Outcomes
A student consulting Colin
Colin found that opening up the unit, to allow students more freedom, had mixed results. At the top end they were spectacular; these students had "taken the opportunity and run with it." Aaron's trolley roof rack, Matthew's log splitter, and Delaney's fishing rod holder are examples of successful outcomes.
However he found that this freedom was too much for some students who needed something tighter and more constrained. He plans to sort this out for 2007.
He also reports that it can be "a bit of a logistical nightmare" having 24 students each making their own product and requiring 24 separate skill sets to do it. Some tend to "fly a little under the radar" all year and will try to do things for themselves or perhaps be a little shy and avoid contact. Hence it can be quite a job teaching the various skills and also identifying those who need extra teacher help.
With some of the projects students brought in the skills of others when completing their work. Colin says "The reality of developing a product is that we can't be everything – designer, machinist, etc. Bringing in people to do something doesn't change the fact that it's your product; industry experts simply become external stakeholders in the process."
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