Comments on Elsie and Joe Deluxe: process or product?

I agree that the ability to synthesise and write a...

2008-05-07T22:27:00.000-04:00

I agree that the ability to synthesise and write and whatnot are important, I'm not convinced they are necessary for every project. I also don't think it is necessary to be so concerned about completeness for every topic you cover, particularly with younger children.

My daughter is approaching 11 and we've started talking about the importance of having products for various reasons as

Just to be clear, for Sandy, when I was thinking a...

2008-05-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

Just to be clear, for Sandy, when I was thinking about "oughts" based on traditional school models, I wasn't thinking "busy work" so much as the "multiple entry points" and "demonstration for the parents" parts of classroom work, which seem like further examples of the specialized skill set needed for classroom teaching.

On the other hand, one thing the district gifted specialist told us

To use the example of writing a paper - wouldn't t...

2008-05-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

To use the example of writing a paper - wouldn't the point of ending a unit on Lewis and Clark with writing a paper be as much to learn and/or practice writing skills and how to synthesize what was learned with writing?

Hmmm. I wonder if having a book learner do a proje...

2008-05-06T21:25:00.000-04:00

Hmmm. I wonder if having a book learner do a project would help bring balance to that intellectual style. I can see that my son, for example, loves books and is almost ready to learn to read, but he's also good with drawing and fine motor stuff. So I might be tempted to work with those skills, yet also make sure he's doing a lot of gross motor movement and "field work" outside. I have also

Shaun, yes, I guess you have to think about why yo...

2008-05-06T16:45:00.000-04:00

Shaun, yes, I guess you have to think about why you're having the student create an end product (or do anything!). So so much of traditional school is busy work, it is true. I like Jennifer's comment about organizational skills - I explicitly teach organization to 12th graders. I also believe synthesis to be an important step in the analytical process, which is my main reason to do it. Making

I really liked Angela's post too -- though I'm jus...

2008-05-06T15:39:00.000-04:00

I really liked Angela's post too -- though I'm just venturing out of illness and haven't said so on her blog! -- and I noticed that she mentioned "12" as the age that she started emphasizing more perseverance. My 9yo seems so old some days and so young on others -- it's good for me to think frequently about age-appropriate expectations regarding perseverance in things she hasn't chosen to do on

I think it is important to teach how to discern th...

2008-05-06T11:24:00.000-04:00

I think it is important to teach how to discern the possible end point(s) in a project and then bring it to conclusion. This is going to be one of the skills my kids will use frequently in life - no matter what profession they choose.

And this makes me remember that organizational skills are not always organic or intuitive for kids. Teaching project management is one of the areas

You make many good points here, and many I have ar...

2008-05-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

You make many good points here, and many I have argued over the years. While I am totally opposed to busy work and product focus learning, there does come a point where the kids need to learn to turn their learning (reading) into a project. There is great benefit also to stepping outside one's comfort zone. to develop new skills. You'd be amazed at how well the kids can stretch once they try!