She was fourteen-years old and holding her boyfriend’s hand at the water fountain. “That one’s mine,” she told him as she pointed to her Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Hinduism and Buddhism hanging on the wall. She was pregnant. The boyfriend, already sixteen in the 8th grade was trying to hold down a restaurant job so he could take care of his girl. And they cared to look at her carefully drawn circles on the pink piece of construction paper. He, this young man who rode a moped to a job at night, listened as she explained her process. I was stunned. I have always hung student work in the hallways, but until then, I thought I was just contributing to the aesthetic appeal of our school. I didn’t realize that even big kids care. According to Rick Wormeli, a national education consultant and veteran educator, one of the five ways educators should transition students through the formative adolescent years is to understand students’ concerns about belonging by, “Design(ing) classrooms and hallways with student interests in mind, with student work prominently displayed.” Publishing and presenting work for authentic audiences, even if it’s other students in the school, provides students incentive to persevere to quality learning and product. My principal has made unique connections with students this year by having them show him their work in the hall and then photographing the pieces with his phone. He shares his collection with others as they visit our school building. I’ve compiled a list of a few ways that middle schoolers at my school publish and present their work. I would love to hear what you do in your school!
- posters
- student-led conferences
- writing contests
- web-based, digital presentations such as Prezi, Glogster, Storybird
- Power Point presentations
- Post-it notes
- phone images
- Email or blog comments
- letters
- videos
- performances
What are your favorite ways to publish student work?
Kendal’s personal blog is a spacious place.
{ 0 comments }
