what I've learned

When I wrote the grant for this weaving project, my goals were centered around the primates learning to weave and using their own handwork as the basis for a writing project, therefore motivating them to improve their writing skills. very MI, I thought, as this is a great example of offering multiple entry points into writing. And those are still my goals, and it is a great MI-ism.

But here's what I've learned, and these are goals I never considered:

* I see the primates differently. It really is happening--the primates who struggle with traditional academic activities are leaders in weaving. I've read about this, I've aspired to this, I've probably even experienced it before...but this time it's different because I am reflecting on it, and this reflection will drive my instruction in a very real way. This project is providing opportunities for primates to genuinely feel successful in school. Weaving is valued by our class community as an important skill to learn. We are creating products that matter to our society.

* I'm not doing as well as I had imagined at teaching the primates to weave. But I'm OK with that because I realize there is a much deeper lesson happening: you need to work hard, make mistakes, solve problems, and practice in order to learn something new. This lesson transcends any traditional academic content or skills. In this way, our weaving project may be an entry point to multiple areas of learning for the primates.

* I'm not sure I can measure progress or the overall success of this project in a way that could be considered equivalent to a test score in a psychometrician's eyes. Actually, I want to change that to "I'm not sure how" to do it. This is where my focus should be now.