Build-a-BOB Workshop: Take 2

It takes a good friend to tell you that you did not do what you set out to do. Thankfully, and tactfully, it has been shared that my recent podcast with Derek Rhodenizer was not the clear communication I had hoped for. While there was consensus that I came off as a passionate teacher and totally authentic project creator, I now fully agree that I did not leave any listening teacher in any better position to build a BOB of their own. As a result, I am hoping for a take-two.

When Derek asked me to come on Rhodenizer's Eduthoughts again, I was excited to try something different. Since I had been blogging about BOBs for a year and was a little less fearful of asserting why these projects are so powerful, I was thinking that I would add more value by building on that. I had been playing with the title for a while and, though I look forward to actually facilitating this workshop in person one day, I thought that it would be fun to start a conversation around how to build a BOB. I love sharing my projects with teachers, but I know how many amazing educators there are out there who prefer to work from their own material.

In order to fill in the gap from the podcast, I will use this second chance to explain how to use the approach with any assignment. Many teachers use independent learning/independent study/self-directed learning projects successfully. Building Outside the Blocks projects are options among a sea of great assignments that engage learners. While I have developed many different BOBs that I am happy to share, I truly believe that it is the convergence of the four aspects of the approach that do something more than other projects and create an outcome that is greater than the sum of its parts.

One of the aspects of the Building Outside the Blocks approach is autonomy. Students choose when and how they present their work. If I have a project that I want presented weekly over a few months or every day over a month, I create a schedule for no more than 3 students to present on a given day. Then, I display the dates on the Smartboard and students sign up for their presentation date of choice. I try to help them become mindful of how they learn best, what is in their calendar and what they need to set themselves up for an optimal timeline. If the student has a hockey tournament, for example, they will want to choose a presentation date that is after that time, as they will often have extra practices leading up it. If a student is the kind of learner that benefits from seeing a few presentations before they have theirs, they may choose a date more in the midrange of the timeline. Some students are natural project enthusiasts and eager to present. Like myself as a student, they prefer to go first or closer to the beginning. Shockingly, some students choose to go last. If that works for the, great. Sometimes, they realized that it doesn't and they learn to make a different choice. Students choose the date they want to present in view of their personal schedule, learning needs and what wrks for them.

Choice is also a key component of the Building Outside the Blocks approach. It’s hard to believe that there are still teachers who don’t let students exercise choice, but we all grow at our own pace. The power of choice can do so much for a learner, and whether a student is choosing an article that interests them or the topic of a Genius Hour-type project, students have a deeper connection to their work when it stems from their interests. When they have the control over the content or the delivery method, they feel more involved and deepen their engagement in their learning.

The second aspect of the BOB approach involves the class community. I have seen so many creative projects get presented over one or two “sharing days” or only get submitted to the teacher for evaluation. Something that adds dimension is the audience experience, and it is even more impactful when the audience has a distinct role to play. In my classroom, the students are the audience and an active community of coaches. They provide feedback and next steps for the presenter in the form of questions, comments or critiques. The presenter is practicing their presentation skills in terms of verbal, nonverbal, and, often, visual/media literacy skills, and the class is articulating the success criteria through their feedback. Everyone is learning as and building a group that fosters risk taking and a growth mindset. The class is together for the entire year and they really bond through the projects. They even develop lingo for the projects like calling the What’s Up the Waz Up or H-Beats for History Beats. They own a piece of the experience as community.

A third aspect of the approach is the role of the teacher. There has been this incredible shift in teaching where the teacher is not longer required to be the expert on content but the facilitator of skill development and the co-creator of learning experiences. For some, this is a welcome change, but it is a really difficult shift for others. During a BOB presentation, I am off to the side taking pictures and writing notes. I am the one to complete the assessments in their various forms, but I am not the only one who gives the feedback. I am there to conduct the experience and support all of the learning in the room. Some of the easiest ways to do that is to set the tone and stay to the sidelines like a choreographer. I am eager and excited to check out all of their moves, cheer them on and provide next steps.

The very last part of the BOB approach involves time. This relates to my previous post on homework because preparing for a Building Outside the Blocks project takes place mostly at home. My students rarely complain about the work they are doing at home for a BOB, but they will loudly critique much of the homework they are given. The reason for this is that students are into what they are doing and don’t count the hours they spend on these projects in the same way they do for other schoolwork. They chose their timelines and have to manage the backwards design of their home time. It’s not perfect science and can become a great platform for learning from mistakes. The self-determination embedded in the approach can result in students spending more hours on these projects than other projects because they are personal and success is within their reach.

If you have a project that you love, you can turn it into a BOB with a simple twist. Just set it up to have due dates spread out over time and ensure some elements of choice in terms of when and what they present. Make sure projects are shared with peers who are active participants in giving feedback and coaching the presenter. Your role as the teacher is to scaffold the experience in whatever way you can to support the learners achieving success on the assignment and growing from the experience. You can answer questions beforehand of let them "get messy" with the assignment under your supervision. You may spend a bit of lead-time after you introduce the assignment to get students activating their schema about their interests and initiating the assignment with your support. The rest of the time, however, is self-directed at home time in lieu of other homework. You can use your projects in a different way by using the Building Outside the Blocks approach to help students build skill, autonomy and community in minimal class time.

Thank you for bearing through my Build-a-BOB workshop do-over. Clearly, it is an idea still under construction. I hope that this experience is more helpful in actually guiding you through the approach and enabling you to build a BOB of your own. I’d love to hear about it if you do.