Starting a week from Monday, I have on my syllabus something like "Generate Ideas for Final Project" for two class periods. For their final projects, I'm letting my students choose between fiction and poetry or to propose some genre-breaking or mixed-genre project. Some of my students already have some ideas for what they're going to do, but I can't assume everyone does...Anyone have suggestions for how they can "work on" their projects in class? Any genre-neutral "generating ideas" exercises? I was thinking of doing a couple field trips that week: to the art exhibit in the union, maybe the natural history museum, so they might be inspired by art and the outside world. I guess I could just bring them out to the quad with their journals, but I'm afraid that might digress into everyone just chatting with each other. Any ideas??
Also, the week after that I'm holding conferences to talk with them individually about their projects and about their writing. Do you suggest I have them turn in some sort of draft the week before? Or just let them bring their work in with them / talk with them about their work instead of reading it? Is this something I should leave up to them or make required for the class?
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Having them turn in something will atleast assure that they're working on it.
ReplyDeleteBut it might also be productive to just set that draft aside and talk to them generally about the writing of it.
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The last time I took a class to the quad I got bitten by fire ants. And everyone chatted. I did take my fall class to the Biology graveyard, which is a short pleasant walk and interesting to think about, since the marked graves are those of family associated with the university and the unmarked ones are university slaves. I don't know how working on final projects in class would work; most likely it would devolve into conversations unless there's a structure of some kind around it, like having the students report on their progress at the end of class. They are so distracted this time of year.
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