During the first week of classes we were asked to watch Most Likely to Succeed, directed by Greg Whiteley. This documentary is based in San Diego, California, and follows the story of a public charter school called High Tech High (HTH), a school that places a lot of importance on student-led learning instead of the traditional structural learning seen in today’s society.

I found the documentary very interesting and surprising because I have never seen this model of education. It challenges traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Students are selected and enrolled in the school through a lottery process creating a very diverse community of students with different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. I was struck by how physically different HTH was compared to a conventional high school. HTH is a very open, modern and free environment. The space allows students to move around the campus in a less structured learning space. The staff also functions differently than in a traditional classroom setting. Teachers worked in yearly contracts and acted as facilitators rather than directors of student learning. Students function in a self-directed role, controlling the path of their academic development. 

The flow of the day at HTH is open ended allowing for creativity and peer interaction around learning. There are no mandatory textbooks, set schedules, or exams and they have access to advanced technology that allows students to be creative and find what really interests them. Instead of final exams students work to design gear-based art, create large scale models, direct plays, and many other critical thinking projects. They present these projects at the Year End Exhibition Day. These exhibitions showcase the work they had done and the progression of their learning throughout the school year.

This documentary left me with a lot of questions about the potential success of HTH and its implications in the traditional education systems. I can see how parents would have concerns about their child entering into this model of education. Will they be prepared for Universities that still rely on lectures, assignments, and tests? Are they learning the skills and knowledge to succeed in life? Perhaps there is a middle ground in education where traditional schools can adopt some of the practices and ideas used at HTH, allowing for self directed learning in traditional schools. When I took Psychology 30 in high school we learned about early childhood education and the work of Maria Montessori. This reminds of her approach to self directed learning and the Montessori schools she created. 

I am glad I was able to learn about High Tech High. It has opened my mind to a completely different way of approaching learning. I believe in the importance of self directed education and want to continue to explore this topic. As a future educator I want my students to value and take ownership of their learning and there are lessons to be learned from High Tech High.

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