This week, I took a look at several active learning techniques that can be used in the classroom to engage students in their material. The one that stood out to me the most was the "memoir in six words" activity that students used to summarize their year. Included in the blog post referenced is a slide show of memoirs from students in various grades. Students grades 1 through 6 were asked to reflect on their school year and summarize within a six-word sentence, as well as create a visual aid in the form of a Powerpoint slide to supplement that memoir. The results were widely varied and extremely interesting, with students mixing their own interests in with their own perspective on the school year. I then created a Jamboard slide to display my thoughts.
Image source: Jamboard/author
To start, I thought this was a great exercise to get kids thinking about what they experienced and learned in the past school year. Often times, students and teachers alike are rushing to finish the year and get to summer, but taking a look back at what we've learned and expressing it in the brevity of six words or less is a great way to employ learning by memory. Prompting students to remember their school year also prompts them to create a summary of what they learned, which is great for recollection of information.
A facet of this activity that I did not expect was the visual aspect. When I read "six word memoir", I assumed these students thought about their experience, came up with six words, wrote them down, and that was that. However, when I went through the memoirs I noticed that each memoir had its own Powerpoint slide, which students could seemingly customize however they wanted. I liked that (especially in younger grades) the pictures students chose to include didn't always correspond with the theme or subject matter of their memoir. By making this activity about the student, they are able to inject their own personality and style into the activity to really make it unique. This really spoke to me because, even as a kid in grade school, I remember assignments where I had complete creative freedom were always my favorite!
By combining visual creativity and technology, students can put their own spin on their assignments and learn about these softwares while employing other skills they are actively working on (such as literacy). Empowering students to create their own artwork and poetry while integrating past experiences in the classroom is a great active learning technique to get kids excited about their own work and--best of all--learning without even realizing it, and having fun along the way!
We all love to put our personal touch on projects we produce. In the case of this project, you are correct, students were able to put anything they wanted. For the older students, this project is a great way to sneak in some subtle feedback on the power of design as well!
ReplyDeleteAren't Six Word Stories fantastic! I've used this strategy in my classroom with my sixth graders to great success. The stories they tell in only a few words are amazing! Have you used this with students? Allowing students to create their own artwork is a great way to add a personal touch to their projects.
ReplyDeleteI like that you highlighted the image component of this. I remember being in grade school, feeling the sheer power of Google Images at my fingertips, getting the opportunity to make my friends laugh while simultaneously showing them more about me. For the six-word memoir, I think this is an excellent observation because, as you say, students are going to show you who they are in these small choices. When they get to personalize an assignment or activity, I believe they're more prone to be dialed in. Thanks for introducing me to this activity, Katie!
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