I went to a conference held by Apple computers about challenge-based learning. The concept is simple: creativity and enthusiasm thrive on challenge. Think of the popular tv show Iron Chef: you get an egg, cottage cheese, an ice-cream cone and thirty minutes to produce something amazing--now go! Educationally, this is effective because students feel they are breaking ground and creating something new rather than "discovering" the quadratic equation for the billionth time or writing a research paper that could easily be copy and pasted from the internet.
So often teachers have taken the challenge upon themselves--engage students in my subject and allow their creativity to shine-- by create amazing projects for students to carry out. That is great, seriously, and that is pretty much all I do. (For example, I might assign students to make an imovie about a scene from a Shakespeare play we just read, or memorize a poem of their choice and present it to their peers.) But isn't making up the project the funnest part? Actually carrying out the project is important, but it is like running the football play after the coach drew it on a clipboard--the strategizing and thinking has been done.
Challenge-based learning says don't steal the kids thunder by over-managing. Do less arranging. Create a good challenge and the kids will bite.
Some example challenges might be:
--Increase appreciation of poetry on your school's campus.
--Decrease paper waste in your library's printer.
--Identify discrimination in your life and address it in some way (after we read "The Merchant of Venice" as a class).
It is hard to catch yourself as a teacher when you are over-scaffolding, but it can be done.
