Student Work Time
The lecture-heavy model runs deep in most classrooms, but this curriculum works best when students spend time engaging directly with the material and each other. With a properly supported and regulated learning community, students' internal motivation drives them to dig in and participate. It's not always smooth, but keeping the items below in mind will keep student work time productive and fun:
Lectures should almost never be longer than 20 minutes.
Even the most dedicated students' eyes will start glazing over. The interviews do a lot of the heavy lifting here, so lean on discussion and hands-on work to bring the concepts to life.
The work takes time.
Students will be researching, analyzing, and building out their own plans and materials. The wide availability and portability of Chromebooks and other computers allow some students to work at home, but class time is the best time to work.
Facilitate, don’t lead.
Your background and perspective are important, but this course is all about the students and the careers they're curious about. There will be times when you don't agree with a student's take or the direction they want to go. That's a good thing!
Teachable moments will arise!
Students will encounter problems specific to the goals they’re trying to achieve. Oftentimes, these moments can be instructive for the whole class.
Grading Creativity
Giving students grades as they engage with open-ended work can be difficult, especially for teachers used to judging performance on an acoustic instrument. When a student performs a piece, they either play the notes on the page correctly or not, with varying degrees of expression and depth. There's some wiggle room there, but it's rather black and white.
When students analyze the industry and build their own plans, there's no single right answer. The goal is thoughtful engagement, sound reasoning, and a real understanding of how the business works.
We recommend basing your grades off of the two following criteria:
Projects
Did the student meet the requirements of the project?
Did they demonstrate an understanding of the underlying concepts?
Participation
Did the student consistently show up to class on time?
Did the student turn in their projects and assessments on time?
Was the student respectful with their peers during work time, discussions, and culminating activities?
Did the student treat you with respect?
If the answers to all of the questions above are a yes, we encourage you give that student an A.