I haven't posted much lately as I have been busy getting to know my new batch of ALC 9 students. Introducing this course the second time around has not gone as smoothly as I had originally thought. The students don't seem to be as motivated as my first bunch. Is it the fact that we're halfway done the year and they're tired? Is it that they have heard bad things about the course from other students? Is it the combination of the kids in the class? Who knows... I feel as if the next 4 months will be a little more challenging than I had expected.
The first Instant Challenge we completed was the Antiques 2511 Challenge where students had limited supplies and a time restraint and had to build an "antique" from the year 2011. I divided them into 5 random groups and waited for the magic to happen. Instead of fireworks of creativity, I got crickets... chirping in a distant wheat field. I was blown away at what little interaction was had between the groups. Barely anyone talked with each other... Ideas were not flowing like a majestic waterfall. There were few ideas circulating at all. One group didn't even talk to each other for the first 10 minutes! As I was walking around, taking pictures, dropping advice/ideas, I tried my best to stay positive and encouraging even though I was feeling quite the opposite. After 20 minutes, the groups presented their ideas with minimal gusto and a real lack of detail. Man, I think they hated the challenge! We talked briefly and reflected on the Challenge - what went well; what did the group struggle with; what would they do differently next time. And again, I had very little feedback or interaction. I walked away from this class feeling pretty baffled and defeated. I had to take a different approach with these guys...
So today, I roll into class pretty confident that they are going to be more engaged and actually like the Gumdrop Structure Challenge I have planned. I was right... kind of! They did seem more engaged right off the bat and had no questions about the task after I gave instructions, but once it began, the real lackadaisical attitudes came out and I was again circulating, trying to keep everyone engaged. Some kids were frustrated with others and their lack of participation, while others were really interested and trying their best to make their group successful. The overall structures were pretty good (I made them easier than last time) but the discussion afterwards was again lacking in gusto. There were a few important points brought up that generated some discussion.
At this point, I am hopeful that we are all in the "warming up" stage, just trying to figure things out. I am positive that once the students feel confident about what Challenge they have chosen to do, and understand that I am here in a supportive role, the kids will open and buy into ALC a little more. At the end of class, I had the students tell me about what project they would like to complete throughout this course... I showed them an exemplar of what a strong (proficient) logbook looks like for their reference.
Fingers Crossed!
Here are some pics from the last two Challenges...
Antiques 2511
Gumdrop Structure Challenge
