Since the lesson takes such a long time, the students lost interest in it quickly and the teacher had a hard time keeping students up with their reviews of the activities.
My students enjoyed the compost column activity. They could easily identify the problem and the client. They did a great job making an individual plan and sharing their plan with their groups. My groups worked well together to develop a plan for making compost. I had a few problems with the activity. The constraints were my main problem. It didn’t allow for the students to have enough materials. For example, they needed a lot more soil. Also, the amount of water it said to use to “water” the compost was way too much. These problems are easy to solve. I am doing the activity again and I am sure I will give it a higher rating next year!
I chalk the fair rating up to “teacher error.” I would make changes if I used this design process again. We did this task right before spring break, so there was a week with no opportunity for data collection. We also did not stick to all organic materials. We allowed students to bring in materials for use in the compost columns, so there were banana peels, potato peels, etc. By about the third week, there was a definite odor from the columns. By the fifth week, the students dreaded “data collection day.” Next time, no food products!
I did not care for the compost tower. I don’t think the students felt ownership with this design activity. Since the project lasts 6-8 weeks, they lost interest. And it stunk up my classroom!
Anonymous @ on
2.0 out of 5 stars
Since the lesson takes such a long time, the students lost interest in it quickly and the teacher had a hard time keeping students up with their reviews of the activities.
Reply Report abuse
Please login to vote.
Nikki Rumpler @ on
3.0 out of 5 stars
My students enjoyed the compost column activity. They could easily identify the problem and the client. They did a great job making an individual plan and sharing their plan with their groups. My groups worked well together to develop a plan for making compost. I had a few problems with the activity. The constraints were my main problem. It didn’t allow for the students to have enough materials. For example, they needed a lot more soil. Also, the amount of water it said to use to “water” the compost was way too much. These problems are easy to solve. I am doing the activity again and I am sure I will give it a higher rating next year!
Reply Report abuse
Please login to vote.
Anonymous @ on
2.0 out of 5 stars
I chalk the fair rating up to “teacher error.” I would make changes if I used this design process again. We did this task right before spring break, so there was a week with no opportunity for data collection. We also did not stick to all organic materials. We allowed students to bring in materials for use in the compost columns, so there were banana peels, potato peels, etc. By about the third week, there was a definite odor from the columns. By the fifth week, the students dreaded “data collection day.” Next time, no food products!
Reply Report abuse
Please login to vote.
Anonymous @ on
2.0 out of 5 stars
I did not care for the compost tower. I don’t think the students felt ownership with this design activity. Since the project lasts 6-8 weeks, they lost interest. And it stunk up my classroom!
Reply Report abuse
Please login to vote.