Does postermania ever end? Or will I be buying gluesticks in the nursing home?
This week, we are drawing the map of Spain in my household. In painful detail.
After four kids, I think I would have been smarter to invest in poster board and gluesticks than high tech stocks. My kids were always racing the clock to finish posters, projects and presentations.
After years of helping kids create dioramas, panoramas and kidney-bean maps of Alabama, I have to wonder — do children learn much from these endless school projects?
In their zeal for hands-on learning — a zeal shared by many parents — schools have adopted what Education Week once described as the “Crayola Curriculum.” Kids are now coloring and making trifold posters even in math and chemistry classes. Parents hoard shoe boxes for dioramas. The back-to-school shopping list now includes sheaths of white poster board and Styrofoam balls for the inevitable solar system project.
My household has been through just about every iteration of school project, from the classic paper mache volcano to a tasty armadillo carved out of chocolate cake. (Notice my theme: projects that double as class snack, another growth industry and a topic for a later date.)
I never felt these projects fostered deeper learning, least of all in elementary school. A teacher once told me that projects in the early grades didn’t necessarily increase learning, but provided parents and kids with a shared experience. I told her it was a lot more rewarding and relaxing to go on a family walk than to build a pyramid out of Saltines.
One of my worst memories was a fort that my oldest daughter and I created out of gingerbread, a messy late-night adventure that finally yielded a shaky but standing structure.
But ever the perfectionist, I couldn’t resist adding one last dollop of icing to shore up the sides, and as I did so the edible edifice simply collapsed. In the end, I was forced to grab a glue gun to repair the damage and post a “DO NOT EAT” sign on the project.
Many parents, especially crafty types who always have construction paper, felt fabric and feathers at the ready, no doubt consider these projects great fun for their kids. I don’t disagree. I’m just not sure how educational they are. How much did my kids learn by creating a glitzy poster showing how they would spend a million dollars, an annual fifth grade project. Or copying the flag of Spain, which my sixth grader did this week.
Am I just a crank? Is there some higher learning going on with these projects?
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102 comments Add your comment
Chuck
September 12th, 2010
4:06 am
Some crankiness, yes, but in this case, for good reason. Glitzy posters and similar home projects generally have little “new learning” associated with them. It is important though that we not suddenly declare that all hands-on projects are wasteful, ineffective, and void of learning. Lesson design is the critical component here, and great teachers create great hands-on learning opportunities for their students. In our middle school (it was your middle school post in which you were really cranky) 8th grade students recently created solar ovens with various home supplies–pizza boxes, aluminum foil, styrofoam coolers, etc. Scientific experiments were conducted with these ovens to determine their effectiveness or lack of. Students charted temperatures in the ovens at different times of the day. The engagement and learning levels associated with this lesson were exemplary. Are rubrics, focus questions, or learning guides associated with the projects you have mentioned? If not, they are likely the waste of time they seem to be. I see it as largely an issue of effective teaching. experiencing with the
Chuck
September 12th, 2010
4:14 am
Forgive the straggling three words at the end of my post…My excuse? It’s 4:00 a.m!
look closer
September 12th, 2010
4:50 am
Very few of the projects my kids have been assigned have contributed to learning in any way. Sometimes a poster will serve as a means of forcing a student to review and organize material, but a written assignment would have done the same AND taught writing skills. Anything that involves dioramas is a complete waste of time unless it is assigned in art class. Ditto with the flag project my middle schooler did – she had to sew a flag of a European country. Great for learning sewing skills, useless for learning anything else. Don’t even get me started on anything that requires a child to dress up in a costume unless it is the school play.
I’ve had elementary teachers tell me that projects are a fun way for parents and children to interact. How about providing meaningful homework that reinforces lessons and let me decide how to have fun with my children?
ScienceTeacher671
September 12th, 2010
6:48 am
I always understood most of these projects as a way to differentiate learning so that students with below-average reading and writing skills could “demonstrate understanding” of the material covered even if they were unable to pass a test over the material, or so that students with different “learning styles” could show understanding in an artistic or spatial way rather than using writing skills.
