Student Projects in a New Space

As first runs go, this first trimester of Creator's Studio at Westside Neighborhood School was a success. In many ways, it felt like the first semester at St. Matthew's. Students were new to this type of learning and the space and tools had yet to see a great deal of usage. It was also a new and different kind of schedule. Rather than meeting students three times per 6-day rotation for 45 minutes, I would see them once per rotation for two-hours. And total seat time was about 60 percent of what I had been used to.

As a result of these differences, I reduced our first project to a simple wood build and the introduction of power tools and safety protocols. The remainder of the time was dedicated to personal projects, and only half the students completed them. I have dedicated some free time during lunch for the remainder of the year to any students that would like to complete their projects. I hope they take me up on it. 

For the coming trimester, I will shorten the initial project even further, thereby providing more time for personal projects. The greatest challenge has been providing support to each individual student and project. However, the flip side to this challenge is that students are in charge of their learning and must take ownership of its direction and ultimate success.