Reflection…
Before this assignment, I think I skipped most of the stages we went through. I would pick a topic without much thought and plow through the resources. There was no Watching or Wondering and really there was probably no real Weaving either. I can see where some of my projects in the past have been more a quilt of information that was merely thrown together. It was certainly not a fine well woven object. In fact, and I hate to admit this, I think some of my projects, especially in high school, fell more in the copy and paste area.
This assignment has really changed how I think about research. I see the importance now of slowing down and taking the time to work through each step. I really enjoyed being able to think the my topic in depth about what it meant to me and what I wanted to bring out of it. I think it helped deepen the scope of the project quite a bit. I hope to be able to use this process again, if not with school than in my own personal projects. I also hope that someday I’ll be able to pass the ideas along to students and help them better understand what they are doing…and create a better project overall.
You know, it was very similar for me too. I have researched for years and years, and now I teach research formally and informally. I didn’t realize how ingrained in me being product-driven was – it was all about utility, you get the info so you can make the product, and then you call it a day. Brainstorming or asking what is interesting to the inquirer isn’t something that makes sense in a product-driven process, but that is exactly what adds the motivation to learn, which is what the product symbolizes!
I remember not being this way when I was younger – as a child/young adult I was very motivated to do my own thing and follow what interested me. Unfortunately, this had a negative impact on my grades!
Just saw this headline in NYT today and thought of you. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/fashion/25tattoo.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
that article was great, thanks for sharing Joe!