I was especially annoyed when my child in the gifted classes was assigned posters and “build-a-fort” projects rather than book reports. The annoyance factor grew exponentially when I didn’t find out about said projects until the last minute and had to make a rushed trip to buy supplies (yes, I should have let said child take consequences for waiting.) Like “look closer”, I felt that projects emphasizing writing skills would have been more appropriate, especially in those classes.
Mid GA Teacher
September 12th, 2010
6:58 am
I think a variety of learning experiences is valuable, but I agree that it has gone overboard. Look, teachers are just doing what we are forced to do and that is follow the tides of educational philosophy. Currently, hands-on is the cure-all that is currently embraced. I don’t like it, but it is what it is. It does work for some kids, but for others it is a waste of time. Schools with good leaders allow great teachers to differentiate and have the students who need this type of activity do it and the students who don’t can do something more productive. Unfortunately, many schools have drunk too much of the “research” Kool-aid and have forced all teachers to do the hands-on activities for all children. Mine district is one of them. If my students do a worksheet to practice their skills, I am rated as minimally effective. If the same activity is done on a poster, I am an effective practitioner according to the rubric. Hogwash—-I know, but to keep your job in this tough economic climate, I am not going to buck the system right now and your kids will be doing posters. Carefully choose your school-board members, please!!!!
Mid GA Teacher
September 12th, 2010
6:59 am
Forgive my grammar in the previous post. I hit enter before proofing.
Happy Teacher
September 12th, 2010
7:26 am
When done well, they can be effective, but it can easily be seen that not all are conceptualized well. I find them most helpful to teach kids how to follow multi-step directions, which is somethinng I see kids REALLY struggling with.
HS teacher
September 12th, 2010
8:25 am
My problem is not that the younger students are being asked to create these projects (though that may change once my own son is in elementary school) but that there seems to be no standard with which to match these projects. Is there a state or county standard for ‘recreate a flag of Europe’? What is the student truly learning there? Wouldn’t a more meaningful assignment have been to ask the student to create a flag for an imaginary country, or a flag for his/her family, and then to write a paragraph explaining WHY he made the decisions about how the flag should look? My twelfth graders get annoyed when I couple writing with a “fun” project–but if we required this in younger grades, maybe my students wouldn’t be so confused when I actually ask them to think instead of regurgitate.
Old School
September 12th, 2010
8:51 am
Posters beat the heck out of endless mind-numbing power-points that have large blocks of unreadable text, backgrounds that have no relevance to the topic, color choices that render the text even more unreadable, and every animation and noise offered by the program. The presentation of this “research” consists of handing out copies of the slides and the presenter reading all the material in a too-low-to-hear monotone.
No wait! That’s most in-service I’ve had to attend! I guess students do a better job with this medium (but I still prefer a well-executed poster!)
DunMoody
September 12th, 2010
9:13 am
My students’ middle school teachers requires most projects be worked on in class, as part of teams. For the most part, they do reinforce classroom learning, are not created by parents (ad hoc students), and teach a critical skill: working in a team. My student has had really weak team mates and really strong team mates, ie those who sit on their hands and don’t do anything and those who pitch in and do their parts on time. She has learned who she prefers to work with and who will require her to do much more than her share of the work load – hence are to be avoided when she has a choice in teams. What valuable lessons these are for high school and beyond.
DunMoody
September 12th, 2010
9:14 am
That should be plural subject-verb – teachers require, not requires. Sorry!
Batgirl
September 12th, 2010
9:39 am
I never required my eigth graders to do anything that required more than paper and pen. Some kids could not/would not pay for the extra supplies. Plus, I’ve seen projects required by other teachers that looked as if they were created by professionals, not 14-year-olds. A sixth grader once turned in a St. Basil’s Cathedral that looked like an architect’s model. It was amazing. Another student turned in a model of the church where his grandfather is pastor. It won first place in a National Beta Club Competition. He confessed to a couple of classmates that he only glued on a couple of sticks. Then there have been those students whose parents provided no supplies and no help. Their projects are often pathetic. I have a lot of trouble with giving A’s to those kids whose parents do most of the work and giving bad grades to those who get no help and who don’t have a creative bone in their bodies.
