Aquaponics Project-Based Learning at the Secondary School Level

Abstract

Authentic learning is a powerful means of creating a reason for why the information being learned is important to the older student. Situational interest stems from being stimulated by new things. However, as children grow mentally and emotionally, situational interest is replaced by individual interest. As educators, we often focus on the situational interest to quickly focus our students, but it is the individual interest that makes the learning applicable to the student that is most needed by secondary students. Authentic learning bridges these two interests. It is the purpose of this chapter to present ideas of project-based learning in the authors' secondary school that addresses the “need to know” through cross-curricular instruction and authentic learning.