Today is my favorite day of the semester in my technical writing class (although it always makes me wish I could do the same thing in business writing): process paper day! It's the only group paper I do in this class, and it's so fun. I just love it. Essentially, the students write a technical instructions paper for any type of process they choose (which is also fun because I get to see new ones every semester). Then they bring all the materials for the process and the instructions to class, switch with another group, do each other's processes according to the instructions, and then write a usability memo analyzing the accuracy and detail of the original instructions.
This semester, we had instructions on building a skateboard, assembling a computer from a pile of components, building a really nifty birdhouse, and repairing a punctured bike tire. Some of my past favorites have been creating a "party pig" fruit salad bowl out of a watermelon, lemons, limes, etc. (and then filling it with tons of other fruit), making root beer using dry ice and ice cream in a can filled with rock salt and then making root beer floats, stringing and tuning a guitar, assembling a portable version of Dance Dance Revolution and then competing against other group members (which ended up spreading to the entire class), and building all kinds of complicated Lego technical thingies.
I just love this day! Everyone has so much fun, and it's a chance for all these engineers to really show their stuff. And I love reading memos that say things like "the group forgot to provide us with a crescent wrench, but fortunately, we had one with us." Who carries crescent wrenches around with them at school? These kids crack me up. One of the best things about teaching is being able to interact with the students and see them actually enjoying a writing class. Who would have thought, eh?
And the best part of the whole thing is that since it's group papers, there's way fewer to grade, and because Abigail had a long playdate this morning, I'm already done grading! Hurrah!!! Now I just have to finish the last paper from my other class, review and finalize grades, and I'm done with the midterm stack of grading. I can't believe we're already halfway through the semester, and next week is spring break!
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4 comments:
Sounds like fun. Wish I could have watched the presentations. Would have been much more fun than cleaning out my pantry this morning.
Spring break? ENVY!
I enjoyed the process paper in my Tech Writing class last semester, too. My group wrote instructions for operating a waffle-maker, so we made waffles! Other groups built a night-stand, made ice cream with liquid nitrogen, and splinted a broken arm (with a 2x4 full of nails. o.O).
Well, you lost me at "usability memo analyzing the accuracy" but it sounds very interesting.
What grade do you teach, anyway? You don't seem old enough to be teaching old kids. They must think you're a student sometimes!
nicki, I teach 400-level writing courses. So it's generally juniors and seniors. And yes, generally at the beginning of the semester someone will look around the classroom and say in confusion, "Wait, where's the professor?" and then look at me and say," Oh. I thought you were a student."
So I guess when I say "kids," I should really say, "people who are about a year younger than me." In fact, when I started teaching at BYU when I was 20, I think I was generally the youngest person in the classroom!
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