However, I think teachers and kids should have an option of alternative assessments that can be created at school such as a PowerPoint explaining the workings of a volcano or a brochure that provides information about the country being studied.
NWGA teacher
September 12th, 2010
10:08 am
When my child’s middle school began to delve into project-based learning, particularly in sixth and seventh grades, the costs of projects in dollars multiplied. The schools can’t purchase the materials, and the teachers certainly can’t bear the burden. “Group” projects required participation from each student. Few of the kids brought their share of materials. My daughter worried constantly because her grades were tied to the “group” work, although few group members actually participated. After spending in excess of $35 per project for four projects in four different classes within the same month, I notified the teachers that my single-parent household could no longer bear these costs. Styrofoam from the arts supply shop, a particular grade of presentation board from Office Depot (never the less expensive cardboard or poster board), endless sets of poster paints and permanent markers, tee shirts and dyes, replacing flash drives destroyed by virus-ridden school computers, glue guns and glue sticks, colored binders (rarely returned), “life-sized” projects that wouldn’t fit into the car and required huge amounts of cardboard “from home”. Build this, build that; use cardboard that you find at home. If you can’t scrounge up old cardboard, you may make yet another trip to Hobby Lobby. One project called for parts from non-working computers, radios, toasters, etc. It was a great project, but I don’t keep dead appliances. These endless projects consumed our evenings and weekends. My child’s enduring learning was centered around the bite her projects took from Mom’s paycheck. Her friends and their parents had the same experience.
seen it all
September 12th, 2010
10:18 am
Maureen,
I think you frustration with “projects” stems from the fact that YOU, not your child does them and you are a perfectionist (by your own admission) and work to create the BEST project possible.
I taught students from grades 1-8. I taught elementary and middle school. I have taught in urban areas, the barrio, and the suburbs. I have even taught overseas. In my experience, it was the middle class parents who fretted over homework and projects the most. Everybody else wasn’t worried about homework and projects. Why? Because they didn’t have something to prove.
You see, the helicopter parents and overachievers want to show off their children. They are the ones overly concerned about grades. So mommy does the homework and SHE is one upset if Rebecca tells her at 9:00 Tuesday night that she has a project due Wednesday. Devon and Jose are not worried about the project and neither are their parents. That’s the one good thing I enjoyed about working in the barrio. The kids weren’t nearly as bad as the “hood” and most of the kids didn’t do projects. The stress level on that aspect was a lot lower.
NWGA teacher
September 12th, 2010
10:29 am
@ seen it all: You’ve insulted the moderator, most parents, most students and yourself. Impressive.
J.B. STONER
September 12th, 2010
10:38 am
Better get your kids use to making images of ‘Old Glory’ instead of a flag of Spain.
It will become extinct before you know it.
Schools want Mexican Flags copied , but heaven forbid the precious ’stars and bars’ flag that defines our heritage here in the south. Yes, a crying shame.
If the South hadda won, we’d a had it made……
I think Hank Williams sang that true ballad.
One of MANY great songs .
Anon Cobb Res
September 12th, 2010
10:57 am
Too bad if Seen It All insulted everybody. Personally, I think he/she NAILED IT!
J.B. STONER
September 12th, 2010
11:22 am
seen it all aint seen nothing yet and evidently neither has ‘anon cobb res….
Wait til the mexican rug rats take over and become the majority of the students.
Michelle B.
September 12th, 2010
11:39 am
I too have to agree with “seen it all.” I too have only worked at Title I schools and will probably always work at them for the very same reason. Teachers don’t want to grade parents’ work; they want to grade students’ work. That’s why projects should be started in class and mostly completed in class as a way to learn material. They shouldn’t be counted or graded in the same why tests are, but they are alternative ways to show learning for some students. However, if teachers were differentiating learning, those who need the extension, projects should and would include writing in content areas other than language arts. As a middle class parent, I try hard not to hover, but there is pressure to keep up Lake Wobegone appearances.
oldtimer
September 12th, 2010
11:55 am
Seen it all….You nailed it. I, too, have taught at a variety of schools. The only value to projects is to learn to organize, and if with a cgroup, cooperate. Kids do not learn a ton of information. They do dress up your room.
