School can be very boring sometimes. For math and social studies there is really only one way to study. That is the traditional way of taking notes, studying, and then taking a test. Science is a little more fun. It has more hands-on activities. For English, there used to be only one way, but now there can be more. There is the traditional way or there are new ways which can be more fun. One of those ways is a project. Not just a book report, but a project that involves being creative and thinking about what to do. Having a fun project will not only be fun in games, but will also help students remember better instead of just taking boring old notes, study them, and then take a test. This is the twenty first century; this is the time where we should accept new things and start replacing the old. The Students learned many values, but the most important values learned were collaboration, organization, and were memorable.
By having to collaborate with Van Meter, the students have shared many different ideas. With those ideas, the students were able to pick out the best ideas and use them in the movie. It was those communication skills that helped students achieve their goals. If the students didn’t develop their communication skills, then this project would never have worked out. This is because the students never spoke face to face. If the students did speak to each other it was over the computer with comments or using skype. This is also preparing us for the real world. If someone wanted to get a job across the country, that person would never want to fly all the way there not knowing if he/she would even get the job. Instead, the person could to use skype. Not only is it less expensive, but the person may be more comfortable not talking directly with the boss or colleague. Another valuable skill students learn from this project is working together. If students don’t collaborate with their team members, the project may never be completed on a timely basis. Without teamwork, students may argue with each other as they try to prove that their idea is the best. Instead, students work cooperatively with each and consider all ideas before choosing the best one. Collaboration is just one value students learn with projects. Another valued skill that the students learned to use is organization.
Organization was the key to this projects success. The first thing the students learned was this project was almost entirely student run. The teacher made about 10% of all the decisions after the project began. The class had no further assistance from Mr. P. The students had to take responsibility for their actions and by doing so will garner the grade they deserve, whether it was an A+ or an F. If they didn’t realize this was entirely their project, they would never give it their best. Fortunately, the students did give the project their best effort and they were able to finish the project on time. The movie was also pretty good. This is only part of the organizational skills they learned.
The other part of group project organizational skills is leadership. Teams for these projects were led by fellow students. These project leaders had to be organized or the projects would not be completed on time. Imagine asking the project leader a question and waiting fifteen minutes for an answer. An unorganized team leader who is unable to answer questions or make good decisions causes frustration in the group. Another organization skill is pride. All teams knew up front this would be the first time in history two classes would make a movie about Romeo and Juliet. Just imagine if the teams were not successful at completing this movie. Not only would the students lose some respect for each other but, the teachers would lose some respect for the students as well. Pride is a very powerful human emotion and it is a driving force that made the students feel the need to succeed. These are not the only values learned from this project. The final value learned was the creation of memorable moments.
Creating memorable moments are important in school. This movie project was absolutely one of those memorable moments. During this project many new friendships were formed. Some friendships developed between people that didn’t like each other before the project. Lasting memories were also formed because this was a hands-on project. If the students studied this play like the traditional unit, they may not remember most of it. Since the students created this project, most of them will find it hard to forget this play. This is why school is more than reading, taking notes and tests. If students were split up into two different study groups where one half studied the regular way while the other half had to do a creative project, the best grades would probably come from the creative project half. People learn better when there is a more hands-on approach. This also leads them to have more fun in the process. These are just some of the values that were learned while doing this project.
In this Romeo and Juliet hands-on movie project, students learned valuable teamwork lessons such as collaboration, organization and creating memorable moments. Students learned to collaborate as they created a movie and used teamwork to finish this project. Students also learned the value of organization. Without an organized team leader the group would be in disarray and would not be able to complete the project on time. By creating memorable moments, students discovered an alternative way to learn about Romeo and Juliet. Instead of reading the play, discussing it and taking a test, students created a movie. Not only did students learn the story of Romeo and Juliet, they created lasting memories with their project team. The students probably worked harder creating the movie than if they just took a test. The most important part was the students learned more and had fun doing so. The students learned many valuable skills including collaboration, organization, and creating memorable moments.
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