Science teacher Richard Weiss loves how media projects help his science students deepen learning and display creativity. He started this year with an audio project that asked students, who come from neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, to share a story about the environment of their own communities.
At a Glance
YMC Project: First Person or Show What You Know
Grade/Class: 11th-12th grade environmental science
School: Bronxdale High School
Location: The Bronx, New York City
Student media from Richard’s class: Hello, Neighbor, The Fear of the Outdoors, Growing Up in Allerton, C’mon Frolic a Lil’
Inside Richard’s Classroom
What made a Youth Media Challenge project a great fit for your environmental science class?
We know the Bronx is amazing. We also see the environmental challenges the borough faces. Our goal in this class is to help the rest of the world understand what life is actually like in the Bronx. If I have students write an essay, or make a poster, the project dies when they turn it in. When they make a piece of media and share it on the Youth Media Showcase, the project can live on in the digital spaces where so much of students’ lives happen. Students know that, and step up their level of work for these digital media projects.
What’s the impact of making media in science class?
Science classrooms are great spaces to make digital media! It is amazing how much more information you get from students when they tell you or show you something instead of just writing a lab report or an essay.
Why did you decide to do this project in the first semester?
The choice to start with a piece that is about neighborhood and community explicitly is important to getting students confident and motivated in the process of creating something. When they feel confident in their mastery of the content, the creative process feels less daunting and accessible, letting everyone gain digital-media production skills. Then they can carry those skills with them into later projects where they may feel less confident in the subject matter.
What did the students think about the project?
Overall, students were more engaged doing a YMC project. I had one student who was absolutely refusing to write a script. They had fallen behind, and so another student was editing their audio in Adobe Express on the computer next to them. When the student who was behind saw the student editing they yelled “Oh! It’s just like Capcut!” I didn’t have to convince them to write a script after that.
For next time, I need a differentiated copy of the script writing template I used. The open-ended nature of script writing is a blessing for some students and a curse for others. By providing a little more structure to students who need it I can help all students show what they are capable of producing.
Most of your students chose to publish on the Youth Media Showcase! How did you talk about publishing?
I required publication to the Showcase unless students talked to me to opt out. For any teacher out there considering this project, I recommend actively encouraging students to publish. The student who requires the most push from you is the one who is going to be most proud to say their work is published. Obviously, I don’t think teachers should force anyone to do it, but the student who resists publishing the most needs you to show them how confident you are that their voice matters, too.