Teach?Burdened by pre/post tests,paperwork & deadlines.Half of Dkalb teachers don't care, other half are stuck w/ the spineless,venting/whining,taking punishment..bending over, "please sir may I have another" quote Ole Guy
September 12th, 2010
11:56 am
Why are you both up at 4am responding to a teacher blog?!!!! 4am! Is it that urgent?
Lee
September 12th, 2010
11:57 am
@SeenItAll: let me get this straight, you teachers complain about lack of parental involvement and now you complain about parents getting involved.
Make up your damn mind….
Echo
September 12th, 2010
12:15 pm
Lee…parental involvement does not = parent doing the assignment.
When teachers talk about parent involvement we mean a parent who talks with their child daily, is present when their child needs assistance, provides the tools necessary for learning (a place to study, school supplies, decent meals, etc…), calls or emails teachers when there is a question or concern, checks their child’s homework, checks their student’s grades online (if available), comes to open houses or parent conferences often or always), responds to calls or emails from the teachers. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
TopPublicSchoolCorruption
September 12th, 2010
12:23 pm
Atlanta…You are experiencing gifted program at it finest hour! My teaching career of some 13 years (gifted education for 4 years), I only found one child to be gifted. This is all busy work for parents to compete within their neighborhood. GET A LIFE! STOP ALL OF THIS NONSENSE. Stay out of the process of helping your child to create these “Glee” productions. It won’t make you the best parent. Focus on quality time with your child. As with teachers…they are competing, too. Again…let the child do the work. Awards and prizes should be won on the actual merits of the child. The schools have lost focus OF WHAT education is about…improve test scores for those that don’t test well…and for the top 10% that score well on the test…burden them with project cookie cutter ideas to keep them busy. A genius idea is probably sitting in the SPECIAL NEEDS class. I’ve seen it all. Especially, on the Northside of Atlanta. Private schools just hand them a syllabus of the required work to be accomplished. This is not teaching. If it can’t be taught and completed within the four walls of the classroom…it is not an education experience. Stop the madness. Don’t concern yourself with these projects. “Show Production” teaching needs to stop! Parents are the suckers, because in essence they are doing all the work. What does that teach your child? Again, awards and achievements given on false information. The parents are teaching their own children to be less than honest and falsifying the integrity in their own work. The child did not do all of the work. It’s another score for the family. Another blind eye by the teacher. Another star in the school’s crown of “look what we can make our parents and children do.” You have fallen for the education circus. Believe me there are other parents in your boat. Start to form a committee and see what happens!
But, don’t file a grievance!
Teach?Burdened by pre/post tests,paperwork & deadlines.Half of Dkalb teachers don't care, other half are stuck w/ the spineless,venting/whining,taking punishment..bending over, "please sir may I have another" quote Ole Guy
September 12th, 2010
12:23 pm
Mid Ga Teacher (6:58) post is on point.
I often question my principal, “academic coach”, and some coworkers, as to the effectiveness of these projects. But as MidGa teacher said, it’s pointless, you’re fighting a lonely battle, because they don’t care, they have swallowed the “crazy koolaid” as well. There are even snack projects, daily at my school. I can assure you, that a majority of the students could not tell you what they have learned from the lesson.
As some have said, and as Science Teacher 671 said, projects/art work etc, assist in the development of students’ learning styles. However, I still think these activities unless done in an art class on a continuing basis, are ineffective, as students need to practice these activities more than once to be beneficial to learning. Furthermore, the SAT, and other standardized tests are all written. Projects etc, are a worthwhile mode of learning, but students must be able to produce writing (paragraphs), and/or still must read about the subject being taught. .
Angela
September 12th, 2010
12:24 pm
@Teach?Burdened by pre/post tests,paperwork & deadlines.Half of Dkalb teachers don’t care, other half are stuck w/ the spineless,venting/whining,taking punishment..bending over, “please sir may I have another” quote Ole Guy,
Why are you both up at 4am responding to a teacher blog?!!!! 4am! Is it that urgent?
