Passion Projects: A Lesson in Scaffolding

You have to walk before you run; you have to crawl before you walk; and you have to learn to swim before you can dive into the deep end. Who knew?

Passion Projects are an amazing way to empower students to take ownership in their learning. When we read Inquiry Mindset over the summer, I was excited to begin this journey. After our Passion Project PD, I was hyped to jump right in! (Who doesn’t catch the hype of Jamie’s enthusiasm?) We met as a team and I had the highest of hopes for my students.

It didn’t take long for the daunting reality of implementing true passion projects set in. Twenty-two different projects? Twenty-two different topics to research? Twenty-two different products created? TWENTY-TWO. My face slowly morphed into that of ¨The Scream¨ by Edvard Munch.

Things that helped me:

• To Do List: I created a To-Do List for each of my kiddos on one document that I updated each time I met with them. Students knew when it was passion project time, they needed to complete those tasks.
• Flipgrid: I used Flipgrid A LOT. All of my groups that taught something to another class filmed their lessons with Flipgrid so we could immediately access it. From there, I realized how amazing Flipgrid could be to document student work and progress through their projects, so I continued making grids for my students. When it came time to present, I provided a Guest QR code for parents so they could access and enjoy student video even after the event. What a gift!
• Take Risks: When my groups told me what they wanted to do, I was incredibly nervous about sending them out and trying this, because I was terrified they would fail. They were not ready. They need time, practice, more preparation. However, I decided to step back and allow my students to jump and, let me be the loudest to shout off the rooftops, it was a pleasure to see them fly!

What I learned:

• Scaffolding is Necessary.

We scaffold work for our students. They practice before they are expected to do things independently. Instruction needs to be the same for teachers. I jumped. I wanted my kiddos to take on a great, exciting challenge and empower their learning. However, they were not ready for that, and often that cause stress on both me and them. Next time I implement passion projects, I plan to lead a guided inquiry to help students hone their research skills so that they can eventually be able to tackle it independently.

• Have Reasonable Expectations and Avoid Comparison.

Every child is different, every passion is different, and every product is different. Holding students to the expectations of others is asking for disappointment. Once I let go of the picture of what I expect passion projects to be in my head and I let my students’ vision unfold, the experience truly became magical!