In 1999 I bought my first digital camera and went to nearby Plymouth, MA to take some photos to practice. I was teaching workshops then and decided that it might make a good topic for teachers to explore. I began to develop the idea, make Web pages and then in my graduate work for Lesley University, I upgraded many of those pages for a closer focus to curriculum needs.
I deleted most of the frivolous material, like Thanksgiving greeting cards, mazes, placements etc. (leaving only one for very young students and some coloring pages that depict things as we think we know it in the time of the Pilgrim forefathers.) I continue to receive requests from Webmaster to include crafts, cards, etc. Teachers are busy people. Do they have time for non-curriculum areas?
As you can see by this screenshot of the stats for my Web site, the number of visitors skyrockets in November. I have my links to check and so I must go now.
2 comments:
I am conflicted about crafts in school. I know schools are busy places and as a teacher, it's hard to fit it all in. There are certainly more important things to learn.
But I can remember that as a student the crafts were my favorite thing in school. I so looked forward to when we'd get to use our hands and get to make something to take home. I remember the excitement of the holidays for me was seeing what kind of craft project we'd get to make in class.
Crafts teach fine-motor skills and can demonstrate to the teacher how students manage an individual project and how they feel about how they look at the world.
I am concerned that many students have a hard time with group activities and project management because they have never been exposed to it in the younger grades. The attitude that many teachers have about keeping your work to yourself may not make for good team building in the future.
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