As we come to a close...

What a journey we have been on! I have a new understanding of what compelling experiences are made of. Before this course I would have told you that compelling experiences only happen in movies or in a sappy love song. That’s just not the case. They happen everyday and they should be happening in our classrooms. I have come to know that compelling experiences can occur in a photograph of a tree, the process of making pasta and the catchy chorus in a John Mayer song.

In the photography module I learned that simplicity says it best. It is important to take away all the unneeded elements from the topic so that more attention is paid to it. I applied this concept to my classroom by implementing learning targets for my students. Everyday I post “learning targets” on the board that describe what they are to learn that day. This allows my students to know what it is that they should be learning and it sets a goal for them. As adults we want to know what it is we are doing and WHY, and this is true for my first and second graders too. I’m afraid that if we don’t do this our students may see their learning as unrelated facts and formulas that never intersect. Diagonal lines also contribute to the compelling nature of a photograph. As seen in my work of art project, lines in photography create a sense of movement and in teaching, illuminating those “invisible lines” whether it be cross-curricular or when building on a concept, students are compelled by the natural flow of their learning. Creating those lines in the classroom create compelling experiences.

The architecture and design module allowed me to think of inspiration through my “nature and design of compelling experiences” goggles. I was amazed at how quickly I was able to see the implication this module had on my practice. Surprisingly it has nothing to do with the arrangement of desks in my classroom; instead it is about expectations and the importance of “un-cluttering” our teaching. I focused my architecture and design project on the comparison of McDonalds and Panera Bread. What I found was that each of these restaurants had an expectation for its customers. McDonalds – quick, easy, traditional taste. Panera Bread – sit and stay awhile, relax, try something new. As teachers we need to exude our expectations to our students on a day-by-day basis. In my experience, when someone expects something from me, I try and meet that expectation. As teachers, if we don’t articulate our expectations academically, socially, etc., our students may not know to rise up to it.

Ever walk into a house and become overwhelmed with a myriad themes; porcelain cat statues, velvet curtains, Roman inspired columns, bear skinned rug and a camouflage sofa? Me neither… BUT I think that our students sometimes see our lessons as unrelated material that serves no purpose together. In our readings we learned that unnecessary clutter does not make a space compelling. I’ll relate this again to those “learning targets”. Communicate to your students exactly what is important in their “space” (learning) and take out the guessing game of “what’s the theme for today?”.

The music module was a lot of fun and for me it was the most obvious bridge to connect to my teaching practice. It’s all about the hook. We are teaching a generation of kids whose daily routine include entertaining themselves with multiple mediums of technology. So is it a surprise that many students are not compelled to learn in a simple and un-technological classroom? We must hook our students in by creating a compelling experience. I discovered that not all hooks appeal to all people. In our group analysis of a song my group members were hooked in for reasons that I hadn’t even noticed. As a teacher it is crucial that we appeal to all types of learners: auditory, kinesthetic visual, etc.

In every module of this course we had the wonderful experience of learning something new. This is the same experience our students go through on a daily basis. What made this experience unique were the connections we were able to make to our professional practice and the compelling nature in which we expressed our own understanding. Thanks for a great semester everyone.