Final installment of teacher interviews for the Sol LeWitt project.
Showing posts with label Sol LeWitt Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sol LeWitt Project. Show all posts
Friday, October 5, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sol LeWitt Interview Part II
We are at the mid-point of the Sol LeWitt project. The prototyping and drafting stages are complete. Designs are up on the panels and a few of Ms. Firavanti's sections started painting. At this midway point the creators of the project sat down to share their observations. Included in this post is a raw audio file of the interview. It is interesting to listen to those involved about how the process has unfolded with tangible variations between the different classes. Additionally, some of the commentary shared by Mr. Madden (@ahab6633) and Ms. Firavanti (@intherye) shed light on the need to reconsider how we view collaboration as well as positioning students to observe the actions of others.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sol LeWitt Observations Day #1 and #2
I wanted to share a quick observation from the Sol LeWitt inspired project 9th graders started last week.
The drawing group had to move from the prototyping phase to agreeing on a design for the panel. Each individual in the drawing group was given between 10-15 minutes to read through the directions (see below) and sketch out a potential pattern on a drafting sheet. At the end of he prototyping phase the drawing group had to come together, examine each prototype and agree on one design for the panel.
It was interesting to see how each drawing group went about the process of reaching a final decision. In some cases, individuals stepped forward and facilitated a conversation that led to a collaborative decision. These individuals comfortably assumed a leadership role, but were cognizant of including all members in the conversation. Other groups struggled to organize a communal discussion and the final decision was more the result of a few assuming the responsibility for the group to reach an agreement.
I was struck by the stark contrast between periods. Again, some drawing groups excelled during the decision-making process while other clearly struggled. It highlighted a need to mentor students through collaborative problem solving / decision making. Throughout the K-12 experience students work as teams, but I wonder how much we compel learners to reflect on the collaborative process. The differences between periods was not subtle and brings to the forefront the need for educators to think about building a cooperative capacity within each learner. We cannot assume students know how to work together but instead, this is a skill that has to be nurtured.
Moving forward in the project it will be interesting to see if students can efficiently and effectively work together. The project is structured in a way were decisions have to be made by students within a condensed time frame. It's worth observing and noting whether students make a conscious effort to become more effective communicators and collaborators.
The drawing group had to move from the prototyping phase to agreeing on a design for the panel. Each individual in the drawing group was given between 10-15 minutes to read through the directions (see below) and sketch out a potential pattern on a drafting sheet. At the end of he prototyping phase the drawing group had to come together, examine each prototype and agree on one design for the panel.
It was interesting to see how each drawing group went about the process of reaching a final decision. In some cases, individuals stepped forward and facilitated a conversation that led to a collaborative decision. These individuals comfortably assumed a leadership role, but were cognizant of including all members in the conversation. Other groups struggled to organize a communal discussion and the final decision was more the result of a few assuming the responsibility for the group to reach an agreement.
I was struck by the stark contrast between periods. Again, some drawing groups excelled during the decision-making process while other clearly struggled. It highlighted a need to mentor students through collaborative problem solving / decision making. Throughout the K-12 experience students work as teams, but I wonder how much we compel learners to reflect on the collaborative process. The differences between periods was not subtle and brings to the forefront the need for educators to think about building a cooperative capacity within each learner. We cannot assume students know how to work together but instead, this is a skill that has to be nurtured.
Moving forward in the project it will be interesting to see if students can efficiently and effectively work together. The project is structured in a way were decisions have to be made by students within a condensed time frame. It's worth observing and noting whether students make a conscious effort to become more effective communicators and collaborators.
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| Day #2 Drawing Directions |
Friday, September 14, 2012
Process and Product: Sol LeWitt Inspired Project
Over the summer I worked with a few teachers to develop an introductory experience for 9th grade students. In general the governing framework for 9th grade has been redesigned to provide teachers common planning time and to create a core set of outcomes. Before school ended teachers and administrators came together to develop a set of key learning outcomes (Critical Reading, Problem Solving, Research, Communication and Collaboration). Curriculum, assessments and lessons would be anchored by these outcomes. Additionally, an overarching goal is to ensure that students grow in each of these areas over the next ten months.
Several of us thought it would be valuable to start the year by privileging these outcomes through a somewhat unique experience. As opposed to just presenting and having a discussion about the outcomes, it was believed that students need to live these expectations. It's believed by doing, the key learning outcomes become relevant and meaningful within the lives of our students. So we created the Sol LeWitt Inspired Project for the Freshman Experience (this link provides a strong overview, the finished draft contains rotations schedules and growth measurements). Over the next three weeks (we hope), students will be striving towards producing a wall mural that is inspired by the work of Sol LeWitt.
We are not sure how it will turn out or how long it will take. However, to an extent it does not matter. Another collective belief was valuing the process more than the finished product. Often kids are focused on the end point or the relief of meeting a deadline and as a consequence fail to reflect during and after the completion of a task. The LeWitt project is structured to where reflection is a core element and for most of the time, students are observing and commenting on their work and the work of their peers.
Included below is an unedited interview with two of the teachers involved in the experience. This interview was conducted on the eve of the project. At this point students had only been introduced to LeWitt and his work and a broad overview of the next few weeks was disseminated.
Feel free to take a look at the experience and follow student's progress via #mshlewitt.
Several of us thought it would be valuable to start the year by privileging these outcomes through a somewhat unique experience. As opposed to just presenting and having a discussion about the outcomes, it was believed that students need to live these expectations. It's believed by doing, the key learning outcomes become relevant and meaningful within the lives of our students. So we created the Sol LeWitt Inspired Project for the Freshman Experience (this link provides a strong overview, the finished draft contains rotations schedules and growth measurements). Over the next three weeks (we hope), students will be striving towards producing a wall mural that is inspired by the work of Sol LeWitt.
We are not sure how it will turn out or how long it will take. However, to an extent it does not matter. Another collective belief was valuing the process more than the finished product. Often kids are focused on the end point or the relief of meeting a deadline and as a consequence fail to reflect during and after the completion of a task. The LeWitt project is structured to where reflection is a core element and for most of the time, students are observing and commenting on their work and the work of their peers.
Included below is an unedited interview with two of the teachers involved in the experience. This interview was conducted on the eve of the project. At this point students had only been introduced to LeWitt and his work and a broad overview of the next few weeks was disseminated.
Feel free to take a look at the experience and follow student's progress via #mshlewitt.
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