Negative Mindset

This week I made a Towers of Hanoi game on the laser cutter and in the workshop.
It has been sitting on my desk while I build an Intermediate Technology project around it so the students have been seeing it and having a go.

It has proved to be a fascinating insight into the mindset that the students bring to their project work in Design and Visual Communication.

My Year 13 students are a mixed bunch of some who have done NCEA Level 1, Level 2 DVC and those who have not done graphics since they were in year 9 and 10.

My three boys who have not had any NCEA DVC experience were shy of trying the new game. One had a go, one was very reluctant but has a go eventually while hiding behind his sketchbook and one refused to have a go at all.
My two girls with no experience refused to have a go.

To day, student "A" tried again but still his behind his book. Then he hid behind stories of completion and how he made it under the mathematical minimum number of moves. He kept trying. I sat with him and gave him a few nudges, winks and finger points quietly. He made it in the 31 moves with help, then he did it again without hiding, in front of everyone by himself.

I chatted with him afterwards.

How was just now different to yesterday?
"you helped me"
What about when you did it yourself?
"I had practised"
Why were you hiding to start with?
"I didn't want to look stupid in front of everyone"
What about now?
"cos I'm the man miss!"
Yeah, yeah, yeah....

This was a fascinating insight today. This is exactly how they approach their design work.

• They hide their work by facing into the corner while doing it.
• They hide the parts they don't like by rubbing them out of throwing them in the bin.
• They sit and not do the work at all.
• Occasionally avoid the whole situation by organising something else to do during my lesson.

My next step is to try and get them to understand the importance of the "design journey". It is not all about the finished "polished" product / drawing. They expect everything to be perfect and get very disheartened when it is not.