LOL, I was just thinking the same thing. You know last night I was just thinking how much time we all spend on this blog. I was also, thinking just how much time people like ElemPal spent
correcting me and then not recognizing his own lack of knowledge and down falls. It seems to me (myself included) that our lives must be mighty boring and unforefilled. We spend a huge amount of time going back and forth with each other, belittling each other, etc. I try not to ever belittle anyone regardless of what errors that I find or less than …… comments. However, I found myself this morning calling ElemPal a dumb A.. that is beneath me on so many levels. Therefore, I will apologize and spend more time on my personal life and its pleasesure and less time on this blog. Perhaps, if our lives were more forefilled we might not be so disrespectful of others. There are no perfect people on this earth and if there are I am sure they lack the energy to enjoy life.
teacher&mom
September 12th, 2010
12:31 pm
I use to assign projects in my middle school science classes. Most of the time, the projects were completed in class. I found that when I assigned projects to be completed at home, I was never sure who did the bulk of the assignment…parent or student.
Then, I had my own children who brought home projects. That gave me a different perspective on the effectiveness of projects. We’ve had our share of meaningless projects. I’m so glad we have left the final book report project behind. We’ve also had some really excellent project ideas through the years. The local 4-H CPA projects were an excellent example of researching a topic, preparing a well-organized speech, and incorporating visual aids.
I do understand the frustration over projects. My guys are not the “crafty” type of student so most projects were not a lot of fun. I can’t say that working on projects were always a “positive” parent-child interaction at my house
At the high school level, I occasionally give students optional projects that take the place of traditional assessments. I am always impressed by the quality of the projects and the level of deep understanding the students demonstrate.
teacher&mom
September 12th, 2010
12:33 pm
oops—meant to say….”were always the result of a “positive” parent=child interaction.
Proud Black Man
September 12th, 2010
12:50 pm
Wow interesting that JB Stoner is getting a pass but somehow PBM’s comments evokes howls of racism? Hypocritical bigots…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._Stoner
J.B. STONER
September 12th, 2010
1:27 pm
PBM, what crap do you have for me today .Last I heard from you you were getting mugged in a Decatur Sonic.
Nice picture of me on Wikipedia,huh.
Tried to pull you up and a picture of Hosea Williams appeared….
Huh, imagine that……..
ChristieS.
September 12th, 2010
1:30 pm
PBM, naw…he’s not getting a pass. Most of us simply skip right over his cruddy posts because we know what will be in them. He’s a provocateur and to respond to him would simply play his game.
J.B. STONER
September 12th, 2010
1:38 pm
Don’t lie Christie S. ……………….
you read everything I post..
So does every other rational blogger…..
Oh, and my posts are not cruddy.
Cruddy is not part of my demeanor.
J.B. STONER
September 12th, 2010
1:39 pm
Enter your comments here
AJinCobb
September 12th, 2010
1:40 pm
I don’t “seen it all”’s post as having nailed anything, except for insulting almost everyone possible. Shopping for the darned supplies doesn’t equate to doing the project for the child.
“seen it all” wrote,
“You see, the helicopter parents and overachievers want to show off their children. They are the ones overly concerned about grades.”
Well, my oldest child is a junior, and it’s pretty darned clear that getting into a good college, with funding, is pretty much all about grades. Sadly, it’s easy for “seen it all”’s barrio parents to be delightfully relaxed about grades. They have little or no expectation of sending their children to college. Middle class parents worry about grades because we can’t afford to be indifferent to college admissions and funding, and for this we get accused of being “helicopter parents and overachievers”. I couldn’t care less about “showing off” my child. It’s disturbing to read what some alleged teachers think of their students and their families.
Tony
September 12th, 2010
1:51 pm
Projects serve a bigger purpose than demonstrating a child understands or meets the standard. Projects give kids opportunities to combine creativity with learning. If we only stick to pencil and paper assignments, then our children are doomed to stupidity. You see, the more important lessons in life relate to matters similar to doing special projects rather than just the basic idea of the eight planets of the solar system.
