More than a dozen years ago, a student taught me an important lesson.
I had given students an assignment to create a verbal-visual text, combining five quotes from Macbeth with imagery and symbols to create a unified theme on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. I had identified five topics (ex. ambition) from which they were to choose appropriate quotes. Finding appropriate quotes usually took a fair bit of time so I was surprised when one student walked into the classroom (I hadn't even noticed he had left!) a short time later stating he had all of his quotes.
"How did you do that so fast?" I asked.
"Easy," he said.
He had gone to the computer lab, found a digital copy of Macbeth and performed key word searches to find his quotes.
To this day, I'm glad I responded how I did. I wasn't even angry he had left the room without informing me.
I applauded his problem-solving skills and use of time for the task. Sure, a part of me grimaced that he hadn't demonstrated the literacy skills I was expecting. Did he really understand the quotes and how they were appropriate? Did the other students who were using a skim, scan and scour reading strategy? No other student had even thought of using a computer and "ctrl-f" to find their quotes.
How often do we limit students by our limited knowledge, abilities and understanding?
This student taught me to be curious of possibilities and to make room for multiple ways to learn and do. Thank you.
 |
| Example of a verbal-visual text. |
"How did you do that so fast?" I asked.
"Easy," he said.
He had gone to the computer lab, found a digital copy of Macbeth and performed key word searches to find his quotes.
To this day, I'm glad I responded how I did. I wasn't even angry he had left the room without informing me.
I applauded his problem-solving skills and use of time for the task. Sure, a part of me grimaced that he hadn't demonstrated the literacy skills I was expecting. Did he really understand the quotes and how they were appropriate? Did the other students who were using a skim, scan and scour reading strategy? No other student had even thought of using a computer and "ctrl-f" to find their quotes.
How often do we limit students by our limited knowledge, abilities and understanding?
This student taught me to be curious of possibilities and to make room for multiple ways to learn and do. Thank you.