by Alex Cabana
In this blog post I’m going to share a few thoughts about the value of defining student objectives for a project. As an example, I will discuss one of my favorite lessons to teach: homemade stamps and thank you cards. It’s beloved not only by me, but also by students and the recipients of their cards. Over the past semesters, working with different teaching partners, I’ve reflected upon and refined the lesson, incorporating tips and best classroom practices learned from our wonderful teaching-artist mentors.
I usually teach this lesson the week preceding Thanksgiving, to get students in the spirit of expressing gratitude, but giving thanks is always in season. In this lesson, students brainstorm people they are thankful for and then produce cards with homemade stamps to give to that person. The stamps are made by cutting shapes from sheets of foam adhesive and then applying them to flat surfaces such as scrap wooden blocks or boxes. (Using recycled materials is always great, both for the environment and for the program budget!)
When planning a lesson, I always aim to articulate multiple objectives, focusing on both technical and social skills. These objectives can be differentiated by age group, which is particularly useful when working with a range of grades and students of varying developmental skill sets (as CREATE classes often are.) I’ve found that the most successful lessons are the ones that can be adapted to engage any age group, from kindergarteners to adults. Stamps are universally delightful, particularly if they’re homemade.
Objectives should be simple, measurable and concrete. A technical objective for this project might be as simple as: student uses scissors to cut foam adhesive and produce a stamp. My favorite aspect of this project however, is that it gives students the opportunity to practice many social skills. For example, for less engaged students, participating in a group brainstorm might be an important social objective. As another objective, I might challenge older students to experiment with the reversed nature of stamps. To produce letter or word stamps, students will have to figure out how to correctly mirror their design so that the stamped image is correctly oriented. Finally, because of the reusable nature of stamps, students are able to practice their sharing skills. At the beginning of class, depending on the age of the students, I might ask two volunteers to model how one might ask to borrow someone else’s stamp. One of the most important responsibilities a teacher has is to actively cultivate a collaborative and respectful classroom environment; intentionally setting social objectives is just one way of doing so.
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