On a recent fall morning, students in an
eighth-grade English class -- known as “POV”
in Quest lingo -- quizzed groups of their
peers about the motivation of characters in
Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a
Part-Time Indian, in a game called Socratic
Smack-down.
One round ignited a poignant discussion
about the unreliable behaviour of the
alcoholic father in the story, and whether
all alcoholics ultimately sell out family
relationships. At the end of each round,
questioners filled out scorecards and
declared a winner, based on the clarity
and persuasiveness of the arguments,
use of textual citations and whether
they thought the presentations
were interesting.
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Down the hall, sixth-graders in “The Way
Things Work” (or science) embarked on
a “quest” (or unit) called “Journey to the
Center of the Earth.” They were challenged
to invent a transport that would penetrate
the earth down to its core and encounter
all the geologic layers of the planet in the
process — an example of how a game-like
narrative, with obstacles and levels, can be
built around the content of what’s being
taught.
By many measures, Quest is on track to
fulfil its mission of captivating students and
imparting essential skills at the same time.
Since its opening, the school in Manhattan’s
Chelsea neighbourhood has dr ]ۈ