Hands-On Learning

While looking through my Professional Learning Network on Twitter [yes, I just referred to my teacher friends on Twitter as a PLN] I saw a post directing me to why hands on learning needs to make a come back. See the article here. I will be the first to talk about my frustration with the testing culture, but that doesn't mean teachers can create small projects to refresh their classrooms. I think these small hands-on learning type lessons are perfect for that!

Let me be clear, I LOVE TECHNOLOGY, but there is a different quiet that comes over a room when students are working with their hands, and not with a device. I love that love that lull and small talk and genuine conversation, excitement to show what they made. These students are in high school, and I think even our oldest students crave using scissors, markers, and paper.

"Project learning can and should hit the affective domain. Kids care, and we don't tap into that caring often enough. If they care, they will apply themselves to learn, and they may come up with a solution that has so far eluded adults."

My juniors have had a few chances to use their hands and I tried to document these moments to show you how well they work. Notice the devices put down and students still activity learning? These little projects are very basic and sometimes are as far as I can go with hands on given our subject area and preparing for testing. Project based learning (a form of hands-on learning) is still being researched and often doesn't produce great results in the testing world, but I think a few small projects after grueling work loads in class can be refreshing, for the students and for me.