Palmer Trinity School

18 W W W. PA L M E R T R I N I T Y. O R G T HE PURP OSE OF INDEPENDEN T RE SE A RCH IS TO PROV IDE S T UDEN TS A S T RUC T URE T HROUGH WHICH T HE Y CA N DRI V E T HEIR OWN IN T ERE S T IN A TOPIC , WORK AT T HEIR OWN PACE , A ND DEMONS T R AT E WH AT T HE Y H AV E DISC OV ERED IN A M A NNER OF T HEIR CHOICE . Recognizing the need to stimulate a sustained culture of rigorous independent research within Palmer Trinity's middle school curriculum, this Honors seminar provided thirty-five eighth- graders an opportunity to explore in-depth the various complexities that reside under the increasingly complex topic of immigration in the United States. is seminar asked the following of participants: 1 / Choose a topic related to immigration. 2 / Create an essential question to explore & answer. 3 / Conduct varied research. 4 / Craft and display this project by incorporating characteristics such as native language, cultural background and history, and other abilities through a variety of media. Students could use creative or formal writing, visual displays, film, music, art, performances, etc. True to the seminar's philosophy, students were allowed expressive freedom in an effort to encourage them to cultivate and display their unique talents while demonstrating topical mastery. During the course of four Saturday sessions in March and April, each three hours in length, instructors facilitated student-led discussions on topics concerning U.S. immigration related to linguistics, history, statistics, and civics. Students participated in a range of activities from discussions on the (mis)representations of immigrants in the media to debates on legal policies concerning immigration and how to best adapt them to the demands of an ever-evolving society. On the second of those Saturday sessions, students skyped with former Palmer Trinity student, Harvard graduate, and Fulbright scholar, Andrea Ortíz '12. Ortíz is currently conducting emigration research in her native Mexico. Many students considered this interview to be one of the highlights of the seminar as it provided the unique opportunity to engage with someone close in age to them who is currently pursuing sustained, independent research. It allowed them to envision themselves doing something similar in the near future. On the fourth and final Saturday, a question and answer session with two panels comprised of legal experts on immigration and immigrants with ties to Palmer Trinity provided students with both legal and personal perspectives on the immigration process. Many students would later describe this experience as both eye-opening and instrumental in helping them whittle down their individual topics of research. e culminating event was the showcase where participants presented their individual projects to attending parents, faculty, and friends. From video to tactile displays, graphic art and mixed media, the medley of projects and presentations covering a vast number of issues in U.S. immigration highlighted the extensive talent and insight these eighth graders deployed in researching and answering their essential questions. As a pilot program, this has been an unqualified success and signals uncharted progress, not only for the development of these and future young scholars as independent researchers, but also towards an inquisitive academic culture at PTS that dispels with the traditional approach to learning. Welcome to the 21 st century. BY A NDE RSON S T E WA RT, SPA NISH, FACULT Y UNDERSTANDING IMMIGR ATION

• Cover