Taking a break from the traditional paper is relieving. I forgot what learning should be about. It should be creative, innovating, and fun. Why have I for so many years been restricted to term papers? What are some ways to stimulate students?
When I revisited the Indiana Academic Standards, one stuck out in my mind:
3.5.2 Write descriptive pieces about people, places, things, or experiences that:
• develop a unified main idea.
• use details to support the main idea.
Wasn’t this what I have been trying to do? At the beginning of this assignment I was remembering fondly my trips to New York City. This past month I have been reflecting; trying to capture my brief encounters with New York City, fashion, and its people.
I hope that I can one day advocate independent learning. In Standard 4, it states that “the
student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests” (all indicators). John Barrell, in his book for Teaching for Thoughtfulness, suggests that “ideas within a curriculum must be robust, have significance to cultural values and society, meet student interests and needs, and offer the potential for continuity (vertical through the grades) and transfer” (Stripling 19). Educators should present essential ideas and students should be proactive in “investigating” these ideas more in depth. It’s important for educators to demonstrate that learning doesn’t stop when the school bell rings. It’s continuous. It can be personal, creative, and fun.
I could apply the above standard to a classroom of 3rd graders and encourage them to mimic a project like this one. I would present some essential ideas, for instance, a favorite vacation, their favorite person, an experience that may have changed their life. I would emphasize that whatever idea they had in mind should be personal and should be what they would enjoy learning about. In a journal, I would have them write adjectives, supporting their main piece. I would then encourage them to draw a painting or to take photographs that tell a story of their experience. Hopefully, their imagination will run wild!
I’ve been thinking all week on how I’m going to effectively display my project. Whatever I do, it’s going to be personal. And I’m going to have fun doing it :)
Project Runway: The best fashion show ever.
2 comments:
I think this Indiana Academic Standard would go really well with older students (intended for 10th graders):
10.5.1 Write biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories that:
• describe a sequence of events and communicate the significance of the events to the audience.
• locate scenes and incidents in specific places.
• describe with specific details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific
actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; in the case of short stories or
autobiographical narratives, use interior monologue (what the character says silently
to self to show the character’s feelings.
• pace the presentation of actions to accommodate changes in time and mood.
Like the Indiana Academic Standard for third graders, this one is lets students reflect on their personal life and allow them to express their experiences creatively. Standard 3 states that “the student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively”. I would encourage students to think of an important moment in their life. After using examples of some famous autobiographies, I would encourage them to write in detail a scene in their life, as if they were someone else witnessing it. This could also be tied with theater—maybe the students can write a “play” of their life. They can write their own scenes and acts. Maybe they can even suggest what famous actor or actress will star in their play! Whatever the activity is, it’s important that students be active in their assignment. Carl Gordan, head of Educational Resources Library in Boston University, wrote an article called “Students as Authentic Researchers: A New Perspective for the High School Research Assignment”. He mentions that “the typical assignment does not require students to do research, but to report and reflect on the facts and findings of others and to draw conclusions based on reading”. Active learning should be a part of every assignment if students are to become life-long learners.
The standards in 10.5.1 sound like they are related to Creative Writing. That was a class, which was an elective at my high school. The class wrote short stories and poetry. I know that everyone who took the class enjoyed it so much. An inquiry project like yours would be perfect for that class!
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