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Lesson Plans


Learning before the Project

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Eric B. Drowatzky (chieferic)
Thu, 01 Oct 1998 13:11:10 -0400

As I review posts from various art teachers, I get the impression that
some may be approaching things from a direction that makes their job
more difficult. Often there are posts that ask for ideas for projects
that fit a topic like cartooning or state history or something.

As educators, shouldn't we FIRST be asking ourselves what we want our
students to learn. THEN, once we have decided that, we seek out a
project (or even better, a problem) that students can create (or solve)
in route to learning what we intended for them to learn.

It seems a bad idea to simply provide a project because it fits in a
particular topic and then to leave learning something of value to
chance. A proper discussion with students that leads to the learning of

a particular concept might be just what you need. Once students learn
the concept, maybe they can come up with ways (or projects) that show
what they've learned. After all, aren't some of the best learning
situations the ones where the student solves a problem instead of just
following directions or a demonstration?

Eric Drowatzky