hit the enter key before i even got started! let's try this again...
So, this semester I have learned that kids talk. A lot. They enjoy interacting and building relationships and having their voice heard. And one thing that I have realized is that kids talk about how your class is. Most of my students enter the class with a certain knowledge of what it will be like, stuff we'll do, etc based on what previous students tell them (the old kids). And, what is neat is that the new kids want to do what the old kids did, but bigger and better. That in turn makes the old kids want to know why they didn't get to do something cool like the new kids! This cycle is great for career tech programs to keep up numbers and keep interest. What I like is that this forces me to keep changing my program ideas up every semester.
As good as it would be to use the same lessons and stay super organized, etc. I think for the students it is vital to change and bring in fresh concepts to teach old lessons. Every year I have each class "Go Big"...my first year it was a working dam, last year a miniature golf course, an indoor race track for model cars, and this year...I turned a concept project over to my advanced class and we are in the process of building catapults!! The plan is to study the history of them then use our curriculum standards to draw out plans, build, and test them using old pumpkins as launch subjects. :) Should be a blast. Anyway - the old kids have heard about it and they want to come back next semester to do something better.
Long story short: Change it up. Don't be afraid to think "outside the box." The box is boring.
Hi, David - insightful observations and thanks for sharing. You'll also find, as you probably already have, that you will attract students who are friends of students that liked you or your class, so if those were your good students and enjoyed being challenged, your future students will likely be that way as well, and will continue to raise the bar and improve your program. Keep mixing it up!
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