The Carroll County High School Building Trades program is a very project-focused class and is always looking to collaborate with other programs. One prime example is the modular house being built on the Carroll County High School campus. While the project originally was a community partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing - Greater Carroll County Area, it has become a partnership with two other school programs. This house was based on a standard ranch floor plan that the drafting department took on, creating a complete set of plans. The real-world relevance continued as the original plan underwent substantial changes as directed by the FCH-GCCA. The changes stemmed from a desire to incorporate a handicap accessible floor plan that will allow a wheelchair to enter the living room, kitchen, one bathroom, and a bedroom. Additionally, the basic plan was for a site build, not a modular. The drafting class's blueprint had to incorporate such items as a mating wall and details of a hinged roofing system required for transporting the final product to a permanent location. The real-world relevance was enhanced by the need for a series of revisions, as would be encountered in business when meeting the needs of a customer. Students are accustomed to being finished when a project's requirements are met. Having the needs and requirements changing even upon completion can be frustrating with a student mindset. This type of relevance and experience is difficult to teach in a strict classroom setting, but helps to frame an industry expectation.
A second collaborative program included the Mass Media class. While this is the first year of this class, they have become involved in, not only publicizing the project, but also in creating a documentary for the construction. This documentary will benefit the FCH-GCCA (just established this May) because any promotional material currently available for use is generic or shows work in other areas. Upon completion of this first house, the Mass Media program will be able to produce a promotional DVD showing what FCH-GCCA has done and is doing in this community. Students are additionally motivated to participate, produce with quality, and take ownership of a project when they know their work has purpose and will be on public view. This is true for Building Trades, Drafting, and Mass Media, and as a reflection of the students of the Carroll County School System as a whole.
Awards and Grants:
Innovations in Sustainability Grant
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Technology has been incorporated into the Building Trades curriculum in several ways. 1. Upon examining the results of the NCCER industry certification test results of the Carroll County Building Trades students, it became evident that the math section was the particular area receiving the lowest scores. With the access to numerous classroom computers and the diversified student abilities, the decision was made to implement a PLATO math training program. With this addition, there was a direct increase in math scores and overall pass rates for our students for the subsequent test the following year. 2. The newly installed Smart Board now allows student interaction and full class viewing of information, processes of computer sites, and downloaded demonstrations, in addition to Power Point presentations. 3. Access to classroom computers allows for students to do individual project research and also to do group web site exploration. For example, during OSHA training, students walk through the OSHA site to become familiar with the content and to know where and how they can answer their own safety questions in the future. 4. Modern equipment, power tools, and hand tools are purchased in a timely manner. Instructors attend trade shows and continue to rely on Advisory Committee members in our industry to assist our training program to stay on the cutting edge of our industry's technology. We use modern building styles, such as modular and wood panel home construction, to teach students different ways to supply homes to the residential markets. 5. A Programable Router has been added to the Building Trades Shop to train students on computer design and production.
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