opportunities to explore the curriculum in a self-directed way. At a school in western Massachusetts, several students were given the opportunity to explore the curriculum completely independently, and they found that the independent project was an experience that engaged them far more deeply in learning.

References

• International Dyslexia Association: Accomodating Students With Dyslexia in all Classroom Settings.
• Lambert, Stephanie. Internships: Many Perspectives -- Unlimited Benefits!
• New York Times: Let the Kids Rule the School.