Mosaic adviser Maggie Biroschak works with sophomore Mya Paulsen and junior Henry Pattinson on their Capstone projects. (Photo by Owen Parsons)
The structure of learning in schools hasn’t changed for ages, yet many students struggle with this traditional method. For this reason, the Mosaic program was created to help students who learn better through hands-on activities outside the classroom.
Senior Mosaic student Gabe Adler explained Mosaic is a half-day humanities program that replaces English or history classes. He said it consists of long-term projects focusing on government or literature that result in various essays, papers, poems, presentations and many other works.
“We use Columbus as our campus,” Adler said. “We don’t stay in one spot. We go visit places and have people come and talk to us in order to learn more in depth.”
Adler said the Mosaic program has taught him many things throughout the two years he has been enrolled.
“It taught me that learning doesn’t always have to be bad,” he said. “It can be fun, enjoyable and interesting. You can study the things you are interested in and not the things the curriculum tells you.”
Mosaic instructor Kim Leddy said the program is catered to students who don’t thrive in the traditional teaching framework of lecturing and note taking. She explained while some students prefer to learn in that environment, others benefit from a more hands-on learning experience.
“Mosaic is a program that speaks to young people who want to experience their learning, as well as direct their learning,” Leddy said.
She said the curriculum provides a great degree of freedom for students, which can be difficult for those who prefer to be told what to do.
“Our students prefer to be ‘active’ in their learning experience,” Leddy said. “Students who enroll in Mosaic and get the most out of the opportunity tend to be those who are innately curious kids who ask ‘why?’ or ‘how?’ or ‘what can I do?’”
Art teacher Rachelle Howland said Mosaic provides a good sense of community. The program allows students to branch out of the community they have grown up in by being out in the city and meeting people from different schools in new settings, she said.
“This school has a lot of privilege, and just interacting with people outside of this bubble is probably really beneficial for kids as whole people,” Howland said.
Junior Henry Pattison said he has thoroughly enjoyed his year in Mosaic so far. However, he said it has been puzzling for him sometimes because the program is very self-driven.
“You have to dig deep into yourself and see the world in different ways,” Pattison said.
He said Mosaic has opened up his perspective on the world because of the various opportunities that they have such as speaking with many different people from the community and visiting various places like museums.
“You see more people and the perspectives of different people,” Pattison said. “Just being in an English class in Bexley is one perspective, but in Mosaic you get that perspective and perspectives of people from all around Columbus.”
Sophomore Mya Paulsen said she applied for the program during her freshman year and is one of very few sophomores in the program, as it mainly consists of juniors and seniors.
Paulsen added students were assigned a project where they researched their family lineage and then presented it to their peers.
“That was especially hard for people in Mosaic because it is hard to talk about yourself all the time,” she said.
Adler said he submitted an online application his sophomore year and was accepted.
“It was the best decision of my life,” he said. “If you are a freshman or a sophomore, you should apply.”