Information for Teachers & Professors
Is UrbanPlan right for you and your students?
Every teacher teaching UrbanPlan has asked the same questions you are probably asking yourself now:
- Can my students perform optimally on their standardized and/or AP tests if I incorporate UrbanPlan in my curriculum?
- Will the value of the student takeaway be commensurate with the 15 class hours the program requires?
- I teach 3 to 5 classes a day. I have no time to recruit or manage volunteers and no budget for any materials. Can a real teacher in a real school do this?
These teachers, including those in some of the country’s most demanding high schools, have answered “YES“. Additionally, over 98% of all teachers who introduce UrbanPlan in their curriculum continue teaching the program. Professor FAQ | Teacher FAQ
Teachers Weigh In
“UrbanPlan distills and transmits the essence of the development process more effectively, more comprehensively, in less time, with more lasting results than any other program suitable for a classroom environment.”– David Green, Associate Principal, Perkins + Will, and former Professor of Urban Design, Georgia Tech
“We sometimes confuse providing proper learning environments in which our students can achieve with not allowing them to experience frustration or “fail” in any endeavor. Through the multiple development scenarios students must test in UrbanPlan, students discover that “failure” is analogous to creating and testing hypotheses in science lab. It’s the intellectual process required to develop the “elegant” solution to any complex problem.”
-Kevin Magavern, Economics teacher; Plano Sr. HS; Plano, TX
“Developing student capacities for critical thinking and dispassionate analysis of complex issues makes them more effective, informed and demagogue-proof participants in civil society – whether they are addressing UrbanPlan’s land use challenges or health care or immigration issues. UrbanPlan is the most powerful and engaging vehicle I have found to accomplish this objective.”
-Shannon Corcoran, Economics teacher, Desert Vista HS, Phoenix, AZ
“Even my AP Government students come to me as essentially “passive learners.” They look for “THE ONE RIGHT ANSWER” from me, or their text book, or the internet. Their critical thinking capacities, tolerance of ambiguity, and understanding that in real life there is rarely “one” answer to complex problems, have been dulled by a system built to prepare students to give the “right answer” on standardized tests. Providence HS is working diligently to change this. UP is my most powerful remedy.”
-Anne McCanless, Government teacher, Providence HS, Charlotte, NC