Help students develop their own work by listening to their plans.
Any assignment follows a process similar to the scientific method. Students choose topics based on interest or curiosity, pick an angle to explore, research and ultimately come to conclusions that need to be presented. A teacher assigning the work can help students develop paper or project topics by applying a few simple steps and asking a few simple questions.
Start with Something Familiar
The best topics for a project or a paper begin either with something familiar or something beloved. A history paper, for example, might start with an event that the student witnessed personally - a recent event can still be historical. A science project might take into account a student's interest in cooking or in cars or in aviation. The personal quality to a project will serve to improve the quality of the project since the student will have the opportunity to delve into something of interest; that personal engagement will shine through in the quality of the final product.
Seek Out the Source of That Interest
Once a student has chosen a basic topic for a project or paper, you as the teacher can help a student develop that topic. A student may know that he wants to write his report on a specific topic, but not be sure where to take it from there. The first question that you should ask is, "what part of this topic do you find interesting?" That will help the student decide the direction of her paper or project. Next, ask how the student developed interest in that topic. This will likely provide books, documentaries or even local experts on a subject that could turn into sources.
Ask for an Outline or Proposal
Give your student time to organize those sources and design the assignment in question. As a teacher, you may either require a paper outline or project proposal before the due date of the final product. Alternately, the proposal could be optional, for students having trouble developing the assignment. An outline will force a student to gather her thoughts and her sources and organize them into some kind of plan. Completing the assignment will thus be much easier.
Creative Presentations
A student is more likely to take care and show enthusiasm for a project or paper if that student's creative instincts are encouraged. Allow your students to present their papers or projects to the class in whatever manner they choose. This could take the form of a short skit, a homemade video, a poster or a mock game show. This also has the advantage of drawing the rest of the class into the student's work. Consult with the student about this presentation periodically through the assignment period. Strong presentation skills will serve students in the workplace once their school days are over.
Tags: project paper, final product, help student, interest that, paper project, quality project, students develop
