3 C's in the Art Room

Communication? Collaboration? Critical Thinking? 

In

the Art Room?

Absolutely!

The challenge is to suspend a cup between two poles (in this case toilet plungers) using only what is in the paper bag.  Each bag consists of the same materials.

Students tend to travel in clicks, little cohorts of friends who seldom talk with each other. 

I like to mix things up a bit with this project by randomly assigning groups of 3 or 4 depending on the class size.

My reasoning to them is that they get to see how their peers think.   Everybody has ideas and opinions, some share them louder than others.

 I wanted to provide a way for the less talkative ones, the shy ones, to participate and be heard.  

If set up with the right parameters/guidelines then it works well in accomplishing that! Amazingly well!

To increase the odds of everybody participating I do a point system, with the highest amount of points winning. 

Points can be earned by actively participating in their groups, on the flip side, points can be lost if someone interferes with another group.  

And a hushhhhh fell over the room....Time to test them!  One by one we went around the room watching and waiting. 

I love how intensely focused my students look. Holding their breaths, clenching their hands, waiting for the last washer to be dropped in. This team won by the way :)

"Ms,this is more like science then art." It's all interconnected I said.