Diorama, really? And it's due WHEN?

[Scurvy]

My son is bad about waiting till the last minute to start projects, too. It's frustrating! He's also one who works best under pressure, so he gets good grades on the projects. I guess that's good, but it certainly weakens my argument that he ought to start on the things earlier!

I don't mind the projects so much. As has been mentioned, not all kids learn the same way, and these hands-on activities can really help some kids learn the material better than the standard approach. The thing I do really hate is when a teacher hands out an assignment on one day that is due the next day and requires materials that weren't on the class supply list. I don't mind buying or scrounging for extra supplies for projects, but I really resent having to spend my afternoon doing that before my child can even start his work which is due the next day. My son has a teacher who did that often this year and it drove me crazy. If she had put the supplies on the list she sent home at the beginning of the year, it would have been fine. If she had allowed more than one night to do the assignment it wouldn't have bothered me too much. But expecting us to fit a supply run to the craft store into our sometimes busy after school schedule - when my son has previously scheduled activities, other homework to do and the project in question to work on - is incredibly annoying.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think with so much of their learning being "fed" to kids via videos, computers etc. that many of them have lost the "creativity" impulse.

A couple of teenage relatives have asked for my help at various times on projects, and I am amazed at how they can't think of how to "make" something...their stock response is "let me google it and see what ideas other people have?"

 

[tar heel]

Kids learn in different ways, and some will learn much more with a creative project than any other assignment. I have one child who hates such projects, one who tolerated them and one who learned much more than he would have any other way.

I really hate the lame term "artsy fartsy." It's such a putdown.

 

[DebD4T]

My kids have had their share of art related projects over the years. Thankfully they are creative and rarely needed my input. (I do not have a creative bone in my body)

But, just this year, DD#2 asked me to "age" a journal she had to write. So, I turned on the oven and placed the journal in it. A few minutes later, DH asked what was burning... it was DD#2's journal. Poor kid had to redo the whole thing. Talk about feeling guilty!!!

 

[Jennasis]

Some of...no, scratch that...ALL OF my best work in both high school and college was done at 2am, feverishly, the night before the thing was due. I'm talking everything from dioramas, huge art projects, presentations, reports, and the written part of my thesis (a film).

Never scored lower than a B+, but my grades were usually A's.

 

[Pigeon]

"Teaching for different learning styles," a popular education buzz word phrase.

When there's a record of peer-reviewed studies showing statistically significant educational benefit to mucking up a book report with a time-consuming and expensive craft project, maybe I'll buy that.

But since the kid does the book report and then fabricates the craft portion because it's a required part of an idiotic assignment, I'm not seeing that there's any "teaching to different learning styles" going on.

 

[Katy Belle]

When my kids were young we had a music CD by Joe Scruggs. Just typical kid songs. But there was a song on there called "Oh By the Way." I still sing it whenever my kids spring a project on me nearly too late

"Oh by the way, I need an organge juice can,
If its lemonaide, will the teacher understand?,
Oh by the way, I'm an angel in the play,
I'm gonna sing, I need some wings."

DS10 came home on Tues with a note that for "spirit day" they would be flying kites at recess. And they should bring a homemade kite. Ugh. Luckily we have an awesome neighbor who built a cool kite with DS!

Lots of projects going on here for end of year... but mostly research things and writing, not so much crafty...thank goodness.

 

[hereyago]

DD11 is good about telling me about projects so I can get supplies in advance. HOWEVER, she is like how I used to be in school and waits until the last minute for the creative juices to kick in.

She had a project in Science due today. Make a booklet with 30 science terminology words in it-the words were on a list with the rubric.

She started on Wednesday to try to figure out how she wanted the book to look like,etc. that was about 10 minutes.

She did the whole thing last night and it looked really good, drives me crazy though.

3rd grade the class went to Jamestown. The teacher told the parents who went on the field trip about an upcoming project to do with what they saw at Jamestown and the Powhatan people. She even pointed out at the gift shop the kids could get the model kit of the people. Night before the project was due, she was making her own little village scene.

Then she has entered 2 art contests for school. Waiting right before the last day before the deadline and she has won 3rd place-her first year doing it and 2nd place last year in 2 areas.

I however, no creative mojo.

