Let Your Students Teach You

Fifteen years ago, I had an idea.  Fortunately, I had a chemistry class that year that was game for me trying things out with them.  Together, we formulated what became the "Free Choice Project," so named because students could make a number of choices.  They can decide if they want to work alone or in a group.  If they wish to work in a group, they can choose their partners.  They can choose their topic, and they can choose just how deeply to delve into that topic (i.e. go deeply into a small aspect or cover a lot of the surface).   With the exception of the end date, they set their own timeline based on their own schedule and work preferences.  During the three months, they update me once per week on the progress of their work and whether or not they are keeping to their own timeline.  They are required to have a demonstration, but that it is mostly up to them how they do it (within the bounds of reason, legality, and safety). 

As a result of this project, I was asked questions that year that I had never been asked before.  One group, whose topic was fireworks, came to me and said, "Would it be alright if we brought a small amount of gasoline and a blowtorch?"  Questions like these took some mental navigation, but they showed that the kids were going to try some big things.  I'm on board with finding ways to make that happen whenever possible.

This project went well, so the following year, I implemented it in my physics class (mostly the same students, so I knew they could handle it).  This project is now done by three different teachers in my school across all of the levels of chemistry and physics.  The ones for my class have been presented for the last two weeks, and they are two of my favorite weeks of the year.  There are at least three reasons these are my favorite weeks.

1.  The variety of projects is staggering:  In the past two weeks, as 42 students have presented their projects, I have seen presentations ranging from the buoyancy boats and flight of airplanes (both real and paper) to knife throwing and the physics behind musical instruments.  One day included dog agility (with demonstrations from their actual dog) and flying fish, complete with a scale model of one to illustrate their fine construction.  I even watched a presentation on the physics of feces.  (You did, in fact, read that correctly; I had a project that explained why there are different sizes, colors, and consistencies to our daily bowel movements and how they are influenced by environmental conditions.)

2. They go big:  I already mentioned that in the first year, my students asked me things I had never been asked before.  That's never stopped.  When I introduce this project to my students, I always include the line, "Don't assume something can't happen until you ask."  There have been a few things over the years that were simply too dangerous to do (and I had to put some rules around the demonstration on the feces project), but most of what students want to do can be done with the proper planning.  The first presentation this year was from a pair of students who built a boat from PVC, plywood, and a tarp.  It was 24 feet long, requiring a boat trailer to put it in the lake and drone footage of their maiden voyage.  On Tuesday (or the next day it isn't raining in Raleigh), one of my students will actually fly a plane over our parking lot.

3.  I get to learn:  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I believe strongly in modeling curiosity for students.  One of the main reasons I went into education is that I want to instill a love of learning in students for more than just the chapter or semester.  I want them to love knowledge and the act of acquiring it.  I want them to look at the world and say, "How does that work?" and then set about finding out.  This project allows them to see me as a learner while they teach the class.  I ask questions while they present, not for the purpose of evaluation, but for curiosity.  One of my favorite things about the presentation on flying fish is that it is a topic no one has ever chosen before, so I got to learn many things I didn't know before.

I'm sure this would look different in non-science classes and at different age levels, but if you have an opportunity to work topic choices, reading choices, writing choice, etc. into your classes, I highly recommend it.  While I am not a believer in purely personalized education, I am thoroughly on board with working appropriate levels of choice into your structure.  You'll be pleasantly surprised at what most students do when given the opportunity.