Stevie
September 12th, 2010
2:16 pm
I think projects can be good, but most projects that my kids have had to do in the past 10+ years were pretty much busy work. I wish teachers ask themselves, “What do my students learn from coloring the map or building the fort?” If developing students’ creativity is the point, then do it as an art project, not as a social studies, math, language arts, etc. I have also seen an entire math lesson being spent on students creating posters – just a waste of time.
decaturparent
September 12th, 2010
2:17 pm
Projects are definitely overdone in some school systems. Our 4th and 5th grade school is “famous” for over-assigning projects. There are always several projects due at the end of the school year in the mainstream class.. then the gifted classes constitute little more than more projects. Once you have done 8 or 9 projects in a school year, it does little to add 3 or 4 more for gifted kids…. all it does is make them want to get out of the gifted program.
Thelma
September 12th, 2010
3:03 pm
It’s not the projects that are the problem… it’s that under our “performance based standards” every teacher is obligated to assign one. Seven class…. seven projects. It’s really ok to take a final unit test every once and awhile to demonstrate summative understanding.
Camo
September 12th, 2010
3:13 pm
By the time you’re in the nursing home they won’t have glue sticks. They will be called digital adhesives. And yes, you will have to buy them for a long time to come, Welcome to the future of education and instruction.
catlady
September 12th, 2010
3:41 pm
I think the “higher learning” that comes from these projects is mostly in the form of taking responsibility for something outside of school, planning, and meeting the time and grading criteria. THOSE things ARE worthwhile. In my county, children through 8th grade are not allowed more than 20 minutes of homework per school day–total, including all subjects. And if they don’t do it, there is little repercussions, as we can’t “hold it against the child that their parent did not provide them with the time, place, etc etc” to do the homework.
Our 4th grade teachers have a small project. It is assigned in late August, and supposed to be turned in within 3 weeks. Yet a third of the students EVEN WHEN GIVEN MATERIALS TO TAKE HOME TO USE BY THE TEACHER, FREQUENTLY FROM HER OWN POCKET, do not turn in the project by the deadline. And the parents gripe that it was too much, until confronted with copies of the weekly class letter, dating back weeks, advising them about the project. Fifth grade has given up on projects completely.
These same kids will have many problems out in the real world planning and executing their work. As do their parents, many of whom think “long range planning” is what they will eat for supper tomorrow night.
catlady
September 12th, 2010
3:50 pm
P.S. I have always hated group projects because of the slackers. I would NEVER base a grade on the work of a group. Yes, you have to work cooperatively in the “real world” but that is presumably with people also motivated to continue being employed. School children, and their parents, do not share this worry. Many of the kids see their parents shifting responsibility and blame off on others all the time–not a good role model, and I refuse to replicate it in my classroom.
If one of my children did not keep me informed about a project, and then the last evening I had to rush him/her to Walmart, I would be mad at my child–NOT the teacher! You would not believe how many parents blame the teacher for the parent’s lack of knowledge and their child’s lack of planning, even when confronted with copies of the information sent home (and sometimes signed by the parent–real signature or not)!
ScienceTeacher671
September 12th, 2010
4:23 pm
1. Did take child to Walmart (30 miles round trip too far for said child to walk) – did not complete project for child.
2. Annoyed at child for procrastinating and forcing last minute trip; annoyed at teacher because (a) book reports don’t require special materials and (2) book reports would require more knowledge of material and improve writing skills.
Hosea Williams
September 12th, 2010
4:58 pm
I used to walk six miles up hill both ways when I marched with Dr. King.These kids need to walk ta school, get educated ,go home, talk with the parent,stay out of trouble .
Kronosaurus
September 12th, 2010
5:08 pm
One of the big problems I see with all of the examples brought up in this discussion and in the original blog is how irrelevant to the real world these projects are. Instead of glue sticks and posters children should be working with web 2.0 and photoshop. I know, I know, this brings up issues of inequality but it does beg the question, should we really be having our students doing horse-and-buggy projects in the age of computers? And I have no problem with hand-on projects in theory. They are great as long as they lead to solid learning outcomes. Of course, as many of the examples brought up in the commentary show, this is often not the case. teachers are either filling time or in the throes of a bad interpretation of progressive education theory. If students have to spend more time worrying about the style of their projects to the detriment of the content those projects are supposed to demonstrate then there is a problem. On the other hand, learning how to use style to demonstrate ideas is a very useful skill to have in our post-industrial, information economy. Which brings me back to my original point – they need to use the skills that are important in the real word and thus, they need to incorporate technology into those projects.
seen it all
September 12th, 2010
5:12 pm
Catlady is right about one thing– assigning projects tend to make for more frustration for the teacher. In my experience, no matter where I have been, I have RARELY gotten my entire class, or even the majority, to turn in a project. Again, only the “top” students would turn in a project. Out of a class of 25 students, I MIGHT have 10 or 15 projects.
