So, let’s get started!
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to be part of Career Transitions’ 12th annual cardboard boat race at the University of Lethbridge. Students from more than 30 schools were scheduled to be in attendance, and there was a waiting list for schools wanting to send students. http://www.skillsalberta.com/cardboard-boat-races offers a great synopsis of the competition: Armed with cardboard, duct tape and a few other odds and ends, junior and senior high school students … use their skill and ingenuity to transform these materials into a vessel for the water. Not only does their "boat" need to be quick, but it must be capable of carrying passengers as well.
Teams of four students had nearly two hours to build their boat without assistance from teachers and parents. That was 110 minutes without adult instruction or guidance. Sure, volunteers such as myself supervised, but we primarily observed. Volunteers’ interaction with students was minimal. That was 110 minutes where students co-operatively worked to complete their task. That was 110 minutes where students were so engaged in boat building that classroom management took care of itself. Students learned about design, buoyancy, and teamwork, among other knowledge and skills — without a worksheet in sight.
That afternoon, a former classmate of mine, who attended the event as an intern teacher, commented on the students’ high level of engagement. What kept students engaged? Was it the time limit? Was it the competition aspect as there were two cardboard-boat trophies up for grabs that day? Or was it because students were working on an authentic task? I cannot say for certain, but that level of student focus and enthusiasm is exactly what I want to tap into in my own classroom.