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About the 40Minute Project
Dear Students and Parents of Room 215,
In years past I’ve always run a Passion Project. This is a major project-based-learning assignment that spans the entire school year and encourages students to pursue an interest they would otherwise not have the chance to experience in 215. Then at the end of the year Students have the chance to shaire their passion with the class.
Inspired the Kevin Brookhouser and The 20time Project we will be doing a different type of project. This will be a Passion Project with Purpose. The purpose will likely come first, but the passion will definitely shine through. Please visit www.20time.org to get more information. A lot of what we are attempting this year is coming from that website and the book Mr. Brookhouser has written.
Before I get into the details of the project, I want to explain why I’m asking students to participate in this activity. A trend in education has been gaining momentum that suggests the role of the teacher ought to shift away from an industrial model where the teacher stands in the front of the classroom to dispense knowledge through lectures, and the students sit to consume the information. Rather than being the “sage on the stage” as some pedagogical experts maintain, teachers increasingly ought to play the role of the “guide on the side.” In this role, the students play a much more active role in how the content and knowledge is acquired. In this model, teachers provide resources, ask questions, and suggest projects for students to explore their content. While I will play the “sage on the stage” role in some of this class, the 40Minute project is one place where I will be the “guide on the side.” Put simply, this is a student-centered inquiry project rather than a teacher-centered project.
Another crucial element in designing this project is the book
Drive: The Surprising Truth About what Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
You can get a taste of it by watching this twenty minute video in which he argues for providing employees more autonomy in business. The book explains why the same principles apply to education.
(Check out "The Candle Problem" in the video below)
(Click above to check out a computer game challenge)
How does the 40Minute Project Work?
BRAINSTORMING
In the beginning, students will begin brainstorming ideas for a project proposal. Students may work alone, but I encourage them to work in small teams, no larger than four students. While brainstorming, I will encourage students to make the project “Product Focused.” At the end of the year I want them to have made something that is a completed product. It could be a physical product like a graphic novel or a balloon that takes photos from the stratosphere. It could be an organization such as a tutoring service. It could also be a digital project like a short film or video game or website. My point here is that I want to quickly move from the idea phase of this project to the producing phase.
PROPOSAL
Once the team has an idea of what project they want to pursue, they begin writing the proposal. This is how the team will “pitch” the project to me and the rest of the class. In this proposal, students will answer the following questions.
1. Provide a brief summary of your project idea.
2. Who might work with you on this project and why?
3. Who is the audience / user for this product or service? (Who might benefit from your project?)
4. Why is this project worthwhile? (What is the purpose of your project?)
5. What do you think you’ll have to show at the end of the year?
6. What expense might be involved and how will you cover it?
7. What equipment will you need and where will you get it?
8. What is your timeline for completing your project? (What are your monthly goals to be ready to present in June?)
9. Why are you excited about this project?
THE BLOG
Each cycle every member of every team is required to write a blog post where students discuss their progress. They write about what happened over the past cycle, what they learned, what challenges they faced, and what they anticipate in the future. Each blog post should contain a related image that is posted without infringing on anyone's copyright.
MENTORS (IF POSSIBLE)
I would like to see each team find an adult mentor who can help guide and inspire it. I hope parents will play a role in finding an appropriate mentor for this project. The mentor will serve to offer advice, provide informal leadership, and follow the progress blogs, in a limited, but important role.
40MINUTE DAYS
Throughout the school year, students will have one period a week to work on their projects. If students need to be off the school premises to work on their projects, they are welcome to do that on weekends or afternoons and use the scheduled 40Minute time as a productive tutorial period, meeting period, or writing period.
THE FINAL PRESENTATION
At the end of the year, each team will give a presentation where they will show off their work. This will be carefully written, choreographed, and rehearsed to produce the best presentation they’ve ever given. These presentations will be delivered and recorded at school.
Here is a two minute video of highlights from example presentations.
ASSESSMENT
Many students and parents understandably ask me about how the 40Minute project gets graded. I try to de-emphasize the grade because extrinsic motivators like grades tend to discourage the innovation and creativity we're trying to achieve with this project. I want them to be inspired by the project itself, not by the grade they’re going to get on it.
That said, I am going to assess students on the objective elements of the project. A significant portion of their grade will be dependent on the following elements:
· The Proposal (Is the proposal on-time, and does it address the required questions appropriately?)
· The Blog (Does the post meet the required length, address the required topic, and submitted to the form on-time? Do you post regularly?)
· The Product (Did you successfully move from idea phase to production phase, and do you have something to show at the end of the year?)
· Productivity (Are you spending your 40Minute time by actively and passionately working on your project? If not, we need to quickly adjust the project so you are working on something that is intrinsically motivating. This is less objective, but if I see students not being productive, I will intervene.)
· Final Presentation (Does your presentation meet all of the required elements?)
WHAT IF MY PROJECT IS A FAILURE?
In room 215 there is a place for perfection. Weekly spelling quizzes, math tests and sentence mechanics come to mind. The 40Minute Project is no such place.
The world’s best entrepreneurs embrace failure.
The only truly failed project is the one that doesn’t get done. I want students to strive to show off a successful product at the end of the year, but I don’t want the quest for perfection to lead to an incomplete project.
If you feel that your project is a failure, I want to hear about it. What did you learn about it? Think about your science fair project. If your hypothesis was wrong, was your project a failure?
I want students to follow the advice plastered on the wall of Facebook’s headquarters.
This policy doesn't work in all work-related environments. I wouldn't want to see this poster in the dentist's office or the parachute packing assembly line. But for creative projects where we're trying to innovate, I find this idea compelling. For more on this topic read
The Done Manifesto
DON’T STRIVE FOR FAILURE, BUT DON’T BE AFRAID OF IT EITHER!
I am very excited about all of the different things we’re doing this year in class; including speeches, reading (and book reviews), writing (narratives, expository writing) and composing poetry. But I can’t wait to be amazed, surprised, and inspired by the innovative projects this year’s students will produce in the 40Minute Project. If there are any questions please email me at:
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