It’s that time of year again! Time for a shot in the arm, but this shot is much better than a flu shot! The first projects are starting to be turned in by students in a psychology class I teach. Unlike an assessment tools that measure a very defined/rigid piece of the content, this project turns the focus to the wide open arena of student creativity. In the beginning, sometimes this approach was like the wild west and you never could predict what you would get - good or bad. However, these days, as I guide/coach students through the process using a template4success, project-based learning has really taken off. I wanted to share how one student used a little direction combined with a lot of her own scholarly attributes to make a project that just floored me!
This is scary for some students! It's a big step to own most of the responsibility for a big project. Many students are so accustom to only following a very concrete set of directions and getting it done and moving on.
Others embrace this independence and find it empowering to control of the creative process. This young lady did just that and her creation made my 1st marking period. I wanted to share it with everyone! I am so proud of her and the time/effort it took to do such a nice job. Maybe more inspiring is, I can see the pride in her smile! How does one quantify that?
Unlike a flu shot! This is just the kind of shot in the arm that is so rewarding for educators. It is also just the kind of opportunity that makes learning so much more meaningful for the student. Since I demonstrate and model the creative process, it is so rewarding to see the same coming out of my students. This young lady knocked it out of the park. Combining content and creativity into making something meaningful is what is needed in the 21st century learning.
If you would like to see how I frame the project and the Template4Success rubric that guides students, please reach out. Would love to share:-)
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Have a great week!
Mike Ward!