Energy and Understanding

What wonderful energy in our class last Wednesday evening!  I think that "big projects" are a key way for both teachers and students to understand their own learning and creative process.  And, perhaps even more important than area content, helping students understand their cognitive path in executing a project is a huge tool for success in the larger world.   Do you need lots of preparation before you create, or do you need to start to create before you have an idea of where you're going? Do you need the details of "primary sources" before you can formulate a narrative, or do you use a narrative to inform the details you will search for?  Do you think best in the shower, while jogging, or do you need to keep a notebook by your bed for those 3 a.m. AHA! moments?  To facilitate this kind of learning, however, educators do need to move beyond micromanagement and cede control to chaos.  I liked how the keynote speaker at the October 19th literacy conference talked about how doubt comes just before success.  Coaching students through doubt (and managing your own) would be important in some of these larger endeavors.