There are miraclesstudents who are withdrawn or sullen begin to participate, slowly at first, then with great enthusiasm. It's a leveller for special needs kidsthey begin to participate, and other students begin to rely on them. Adolescents' off-task behavior sometimes drops to next to nothing. Students' interest and self confidence carries over to other activities. It results in increased respect and understanding of others' viewpoints.
Students become more connected to the community and more aware that they can make a difference.
The following statements are paraphrased from those voiced by elementary and middle-school students in the Ross Valley School District in California. We got to choose what to work on. We learned that we can make a difference. There was a clear goal that was a challenge to work on. There was an audience for the product and we knew we had to meet the deadline and present it to the audience.