HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

All curricula were studied during the 2010-2011 school year, and many units were completed in the UbD
format.
7. Begin the formation of professional learning communities.
All members of the department participated in informal PLC’s during the school year 2010-2011.
These were interdisciplinary groups which studied various pathways for achieving our District vision.
As the department moves forward with revisions to the curriculum, I believe the following student reflective
essay most vividly describes our mission.
“When students hear the phase ‘science lab,’ often their first thoughts are troubling: memories of deciphering
monotonous sets of instructions, plowing through procedures, saddled with uncooperative partners. So let’s just
say I was less than thrilled to be starting chemistry in September of my sophomore year. However, as the first
week unfolded, it became quite clear that this was not the experience my classmates and I were about to have.
On day 2 we were presented with our first lab; a fictitious popcorn company sought our advice to improve their
product and increase market sales. We were tasked with analyzing the kernels of several companies to
determine the most favorable traits in an ideal popcorn kernel. But there was something missing from this
assignment – a set of instructions and a list of lab partners. Soon my classmates and I realized that there would
be no one holding our hands, guiding us through every step of the process. In this class, labs challenged us to
access and apply our prior knowledge, take advantage of available resources and work together to complete the
given task. We would lead ourselves.
At first none of us understood or appreciated the lack of structure and format in our labs. It was stressful
having to read between the lines, sift through ideas and collaborate until a feasible solution was reached. What
happened to passively following a designated path laid out by our teachers? Where were the rules? We
eventually adjusted and surprisingly, my classmates and I grew fond of this approach – it felt as if a layer of
freedom and opportunity had been added. We developed a new sense of pride and ownership in our work.
Thinking, working and creating together was immensely satisfying (who knew?)
Almost nothing in the “real world” will be simply handed to you. Upon leaving for college, parents can’t give
you a detailed map outlining the rest of your life (although many would love to). To some degree, you engineer
your destiny. For my classmates and me, Chemistry was an introduction or glimpse at this new world soon to be
thrust upon us. Lessons learned transcended mastery of the subject. In working with others we learned
compassion; through failure we developed perseverance; free format sparked our creativity; and independence
moved us to self-reliance – an unexpected outcome in a subject so absolute.”
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