DIY, Teacher!

As an apt piece of graffiti on many an art school wall would have it, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” This statement tends to provoke anything from indignation to outright denial from teachers. Whether it is true or not, of course, depends on many things. Yet the vague sense of unsettlement the statement provokes is a challenge to every teacher. We cannot afford for this to be true.

One area where teachers often “can”, but fail to prove it to their students, is writing, and particularly writing for reports and projects. Teachers easily hand out writing and project assignments, but cannot always show students a finished product. Barely ever can they present students with evidence that they, themselves, have done this self-same project.

Of course there are reasons for this, and heaven knows teachers have enough on their plates without adding writing assignments. Yet I have often found that actually doing a writing assignment or project, step by step, before passing it on to students, has exponential benefits.

First of all, it reminds me of the daunting immensity of the assignment – something a teacher can easily disregard. Secondly, it clarifies the planning and execution process, which allows me to better deliver the preliminary stages to students, helping them do better planning. Thirdly, it allows me to anticipate problems before they crop up, improving both the potential quality of student work and the mood of the marking process. Furthermore, it gives me a ready-made, exemplary (hopefully!) sample to show students. This sparks students’ imaginations, and I have often seen that it propels them to greater heights. And finally, it proves that not only do I teach… I CAN. This is infinitely reassuring, not only for the students, but also to myself.

In the past I have often piloted a writing assignment or project in this way, and always found it immensely effective. One of my favourites is the video created as the culminating project of my Language Through Arts course for teacher trainees, where I was always just a few teetering steps ahead of the students, modelling everything from creating puppets and props, to plotting, storyboarding, scripting and filming. It was an exhilarating stretch for me, and stimulated unknown excellence among the students. I am still disproportionately proud of the (admittedly modest) result, and the students felt the same about their work.

My current exploit is to model a research project for my Advanced Foundation students. Although they have free choice on their topic, I will ask them to investigate a problem relevant to students at this college. My sample writing project is called “A Sound Mind in a Sound Student Body”, and addresses the relationship between student health and achievement. It models not only the research process, but also the possibility of pursuing a personal interest through one’s research. In the first class, I am kicking off by handing each student a questionnaire on their health and lifestyle, which will be analysed as a source of primary data. In addition to the research report and presentation (which, of course, will be available on my Youtube channel), I will post the project on a companion website which will document the project process. This can then be accessed by all students and other teachers as a resource and example.

Many teachers would argue that none of this is necessary. It is perfectly possible, they would say, to present a project and evoke quality student work without the DIY. This has, of course, been done. Personally, though, I believe the empathising, insightful process of the DIY makes a course more meaningful, both to students and teachers. I look forward to this project, and the whole new world it will evoke for students.