Well, we've run into some issues the past couple of days. It would seem that our ideas are beyond the scope of our skills, both mine and my students. In moving from ideas to reality, the range of projects is presenting challenges that need to be overcome so I can be confident that students can be successful and safe in their work.
In the end there are several issues that we are running into:
- Supporting Students - At this stage most groups need really intense support in the early stages of turning their ideas into reality. It's very difficult with just myself in the classroom to provide this support and I've got groups that are spending too much time waiting.
- Materials - There are so many great ideas. Virtually every idea requires some sort of specific material. Choosing which to provide and which to leave for students to get for themselves is presenting another challenge.
- Limited Skill Set - I knew this going in to the project but I hadn't quite anticipated how much of an impact that inexperience would have on the work. Again, the ideas and the ability to see them through is causing frustrations for students, especially when compounded with the above challenges.
- Working in the Classroom - My classroom is not a makerspace and isn't really set up for the work. I'm okay with a mess but we don't have many of the tools needed for move forward, at least in the current direction.
Really, I'm feeling that things are running away from me. I think it's time to take a step backwards but right now I'm not sure what that step will look like. What I do know, however, is that I need to solve some of the above problems before we move on.
For now, I'm thinking that we need to a more structured prototyping stage. This would involve having students create simple prototypes, using basic materials, that allow student to create their ideas without so many roadblocks to success. Essentially, I would be looking for proof of concept before they can create a more detailed model of their idea. This prototype, at least as I see it, would reveal some of the issues with their design, slow things down a little, maintain a safe environment, and utilizes existing skills.
I want to keep the open-ended essence of the challenge but I suppose, in my own excitement, my task design doesn't currently respect the amount of scaffolding required for success.
Just a tweak or two and I'll re-evaluate after that