4 Steps to establishing a senior project at YOUR SCHOOL
Making a phenomenal senior project experience takes time and effort, requires the buy-in of all your stakeholders, and will only improve with trial, error and time. The benefits of a senior project last beyond high school. They are a way students can show not only what they know but what they can do. Developing the skills needed to complete a successful senior project is what will open the doors to success for our students in the 21st Century.
Step 1: Get some friends to buy-in, and involve the whole school.
There are people who will never love this process. That's ok. With a little bit of work, it's possible to get most everybody on board. It's important for staff to see exactly how the senior project benefits students, faculty, staff and the school as a whole. Please click on the link below to for more information. It includes information on benefits for students, faculty and staff, curricular and CCSS tie-ins as well as benefits for the community at large.
Step 2: Form a plan and stick
to it.
Everyone has to start somewhere. So start somewhere, anywhere! Maybe the English and Government teachers are willing to work together on some extended research, and the success of this will lure in the theme teachers. Maybe the theme teachers are willing put together a small-scale project, and its success will lure in others. Maybe everyone will be ready to jump in with both feet! Wouldn't that be awesome??? Spend some time working together with those who want to give this a go, and form then roll out plan. Develop a calendar. Stick to it. Senior project only becomes something important and real when it can't be easily shoved aside. You can do this! So get going!
Step 3: Don't Worry about all the "grumbling".
Some people were just born to be bad. Literally. They don't like new things, they think everything is stupid and pointless and a waste of time. They will complain all the way through the project. They might really enjoy the presentation and or fair days, but then again, they might not. Let them complain. I promise that it will only be a matter of time before the positive feedback far outweighs the negative. The kids will complain, their parents will complain, the teachers will complain. This isn't a reason to give up. They (well, most of them, anyway) and you will be very glad, when all is said and done, that you didn't. The pride the students, parents, teachers and community members feel is worth all the upfront and continual grumbling. I promise. Believe in what you are doing and make it happen!
Step 4: Learn from your mistakes and celebrate your successes!
Some things will go amazingly well. Others will be epic failures. It's all good. Just regroup at the end of the year and adjust course when needed to make the next year even better. The first few times you do this, you will run into problems you didn't even think of. The beauty of this is that the next time around, you'll have identified and successfully solved the problem, and created both a better experience and end product for everyone. Know that it truly will get better and better. Just remember to learn from your mistakes, be flexible, listen to criticism and continue to work toward making your senior project experience a true capstone for all involved. Good luck and HAVE FUN!!!