Self-Direction+Methods

Link to March-April goals page

Well, I'm not sure that we've been in school long enough to answer this for where I WANT to be, but right now, I'm teaching some possible graphic organizers and letting the kids tackle the lit using those. Down the road, they'll start fending for themselves.

I've introduced projects using PowerPoint/Keynote, Pages, ComicLife, iMovie so far. After using each of the software possibilities, my students need to present information using whichever method they think will be most effective for their assigned topic. - Julie

After teaching methods to explore non-fiction texts, the students must select their own strategies to best achieve their reading goals and organizational method - Scott

In a self-directed project, students choose a theme in literature and selections to fit the theme. They created a project that showed that theme playing out. They had to hand-in a "where are you now" journal entry each week to show their organization and implementation. They choose the type of project graded with a deliberately-structured ambiguous rubric. The technology element moved toward garage band this year.- Ann

Koren's Kaity story

In World Literature the students read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Their self-directed wiki space is located here: http://litcommentsbyus.wikispaces.com/ The Wiki worked very well because I could see what students added to pages. The discussion regarding who should cover which aspects of the novel was also valuable. - Julie

I have a small group in my IT Essentials class that has been asked to Implement IPv6 on our lab network. This is a team effort over a period of a few days. They have been asked to find a way to prove to me that it works without me actually watching the process, and present the information to the rest of the class. This activity is new, innovative, and will test their abilities to troubleshoot and present all on their own. -- Matt

Science does not always allow options for student self-directed activities. In ninth grade physical science we are preparing to begin our physics portion of the semester. An ongoing project for this portion of the semester will involve the design and construction of a mouse-trap powered cars. As we learn about topics like velocity and friction, the students will design and refine the workings of their mouse-trap cars. The basic kit is identical, but by making good choices, the laws of physics can be utilized to make their car the best. Yes creativity and individual thought can find its way into the science classroom.- Chuck

I just assigned an iMovie project to my Psychology classes focusing on how drugs affect the central nervous system & the user's behavior. I told them what they needed to cover (parts of the brain, neurotransmitters, cause of addiction, etc.), but told them the format of the movie is all on their own. They immediately wanted to know how long it should be, etc. I just reiterated that their creativity part is all on their own. Self-direction is good for creativity, but if I didn't tell them what I must see in the movie, I think they wouldn't get as much out of the project. For this particular topic, I wasn't comfortable telling them to make an iMovie about drug addiction and letting them decide what does and doesn't go in it.

My Test Strategy classes however were assigned 11 literary analysis terms. They spent part of a block defining the terms. I then told them to create a comic book using Comic Life demonstrating the terms. I didn't tell them how. I only told them that each comic strip should obviously represent & demonstrate the literary term. Most of the books were great. Only one or two didn't demonstrate the topic - they just defined it again in the comic strip. I think some kids just need really specific guidance, while others can do amazing work on their own. ~Hilary Reeser