If you pressed the issue, you would have some parents make excuses and complain– somehow it’s the teacher/school’s fault that their child didn’t turn in the project on time.
And BTW, somebody said that these “stellar” projects do make the teacher and school look good. People do take these things and show ‘em off as a way of saying “ooo, look at me, look at my class, my school, etc.” So in a sense, teachers and principals can be just as guilty as parents when it comes to the boasting game. Nowadays, it’s all about “look at me”. I guess that’s our egotistical, narcissist society. Everything is all about me.
Teacher
September 12th, 2010
5:25 pm
Maureen,
Perhaps your children (and the children of others in this post) would learn a lot more from these projects if they themselves were responsible for actually doing them. I have long since given up on this type of homework in my classroom. More than anything else, it is an opportunity for parents to “one up” each other by creating the best, biggest, most eye-catching display of the class.
Last year my second graders had one such project. They were given a map of Georiga and the task was to use materials to represent the different regions of the state (costal plain, piedmont, etc.). They did a fantastic job! What was best about it was that every project looked kid-created with flaws, redos, and the like. I specifically asked the kids to do with as little help as possible. We left them up in the room all year as the class didn’t want to take them down. Although imperfect, I would much rather see a project that was done by the student.
Whose homework is it, anyway?
Echo
September 12th, 2010
5:39 pm
For those of you wanting book report type assignments: as a high school science teacher, I do not have time to grade 40 something book reports many of which will be so poorly written as to be impossible to read. Not to mention how many parents will be howling because their child got a 0 for not doing the assignment, I have 93 students and only about 1/2 will turn SOMETHING in. The spineless administration will order me to give another “make up” assignment to those students who chose to take the 0 for the book report, leading to more wasting of my time. Of course, there will be several “reports” that will be plagiarized from the internet and I will have those parents complain about the 0 as well. This is what “education” has become…
NWGA teacher
September 12th, 2010
5:48 pm
Perhaps they would learn more if they didn’t have to complete the “group project” at home, individually. I’ve never completed a project for my child, but we’ve both lost a lot of sleep while she finished a “group” project due to other students’ failure to do their share. Most of her groups were teacher-assigned, and most of them received the same grade, regardless of participation.
Whose homework is it? When it’s a group project, it’s the homework of whichever student worries most about the final grade.
Why do you assume that Maureen, and others in this post, do homework for their children?
Jan
September 12th, 2010
6:04 pm
Poorly thought out projects are annoying and stupid, but well thought out projects can actually teach and/or reinforce the subject matter. It all depends on how the project is to be done and who actually did the work.
However, I never did any projects for my kids. I would provide encouragement or suggestions if something wasn’t working and they were getting too frustrated.
I do remember at one PTO meeting were some 2nd grade projects were on display at the meeting. And I remember my kid’s project getting laughed at by some of the parents as being so “childish” and “amateurish” in comparison to others. But when I said that it looked like a 2nd grader did it, because it was a 2nd grade project and not a 2nd grade parent project, they looked fairly sheepish about their comments.
Enough!
September 12th, 2010
6:06 pm
Perfect example of how everything teachers do is wrong in the eyes of so many. We cannot win.
Complaint #1: My child does not have enough homework
Complaint #2: My child has TOO much homework
Complaint #3: The homework was too traditional and boring
Complaint #4: The homework was not traditional enough
Complaint #5: I had to help my child do something
Complaint #6: My child did not tell me he/she had a project until the last minute(Forget the fact that the teacher provided you with written guidelines weeks ago, put it in her newsletter for 4 weeks AND has the information, directions and grading rubric on her website)
Oh, I forgot, everyone knows how to teach better than the teachers.