The Strength of Weak Ties

I’m constantly amazed when I see kids in our library cutting and pasting from a Web site into a PowerPoint file.

I’m really not amazed that they do it.

I’m amazed that a teacher would design a learning experience where that would be a possibility.

Have you thought deeply enough about your assignments?  Your projects? 

I think that the solution is fairly simple.  Here is what I had students do:

Them: Write deeply. Use multiple sources. Cite stuff.  Let me see your thinking on a deep level.

Me:  Provide constructive feedback.  Re-direct their efforts.  Help them make what they do better.  Be involved in the process…

Them:  Re-write.

Me: Re-read.  More feedback.

Them:  Find deep ideas.  Storyboard.

Me:  Assess storyboard.  More feedback.

Them:  Build presentation media presenting deep ideas.  Use text and imagery, limit bullets.

Me:  Assess.  More feedback

Them:  Present.  Convince me that their ideas have merit.

Me:  Assess:  More feedback.

Them:  Let me know what they learned.

Now I’ve got a bunch of artifacts that demonstrates their learning process.  I’m involved at all points as someone who challenges and redirects their efforts.

More specifically, I have a scholarly analysis and a presentation that is extracted from it.  The presentation is designed to give them an opportunity to stand up and have their say.  Doing so with a deep analysis first puts them in a position to learn deeply.

Doing otherwise amounts to malpractice.

Posted via web from djakes’ posterous

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