It’s the first class after spring break. I kind of expect sluggish students. So naturally, we had an in class
charrette. Build a model in two hours.
But wait, there is a catch.
(There always is right!)
Today I asked my students to trade projects with another
colleague. They were instructed to work
on a project that was not their own, and in a two-hour charrette create a study
model for their peer’s project.
I had several goals for this exercise.
1)
I wanted students to see their own work through
a new lens. Working on the same problem
that they have been struggling with, but through someone else’s interpretation
and concept, will hopefully open up new ways of seeing their own work.
2)
I wanted to remind students of the value of two
hours. They created a new study in two
short hours, for a project that was not their own. Hopefully this reminds the class to not be
afraid to explore alternatives and test tangents. If you can create something new in a few
hours – why not?
3)
Lastly, maybe they get some feedback on their
own work. Perhaps their classmates will
see something in their work that was not readily evident to the primary author,
and will in turn spark a path forward to develop their work with depth and
sophistication as we move toward the final review in a few short weeks.
