Teaching English Language Arts allows for so much freedom to design lessons that connect the skills of reading and writing with each student as an individual. I remind my students that the key skill of any English class is empathy. Each piece of reading requires us to understand the thoughts and motivations of the characters. Each piece of writing requires us to consider our audience and their thoughts and understanding of the topic so we can properly leverage our ideas. Due to how open the course material is to students’ interpretations, I have found it easier to connect traditional course content to contemporary and diverse media. I set out to incorporate the use of 3D printing into the ELA classroom. As I was brainstorming, my English 12 students were working through 1984 and I had them write arguments about the symbolic meaning of the famous paperweight. The paperweight has totemic power for Winston Smith, and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if they could fabricate an item that had some symbolic meaning?”. I drafted my lesson and was fortunate to get feedback from peers. Through their excellent feedback, that was filtered through the lens of Intersectionality and Universal Design for Learning, I was able to see some of the shortcomings of my lesson. I lifted the reins on the forced grouping. What seemed like a way to get them talking and brainstorming in big ways, could also stifle ideas from students less willing to speak up. Instead, I decided to open it up to a “loose” collaboration. They are all making objects, but we will be having discussion and sharing our breakthroughs as a class. I also felt the need to reinforce ideas of symbolism and, at the recommendation of my professor, have them practice crafting pictures of abstract concepts using a Pictionary generator. I took most of the advice given, but I did not change the overall structure of the lesson, and retained its loose feel. I wanted it to feel like we are all figuring it out as we go. Looking at research on using 3d printing in the classroom, the authors of, Use of 3D Printers for Teacher Training and Sample Activities (2021), had teachers from a variety of technological backgrounds use 3D printers and get their opinions on the use in the classroom. Some challenges expressed included the difficulty of the design work and the length of time it takes to print. I considered the difficulty of design, but I was hoping that through examples the students would understand that I was looking for something spontaneous and imperfect. My intention was to model this with some of my own designs, but I am certain students may find the process frustrating. The study concluded by saying that, “The majority of participants had positive views on the effect of 3D objects on learning. They stated that 3D objects turned abstract concepts into concrete visual representations, facilitated learning, made lessons enjoyable….” (Arslan & Erdogan, 2021, p. 355) I was excited to see that they felt that abstract concepts being made tangible had such value in the learning experience. Tinkering learning in classroom: an instructional rubric for evaluating 3D printed prototype performance (2020) discussed the importance of formative assessment throughout the process. Throughout the design process my goal is to be an active participant in the discussions and move around the room. This finding about formative assessment, coupled with my experience in the MAET graduate program, led me to the rubric format that was used in that program. I wanted to celebrate what they did well and allow for some revision to improve. The whole lesson was based on a philosophy of tinkering and making mistakes along the way. All of the students should get some positive feedback about their willingness to figure out the technology, connect the tech to the text they are reading, and create a tangible object. Initially, I wanted to connect this to a text, but it might be more impactful for the artifact they create to not represent a text, but their lives. Much like Winston Smith’s paperweight, their object could have meaning for a personal goal, belief, or aspiration. Maybe that will be v3.0? References
Arslan, A., & Erdogan, I. (2021). Use of 3D Printers for Teacher Training and Sample Activities. International Journal of Progressive Education, 17(3), 343–360. https://doi-org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.29329/ijpe.2021.346.22 Çelik, A., & Özdemir, S. (2020). Tinkering learning in classroom: an instructional rubric for evaluating 3D printed prototype performance. International Journal of Technology & Design Education, 30(3), 459–478. https://doi-org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1007/s10798-019-09512-w
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David McGregorI am an English teacher and cat lover from Genesee County, Michigan who is eager to learn new things. Archives
August 2022
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