Ten Things I've Learned About Student Design Projects

Education Rethink 2013-05-08

The picture above is an example of a game where students have to shoot a soccer ball past the goalie (moved by the opponent). The ball drops down and they get a shot again. It is visually-appealing and fun to play.

This was part of our class arcade project. My students spent about an hour to an hour and a half a day designing cardboard arcade games and . . . the results were mixed. I would love to say that this was a slam dunk, but it wasn't.

Plan it together: I brought students into the conversation about the project ideas (ultimately landing on the arcade concept). They created the essential questions and linked the standards. They also helped develop the rubric. However, this wasn't done in isolation. As a teacher, I still had to guide the process.
Create procedures: Teachers throw around phrases like "controlled chaos" and "embrace the mess." However, I can't do loud, crazy classrooms. It makes me edgy and I get impatient. I need a reasonable volume level. I need the movement to be safe. So, we created our procedures together as a class.
Be prepared for motivational issues: The same issues that happen in assignments happen in projects. Kids will still get bored and want to give up. Students will want to throw in the towel when it gets too hard. Project time isn't necessarily a "fun" time the entire time. In the case of this project, I still had two groups who did the bare minimum.
Explain the revision process: I've learned over time that it is critical that students understand that projects aren't all that different from blog posts. They require revision. This can be hard, because revision can be slow and less novel than the initial product.
Structure reflection and discourse: We used a blend of blogs, social media and in-person reflection time to engage in discourse and to have personal reflection time. I've learned that if this isn't built into it, they often fail to articulate what they've learned.
Let the groups work interdependently: In other words, if one group is having an issue with their project, let them invite an expert from another group to help.
Teach project management: This is an area where I still fail as a teacher. I tend to manage it for them and check up on progress for them. On this project, I was more intentional about helping students set goals and task lists.
Think about the audience: In our case, it was easy. The students were going to play with the arcade games and do a peer assessment. However, in the case of our current project (a modern history museum), students know that they will have to create a display and give a two-minute Ignite-style presentation.
Teach conflict resolution: However, I pay careful attention to the communication happening. I specifically ask students to identify conflict that exists and we take a few minutes to hash it out.
Focus on the learning rather than the product: Here's my biggest take home. Some groups will create projects that don't look great. However, the bottom line is the mastery of the concepts. I have had to remind myself that they are only sixth graders and their product and process won't be the same as that of an adult.