 

[declansdad]

"Teaching for different learning styles," a popular education buzz word phrase.

When there's a record of peer-reviewed studies showing statistically significant educational benefit to mucking up a book report with a time-consuming and expensive craft project, maybe I'll buy that.

But since the kid does the book report and then fabricates the craft portion because it's a required part of an idiotic assignment, I'm not seeing that there's any "teaching to different learning styles" going on.

I guess you aren't looking hard enough.

 

[FINFAN]

Sorry to laugh, but all I can think of is the commedy sketch that Brian Reagan does...famous line of "Oh, That's due TODAY?"
Cracks me up everytime I hear it.
Hang in there OP and watch the link
at 3:25 applies to your DS!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWzYaZDK6Is

 

[ksjayhawks]

Before everyone gets too hard on the teachers for the projects, sometimes they do not have a choice. (Teacher here) Our district is big on training lately to use different techniques to not only teach the kids but to have them show what they have learned. We are to reach the whole child and their learning styles, to increase thinking and problem solving skills, etc.

If a teacher doesn't do some of the things that have been mentioned in the posts in this thread, it could affect his/her performance review and depending on tenure, whether or not they are hired back or if they are able to transfer to a different school/grade level, etc.

Just wanted to give you a different point of view.

And as to the OP, her son knew about the project for 6 weeks, so she shouldn't be mad at the teacher.

 

[gina2000]

Bloom's Taxonomy - plain and simple.

For kids that learn the traditional way, it's difficult for them to adjust to creative projects. I know, I was one of them. I wanted to read the book, respond to the book, take the test and be done with it. I hate projects but more than that, I hated working with other peole on projects. Pure torture for me.

For kids who learn a different way, my preferrred method is torture just as creative interpretation is torture for me.

 

[Teacher03]

School was over yesterday.

Yea....a diorama sounds like stupid busy work. I mean that is something for 3rd graders.

I'm a third grade teacher, and I think it's stupid busy work(no offense to any teachers who assign dioramas!) However, I do assign other projects that I'm sure my parents don't always agree is beneficial or educational!

 

[Tiger926]

It's called Differentiated Instruction or "DI". We have millions of different learning styles in our classrooms, so gone are the days of sole reliance on paper/pencil tasks. Imagine us teachers actually knowing something about learning styles. In order to touch all learning styles, you must provide choice and variety. This way, you will hit all learning styles at some point.

An assignment that was given 6 weeks ago, is not last minute. The OP's son was last minute - no need to blame teacher for his procrastinatory nature on this project. Plus, it sounds like OP doesn't go through homework assignments with her son, because if she did, she herself would have known about the project as well. If it's sink or swim for every other part of schoolwork, why all of a sudden help out with a project? I would never have helped him with this, drives me batty when parents do this. All this does is reinforce the idea that it's ok to procrastinate and not organize one's self, as mommy and daddy will come to the rescue. Now, perhaps a diorama may not have been the best project to assign in this case, but it was assigned, and it needed to be completed, end of story.

One day in college/university or the working world, he is going to need to know how to organize his time, and how to learn how to work with personalities he doesn't like, or, on projects he doesn't care for. Such is life...

Happy end of year to all - as teachers we are very tired, just like I'm sure parents and students are!

We don't end until June 30th, and I leave for WDW that afternoon! Tiger

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I very nice quote, but I am unaware of the source:

Procrastination on your part does not mean urgency or priority on my part.

 

[Tiger926]

I very nice quote, but I am unaware of the source:

Procrastination on your part does not mean urgency or priority on my part.

Now, as a Spec Ed teacher I would except learning challenged students from this quote. But if this were the case with the OP, I suspect they would already have a homework system in place in order to combat the motivation and procrastination that plagues learning challenged individuals (unless this info is just missing from the original post, in which case, it should be there as it provides a different perspective on 'last minute' and time management skills). I suspect OP's son is a typical 16 year old boy who doesn't care much for schoolwork or projects of this nature, so he filed it away and then got mom to help him complete it.

Tiger

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'm a third grade teacher, and I think it's stupid busy work(no offense to any teachers who assign dioramas!) However, I do assign other projects that I'm sure my parents don't always agree is beneficial or educational!

I didn't mean to say diorama's were not fun or interesting. My dd did a hamster diorama and had a lot of fun doing it in 4th grade, I think. She learned a lot.

