Coordinated Learning Experiences (CLEs) are opportunities for students to learn firsthand about community-based, real-world applications of what they are learning in the Ford PAS curriculum. CLEs provide regular, relevant, and timely reinforcement of the value that classroom knowledge has in the world outside the classroom. CLE activities—for example, observing a production line after an in-class simulation on management methods, listening to a scientist describe why biofuels are controversial after an in-class experiment on biomass, or tabulating data for a market research company after designing a survey for a class project—help students place their own learning in a realistic context and understand that education continues beyond the confines of school and throughout one’s working life.
A sample from From Concept to Consumer: Building a Foundation in Problem-Solving (1)
| Activity Description | Suggested Experiences |
In this activity, students research and plan the production of a product, using what they know about production planning and ensuring quality in production. |
Invite a manufacturing engineer or someone who makes a physical product—perhaps an engineer from a company that produces bicycles or a worker from a custom-design bicycle shop. This activity presents a good opportunity to visit a plant to see how a product is made and to learn about quality control. |
Lists of suggested CLEs for each module are available here (and in the Classroom Resources section).
A project of EDC. Education Development Center, Inc., works closely with Ford Motor Company Fund