Academic Focus
At PS 376, we engage all students in learning experiences that enable them to acquire complex knowledge and subject-specific skills and vocabulary. This means we focus on implementing standards aligned units and lessons with clear objectives, challenging tasks, and appropriate pacing, sequencing, resources, and supports for English learners and students with disabilities so that all learners can succeed.
We bring this mission to life every day across our core, scientific, and creative pathways.
Problem Based Learning
In Problem-Based Learning, students master the curriculum by confronting a messy, real-world dilemma or case study that does not have a single easy answer. Before they can propose solutions, students must drive their own inquiry—identifying what they already know, what gaps exist in their knowledge, and how to gather the necessary data. To demonstrate their mastery, students formulate evidence-based conclusions and defend their reasoning before an audience. Students typically navigate these authentic challenges collaboratively in small, teacher-guided teams.
Although it is easier to define what PrBL is not (e.g., memorizing static formulas or filling out disconnected worksheets), it is more difficult to capture what it is in a single sentence. Here is an attempt:
Problem-Based Learning is a systematic teaching method that engages students in acquiring complex knowledge and 21st-century skills through a rigorous, student-driven investigation structured around open-ended, authentic dilemmas and evidence-based solutions.
Technology Integration
At PS 376 we leverage technology to help make student thinking and learning visible.