For a HS student the value of learning with the project is not high. Although I see it as an easy A for people that need an A. So there is a benefit to the project there.

And also maybe he had to do a report along with the diorama. So maybe the project was part of a grade. I could see that for HS.

 

[valeriemouse]

She doesn't enjoy crafts. If she did enjoy crafts, we'd have her do crafts. No need to drag Spanish or Social Studies into it.

And dressing up as school work? Please. Unless the teacher is supplying the costumes, fuggetaboutit. I don't sew and have better things to do with my time and money than making costumes to be worn for a single class period. If she wants to be in the school play, at that point we'll do costumes.

Middle School social studies teacher here who assigns a project once a quarter. Projects, not CRAFTS. Make a pyramid and write a journal about your days work as an Egyptian worker . . . Write about and DRESS UP AS a Greek god/goddess. . .etc. I don't assign things for the hell of it, and neither does any teacher I know. It shouldn't be about reading and regurgitating in schools anymore- it should be about applying what you know. Write a book report? Great, I'm glad you can come up with a summary on a book. But what I and most teachers really want to know is if you can think critically and use what you learned or read about. I've had students come up with some fantastic things, things I wouldn't have ever thought of. When kids look back on their schooling, they don't remember the time they took a test on Egypt. They remember their pyramid, they remember what they made. This doesn't have to be expensive or complicated at all. As a matter of fact, that tends to be the easy way out. Going to Michaels and throwing lots of stuff in a basket does not a great project make.

I'm so sorry that you and your child feel as if these things are a waste. As a teacher, I can tell you, IMO, they are most certainly not.

It's called Differentiated Instruction or "DI". We have millions of different learning styles in our classrooms, so gone are the days of sole reliance on paper/pencil tasks. Imagine us teachers actually knowing something about learning styles. In order to touch all learning styles, you must provide choice and variety. This way, you will hit all learning styles at some point.

 

[Pigeon]

Middle School social studies teacher here who assigns a project once a quarter. Projects, not CRAFTS. Make a pyramid and write a journal about your days work as an Egyptian worker . . . Write about and DRESS UP AS a Greek god/goddess. . .etc. I don't assign things for the hell of it, and neither does any teacher I know. It shouldn't be about reading and regurgitating in schools anymore- it should be about applying what you know. Write a book report? Great, I'm glad you can come up with a summary on a book. But what I and most teachers really want to know is if you can think critically and use what you learned or read about. I've had students come up with some fantastic things, things I wouldn't have ever thought of. When kids look back on their schooling, they don't remember the time they took a test on Egypt. They remember their pyramid, they remember what they made. This doesn't have to be expensive or complicated at all. As a matter of fact, that tends to be the easy way out. Going to Michaels and throwing lots of stuff in a basket does not a great project make.

I'm so sorry that you and your child feel as if these things are a waste. As a teacher, I can tell you, IMO, they are most certainly not.

Sorry, but it's crafts.

You can write an critical analysis of a book, which I'll agree is far better than a book report. That's education. When you then have to cut the analysis up and glue it on a fake sandwich, that's crafts.

You can certainly write a journal about being an Egyptian worker. That's taking what you've learned and using it critically. That part shows learning. When you have to muck around providing ersatz papyrus and writing on it with fake reeds, that's crafts.

If you teach a science or math class about the math, physics and materials science of building pyramids, and have the kids build one and demonstrate mathematically and scientifically why certain materials and processes had to be used, that's education.

If you're making the kids create a cute looking pyramid out of whatever as a trendy exercise to pretend you're doing "differentiated learning," that's crafts.

Dh is a public school teacher. I'm faculty at a university. We are not unfamiliar with the educational theory, research or literature.

 

[shortbun]

Diorama for Honors English? Very dumb indeed. Could be some 'standard' was met by this final assigment. I wouldn't waste time thinking about it again if I were you...it's your son's problem and it's over now, eh? Can you manage a shrug? I sincerely hope you do not come back to this thread to read the responses, lol! My son's final 8th grade assignment was to dub over selected sections of the film Gone With the Wind with historically appropriate information. sigh Sometimes I have to laugh at his assignments and I encourage him to do the same thing but just get it done.