You should know that there are many things that don't always run smoothly in my classroom. Things that I plan don't always turn out as intended. Kids have off days. I have off days. Sometimes, particularly when we are trying something for the first time, we hit roadblocks or have planning issues. Sometimes ideas I thought were good, could have been better implemented. This is part of the game of teaching.
For the past two weeks my grade 7's have been making movies. This is our first time through this kind of activity and it definitely has not been headache free. It has taken longer than expected. Filming in small groups around the school has been disruptive ... finding quiet places to film or completing outdoor shots has had supervision issues. Scenes have had to be reshot. Storylines have broken down and had to be reconceived. Creative conflicts between group members has occurred. Absent group members have caused delays and the rewriting of scripts. And I've had to be away during some of the filming days. We're now experiencing problems uploading to moviemaker in order to edit and add soundtrack.
We could abandon the entire task, but helping students develop resiliency and persistence is part of our jobs as teachers. Teaching them to embrace and then brush off failure, giving them the opportunity to evaluate and then resolve mistakes and allowing them a safe space to work through difficulties will in the end be a much richer experience.
This process has turned out to be about more than just making a movie and through it I've come to realize that classrooms and projects that always run smoothly and predictably mean that risks are not being taken and it is in taking risks that we learn.
For the past two weeks my grade 7's have been making movies. This is our first time through this kind of activity and it definitely has not been headache free. It has taken longer than expected. Filming in small groups around the school has been disruptive ... finding quiet places to film or completing outdoor shots has had supervision issues. Scenes have had to be reshot. Storylines have broken down and had to be reconceived. Creative conflicts between group members has occurred. Absent group members have caused delays and the rewriting of scripts. And I've had to be away during some of the filming days. We're now experiencing problems uploading to moviemaker in order to edit and add soundtrack.
We could abandon the entire task, but helping students develop resiliency and persistence is part of our jobs as teachers. Teaching them to embrace and then brush off failure, giving them the opportunity to evaluate and then resolve mistakes and allowing them a safe space to work through difficulties will in the end be a much richer experience.
This process has turned out to be about more than just making a movie and through it I've come to realize that classrooms and projects that always run smoothly and predictably mean that risks are not being taken and it is in taking risks that we learn.
I love this post - our classroom even has as a motto "Sorry for the mess, but we LEARN herer":) http://animoto.com/play/q4OuWD825xy0rr8liTeNrg
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Heidi. We need more teachers like you in the system.
Thanks Cristina,
ReplyDeleteGreat motto! It's easy to cherry pick and tell only the good things that happen. I think presenting a balanced view and including how things can go wrong is of equal importance, particularly when documenting the process of learning and transformation.