Our daughter Rebecca is just finishing up two years in Room 13 and Terri has asked me to comment on how we found the ‘Personal Investigations’.
To start with the concept of ‘Personal Investigations’ was a new to us; a long way outside the comfort zone of ‘regular homework’. It took our daughter - and us - a little while to get our heads around it. But as time went on and Rebecca got to see the interest and scope of what other students were choosing to do for theirs, she began to be comfortable with choosing her own personal investigations.
Once we got used to this approach to homework, we began to really appreciate what an extraordinary opportunity to learn and explore it offered. What she could choose to do was literally wide open - any interest whatsoever - any strength we might have to pass onto her - any topic that was pertinent to us - any curiosity that was tickling her interest. She has done eight personal investigations over the last two years, that range from video interviews, PowerPoint presentations on Mozart, designing and constructing a scale kitchen with appliances and finally raising $1000 for gifts to go towards saving lives by buying a fresh water pump and other things for an African village.
Sometimes we have had to encourage her in her choices, other times she has just come up with them. S ometimes she has done the investigations fairly independently, and other times they have taken a lot of parental guidance, input and encouragement. How much or how little we have wanted to contribute has been up to us. Sometimes her investigations have been easy, and others very demanding and time consuming. The beauty of them is that she or we get to choose.
I can’t stress enough what an amazing opportunity this kind of homework is. Every family has strengths, passions and interests that can be utilised. Every child has strengths and interests that can be tapped into.
I think now that Terri has been doing this for a couple of years, and there is now an extensive list of what students have been up to, it should be a little easier for new students and parents to get their heads around. All my husband and I can say is this is a fabulous approach to homework. You and your child will get as much out of it as you want to put into it. Make the most of this wide open opportunity. We don’t always get given such great scope in life.
Sarah Platt
Sarah Platt Artworks
www.sarahplatt.co.nz
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