Designing+Engaging+Work

WOW Folks! As we move forward with our design teams for engaging student work, here are the ten important design elements as given by Schlechty Center for Designing Engaging Products. The first four qualities should be present in all our designs, but the last six are more flexible and every one of them may not fit into every activity. It's your design, your lesson, your plan. 1.Content and Substance: The key concepts or skills that you expect students to know as a result of the learning experience.
 * Qualities of Context:**

2. Organization of Knowledge: Information and knowledge are arranged in clear, accessible ways, and in ways that let students use the knowledge and information to address tasks that are important to them.

3. Clear and compelling product standards: Relevant standards that students clearly understand so that they know exactly what is expected of them and how those expectations relate to something they care about

4.Protection from adverse consequences for initial failure: the freedom to make mistakes without fear of repercussion for initial failure.

5. Product Focus: Work that engages students and focuses on a product or performance of significance to students.
 * Design Qualities of Choice**

6.Affirmation of Performance: Opportunities for student work to be seen and evaluated by others in and outside the classroom. ` 7. Affiliation: Designs that encourage students to not only work collaboratively, but support opportunities for them to share in independent tasks for a common goal.

8. Novelty and variety: Work that exposes students to new and different ways of doing things, create new products, and develop new forms of work.

9. Choice: Students have input into the activities and methods in which they demonstrate learning.

10. Authenticity: Work that is significant, purposeful, has consequence, and personal inportance for the student.