Usually towards the end of term, activity at college seems to slow down a little. The demand for work completion is still there but the atmosphere is a little more relaxed as staff and students look forward to a well deserved break. This term, however, is an exception to the norm! These last two weeks at IFS have been as full and exciting as ever. I have been spoilt for choice as to what to blog about. Do I write about the Futsal? Do I comment on the World Cup buzz in the classroom? Do I choose to highlight the sportsmanship of the mini olympics held for the high college last Friday? Well, it’s a close contest but I choose to show you the delights of my favourite project this term. It comes from this last two weeks in stage 4 technology.
This term’s theme in stage 4 has been Power to the People. For tech, I decided to focus on the ‘power of money’ and to that end, developed a project that required research, design, creation and evaluation. I planned on all students using their knowledge of the content to produce a wooden money box. The design brief was to create a themed wooden money box that didn’t need to be broken in order to get the money out.
An important element of project based learning is the audience. This ensures the projects are authentic with relevance to the real world. What is real world for the students of IFS? Competition! So, I included the public audience of a close friend of mine, Megan, who is a manager at Bunnings, Tuggerah. That meant I had a project, a competition, an audience and therefore a prize.
After delivering the aims and outcomes to the students there was an instant drive to produce the best work they could do. They set to work eagerly working through their research and design work.
Through previous projects we know that many of the students are kinaesthetic learners and enjoy the opportunity to manually produce their work. They love the opportunity to work with their hands. The open learning space became a woodworking space. We had hammers, drills, sanding and wood burners in operation. We’ve had a buzz of banging and chatter about how to glue and nail and fix the hinges.
Tomorrow is the judging of the money boxes. All students will display their book work and final piece to Megan. She will comment on the WOW factor, the styling, the functionality, the design, the overall finish and presentation. I can’t wait to see the final results.
As a teacher you tend to get a feel for the vibe in the classroom and when things go well you get a huge sense of accomplishment. That feeling comes from the way the students work, the way they conduct themselves, the questions they ask, the excitement on their faces. It comes from the support they offer each other, the way they want to discuss their plans with you and the quality of the final pieces of work.
All of these things I have felt within the last two weeks and I am feeling inspired. Inspired to, next term, create a project that captures the imagination of each of the students and allows them to engage and learn to the best of their ability.
So what is in a box? I have discovered there is so much more than just timber, nails and screws! There is a whole host of things that are hidden and carved and drawn on the inside and out that I had not even planned for! That’s been the best part of my technology project, and that’s a secret I am happy to let out of the box!
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