Thank you for sharing this project! :)

Here are some of my go-to tips for developing a class project that a student will hopefully enjoy (and complete):

1. Accessibility - I give permission (and show options) to use whatever materials / resources they have available with them to start the class project. These don't necessarily need to be the same as what I am using in class.

2. Different Use-Case Scenarios - I like to show how the project can be used in various ways for different end products. This approach especially works well in art classes where designs and patterns can be converted in merchandise / products for sale. And this tempts the student to think of the project as a possible step to a side hustle too.

3. Examples Beyond Class Project - What if I had done just a few steps differently? What if I used a different color palette? What if I used a different tool? Showing examples beyond the main class project encourages creativity and helps students to think of it as "exploration" instead of "assignment". (This also takes care or the "project relevance" aspect because each person is able to find value in the project based on their own creative goals)

4. Tease - Often times, I share half the steps of a project or simply stop after showing a skeleton or framework of the project; and then I encourage my students to interpret the next steps on their own. This helps them to think outside of the box (or what to do with the box!) and, to be honest, this approach has given me fantastic results! I love seeing creativity blossom in the projects' section where each student brings something new.

5. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback - When I first started taking classes as a student on SK, one of the things I always did before starting the class videos was to check how active (and interactive) a teacher was on the student projects. The more responses I saw, the more confident I was that this teacher was looking at everyone's projects and offering personalised feedback. And that has become my holy grail. I respond to all my student projects within the first 24 hours (or 48 hours in very rare cases), and the more I chat with them there, the more chances of them taking another class and submitting more projects + reviews in turn. I honestly just can't leave a single project / discussion post unattended :D

6. Shorter Videos - When a project is very complicated, I divide it into shorter videos. Half the battle is won when students focus on one aspect of the project at a time.

7. On-Screen Prompts - This is something that I experimented with in my recent classes, and the student feedback has been great. I have started to numerically list the steps on the screen as I am progressing in my demo. This has helped my students with better retention. And the prompts have encouraged them to also use the "notes" feature by bookmarking relevant sections on the videos. Again, this has particularly worked well in the context of projects; making them look do-able.

8. Assurance - I frequently mention in my class videos that I WILL/ DO check all class projects and this is the best way for my students to get a personalised feedback. It sounds like a unique one-on-one opportunity to them, and they end up doing/submitting the projects just to hear my thoughts on their work.

9. Making Mistakes - I don't stop the recording even when I make a mistake while showing the class project. Seeing me as a regular human who embraces mistakes and then works out a creative solution anyway, encourages my students even more to do their projects and share them with the class. It makes them realise that it just a project, after all, and making mistakes is allowed, because that's how we learn and grow.

10. Social Media Shares / Shoutouts - I encourage students to use the hashtags that I have dedicated to challenges that I host here on SK, as well as promise them that I will share their work on my social media pages too. This keeps the engagement going for everyone, and is a definite win-win strategy. (And the more I do this, the more project submissions I see, because everyone loves being a part of an online community, especially on social media)

Teach on Skillshare

11,780

--

Empresa

Comunidade

Ensino

Aplicativos móveis

Empresa

Comunidade

Ensino