Outcomes
Final product.
The finished outcomes were displayed in the school foyer in batches of five on fixed mannequins. Each was accompanied by an information card detailing the student's cause and how they went about promoting it. Barbara felt this gave passers-by the chance for a closer look at the student's achievements and more credit to the students for the effort they put into their projects.
"Last year we had a high-profile fashion parade but this year I think it's been just as good. Having the static display that we changed every two days kept it fresh and people kept coming past to have another look at the new stuff. Having the information cards with each T-shirt was another important difference. Having something people could stop and read was a real success."
Final product.
Display motivating
The prominent placement of the display in the school foyer also functioned as a huge motivating factor for the students. Knowing that their outcomes would effectively be representing the school and widely viewed by their teachers and peers provided a large measure of accountability in each student. It encouraged outcomes of the highest quality. Barbara also feels that the display of student work sets the bar high for other students, sending a clear message that all students are capable of producing high quality outcomes.
Student ownership led to high quality outcomes
Barbara was impressed with what the students achieved with this project. The students produced well thought-out outcomes with a high level of finish and construction. Barbara felt that the level of planning, research, and thought that the students put into all aspects of the project comes through well.
"One of the strengths of this project was that students got to choose their own issue. It gave them more ownership of what they were doing and made it much more interesting. Students chose a client, they had to do research, planning, and construction. They had to reflect on this every week. They've also had to evaluate their outcome and their own performance, which I think, is quite cool. In the end, I think I actually got more in-depth work from the kids than I probably got before."
See What next? for how Barbara intends to build progression in learning.