As I’ve disclosed in my last post, I have a Communication Production Technology class that consists of students who really don’t want to be in school. They remind me of the Welcome Back Kotter class. Now, they’re not bad or anything like that it’s just that school isn’t their thing. Pete Reilly talks about a similar class that he had when he was teaching. These students find school to be more like a prison than a place that offers them opportunity.
Now, the class I teach really has a very open curricula which allows for some very interesting opportunities with technology. Specifically there is the opportunity to do different things with audio and video. This semester we are focusing on video with added audio. We began by doing some examination of audio programs, specifically we examined the various sound effects that were part of War of the Worlds and how tension, atmosphere and mood were created using voice and other sound effects. This went okay. I then had them do something similar with a reading or they could do a newsreport of their own. We brainstormed how this might work and we went over the process – plan, storyboard, script, material (sound effects) gathering, reading and editing. They were then given time. This is where the wheels come off the cart. It was much conjoling on my part to get anything done. The final products were done at the last moment with two of them being very late.
We’ve moved on to video in the meantime. We have watched a few really bad 80’s music videos and compared them to what is produced today. I had them find the videos we watched so we could compare them to the 80’s videos. We discussed the reasons for the improvement in quality – digital equipment, sound recording, computer effects and editing. They then did some reading on the effects of YouTube and had a written assignment. We are at the stage where we are doing some practice taping and then will be adding audio to the shots to practice the meshing of the two formats. They have ideas for their still-life that they are tape to practice various camera shots. Still like pulling teeth on a charging rhino.
We are working up to their doing a documentary on a topic that they have a passion about. I am going to show a brief documentary type video from YouTube, brainstorm ideas that they can do. We’ve been through the video pre-production and production process and will go over it again. I hoping that something will spark their interest and they’ll get away from listening to music and watching trailers.
These are the students that see no use in school. They feel no one is listening to them. I was hoping that this would be something that they would get into. Instead, they just want to watch trailers or videos and listen to music. They’ve fully embraced apathy. Now, maybe with another teacher, this might be different. As principal, I’ve seen all these students in my office for various reasons. Maybe that’s it. Maybe they see me as the disciplinarian and can’t get past that. I’m really not sure. Any ideas?
6 responses so far ↓
I applaud you for your efforts! Maybe a documentary is too much for them to handle. Maybe starting with a smaller project would help? A 30 second commercial? Which group can create the most creative commercial? Good luck and keep trying!
Hi Kelly-
It seems like you’re doing everything you can to get this group going.
Do you think they are finding enough relevance in the content? What does their day look like outside of school? What do they do when they get home? If they’re a bunch of gaming types, can they do something around that? Perhaps there is some way to tie the lesson the their lives.
Or, perhaps they lack confidence. Are they put in any situations that might embarrass? Is there any type of reward you could offer them?
Ugh. And I thought motivating adults was hard. Just need to provide some incentive and we were off an running. Good luck. Love what you’re doing in class!
The 80s hair bands must’ve got a chuckle, no?
Janet
Hi Kelly, I’ve never commented on your blog before, although I’ve enjoyed “reading you” for a couple of months now. So, first of all I’d like to say “hi” from my home office in Collingwood, Ontario. (I have been an elementary school teacher for more than 25 years and have been a curriculum consultant for a large school board in Ontario. I am currently Curriculum Consultant for the YES I Can! Science Project at McMaster University. I’m also the originator and administrator of the Ontario Blogs project. Enough for the intro!)
Unfortunately like most of us reading this, I too, can picture the class you are describing; I can see their faces and read their body language… I’m also sure from reading your blog that you have tried a variety of approaches with these kids.
One of my very first principals taught me a valuable lesson about working with “difficult” students. He passed away on Friday so I’ve been thinking about him a lot this weekend. The thing that stands out most in my mind about his leadership style was his emphasis on the student. At times frustrating, at times incomprehensible, his message was always consistent. The answer to a student’s misbehaviour, poor attitude, or lack of achievement is within the student…the curriculum is within the student…the way to success can be found within the student… So what the heck does that mean?
I think it ties directly to what you already said: “They feel no one is listening to them”. Furthermore, everything in school is “done” to them – rules, rewards, punishments, assignments, marks, passing, failing…
One would hope that learning to use, combine, design and create media products would be a “carrot” to bring the students closer to enthusiastic response/engaged learning. I think part of the problem is that although the “carrot” may be new and desirable, the same old “stick” is lurking in the background.
Why are they doing this? You are assigning it.
Who are they doing it for? You.
What’s the risk? They are being asked to take a “topic that they have a passion about”, and create a product that will be judged. If the product is found “wanting”, are their ideas, feelings, passions “wanting”?
What’s the payoff? A mark.
Could this become an “un-assignment”, where maybe every person in the class ends up with a completely different performance assessment?
Could the whole process be designed collaboratively with the students from the ground up?
With the students:
-Talk about what you’ve been learning in class. Identify/ break down the skill set.
-Discuss all the possible ways to demonstrate mastery of the skill set.
-Identify potential mentors/experts to help out. Create a plan for contacting/engaging the services of those mentors.
-Identify audiences for performance assessments/ products that would appeal to chosen audiences/ ways to reach target audiences.
-Describe success. What does it look like? What are the criteria? Even if the “wheels fall off” and an end product is not achieved, how can evidence of learning be identified?
-How will the results be communicated? This is the hardest part, because the part of this process that is out of everyone’s control is the report card. So, I guess the guiding question would be, how can we translate the results in a way that is compatible with the report card?
I suspect if you hit the students with all of these questions at once, you’ll be greated with the same apathy, (man, this sounds like even more work). Are any of these ideas helpful?
Good luck with the class, and let us know what happens.
Diane
Thanks Diane. Those are great ideas. I will give them a try. It is always difficult to get these students to give input but it never hurts to ask! I like the idea of having someone else be the audience. That might even lead into a discussion of performance assessment. Thanks! And thanks for the comment!
Pam,
I thought about the commercial or a short service announcement. I may just have to change things a bit depending on how the practicing goes. We are doing some practice videos and adding some sound. I’ll gage how they are doing from there. Thanks for the idea and comment.
Janet,
The comment from one student was “No wonder everyone in the 80’s did drugs?” She was watching the video to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. It is pretty bad! Outside of school these kids spend most of their time hanging out, working, driving around or some such activity. They game a bit but are not “hard core” and, for most their moto might be, “We’re here for a good time not a long time” . I’m just trying to find something that will allow them to tell their story. Sometimes I wish I could try the whole adult thing. Maybe someday! Thanks for the comment.
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