MET Project based assessment experiences
When I reflect on my experiences in the MET program thus far, my best memories and most intense learning experiences were, more often than not, the result of a project based learning activity. For example, I am not sure anything will quite match the experience I had creating two ten minute documentaries for ETEC 531. It became one of those learning experiences in which I became completely focused and energized and happy. While working on those projects, I lost any sense of time, hunger, fatigue and so forth. I experienced something very reminiscent of what Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi refers to as flow.
In the MET program, all of these projects are fully situated and realized in the public view of our cohort, or multiple cohorts. Like public blogs, our projects are researched, discussed, designed, modified, and edited into a very tight learning artifact that was created with the audience clearly in mind. Add to that, collaboration is almost always involved in this creation.
Posted in: Week 10: Product-Based Assessments
verenanz 10:07 pm on November 9, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
WOW – Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi is extraordinary! What a great video. It was a bit long (18 minutes), but the best parts come at the end!
I really understand what you mean by flow, and I know personally when “time stands still” and you are in a zone…especially now that I have watched Mihaly’s TEDtalk, but there was one thing that stood out for me from his chat…in relation to PBA
He claimed that you need 10 years of technical training in order to create new ideas and to begin to change something to make it better than before …
I wonder if that is because the technical skills was “learned” alone and traditionally? I can see if you were a violinist or figure skater (two examples from his talk) BUT…what about technology and working together to learn about “something”. I wonder if instead of 10 years of specialist experience, if you had 10 years of collaborative experience – would you get the same kind of new ideas and change with new products?
The “flow” Mihaly referred to was mostly an individual thing, but what about working as a group? Do you think working in a “Great Team” using PBA as a foundation, could create the type of “flow” Mihaly discussed? And if we could “teach” how to create this flow…or “facilitate” how to create this kind of flow in our businesses…what would the outcomes look like?
Thank you for the great video!
Verena:)
Jim 4:37 am on November 10, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Verena,
Yes, that claim of 10 years stuck out when I watched it, too… It seems like a fairly arbitrary statement and number but I suppose it is based in research. I think that point could be debated because I have seen children completely engaged in activities, in a flow sort of way, as well, who are younger than 10 🙂 I have seen young artists and young athletes who definitely exhibit flow. Finally, I found it interesting that the “10 year” idea was not listed in the criteria for flow that was presented near the end.
I think teamwork is great but I think “flow” with a team would be something a little different. Flow is more of a personal feeling. I think if it were true flow, you would lose sense of your teammates as you are working. In group work, the social awareness must always be turned on for it to work. I think that the condition of “flow” as Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi expresses it, and the kind of social awareness needed for group work, are mutually exclusive. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t come up with a new concept… like: “group flow”
Allie 11:54 am on November 10, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I’m not sure about the 10 years claim, but I have frequently heard 10,000 hours cited as the number of hours one needs to practice a field to become an expert (I’ve heard this from sources as divergent as a psychiatrist, a sewist, and malcolm gladwell).
This website nicely calculates it into years. http://www.ryac.ca/blog/2010/01/10000-hours-how-long-is-that/
Interestingly enough 10000 = 8hours/day x 5 days/week for 5 years. How often is 5 years experience cited as a qualification benchmark for middle level positions?
As for flow, I think it is unrelated to level of expertise, but rather describes a level and feeling of engagement when participating in an activity.
verenanz 9:41 am on November 10, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
HI Jim!
Group flow – very cool. I imagine that is what business leaders are looking for when creating a team to develop a new product? Or “group flow” is a possibly the definition for Silicone Valley work environments like “google?” How can we get “group flow” from the business world into the classroom?
http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1072
I agree that individual flow and group flow are different…..good point…but they are both awesome.
Thanks again for the great video…I really like the chart at the end…
Verena:)
Keisha Edwards-Hamilton 3:11 pm on November 10, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Jim,
The assignments in ETEC 531 are true examples of PBA since the assignments allowed us to create authentic media that are critical in this digital age. I really enjoyed the assignments.
Keisha
Tamara Wong 10:23 am on November 13, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Jim,
I had similar experiences as you in regards to the PBA’s in MET. In particular, I lost all sense of what was around me when I was working my moodle for ETEC 564 and after that I decided that instructional design was where it’s at – but on the computer. This experience helped me realize what I enjoy doing and what I would like to pursue in for my career path. These PBAs gave me a better sense of what the subject entails than a test would. I feel they are very helpful in making us realize our dreams and goals.
Tamara