Students became champions of their particular causes both during the individual sharing weeks and again throughout their group activities. They were totally committed. They enjoyed the public attention attracted by their CleanUp Campaign and booth at the Fair. Many students felt personally empowered by their ability to get something 'big' and 'relevant' accomplished on their own. I was particular excited about the students' growing self-concept as they telephoned, visited and successfully interviewed businessmen, public officials and other sources.
Students learn when they are personally involved.
The photographic skills that we had learned earlier in the year were really sharpened and developed as the students searched for means to clarify, express, and perfect their projects. Students took their own pictures looking for just the right mood, position, lighting, and scene to portray the statement they wanted to make. They spent hours in the darkroom as they worked with composition , enlarging, effective contrast, amount of light exposure and lengths of exposure time. At first, this darkroom activity demanded a great deal of teacher guidance. But as the projects neared refining and completion stages, groups of three of four students were working with total independence in the darkroom.