Blue: Projects / Creating Systems of Accountability

Start with a 5-week project. Divide its tasks by the number of available school days. Divide those days by 2 sessions: morning and afternoon. From those 2 sessions, subtract the number of routine activities, field trips, and special events (taking into account their approximate duration). To that, add the weekends -- maybe. To that, add the evenings -- maybe. Take the sum of all available minutes to work, then distribute tasks accordingly by order of importance.Now begin.Blue Banders have embarked on individual projects related to the Seed Arc. Each project is drastically different. Some are writing-based, research-based, design-based, building-based, and some are growing-based. Every student has a different personal and academic investment. Each project seeks to accomplish goals that they (and I) have helped to establish. This is complicated. And exciting. And really, really, hard.It's really, really, hard for a few reasons. To begin, I'm no longer directing the curriculum. And, when I'm no longer steering the ship, the inspiration and drive isn't (necessarily) generated solely by me. Kids declare their interests, and then have to also keep up the energy to continue to keep those interests interesting.(Whoa, that's a lot of pressure.)Also, time management is really hard. I keep a pretty tight schedule during the Exploration phase of the Arc, but will often deviate, sidetrack, and tangent along the way. Blue Band doesn't necessarily always see this, but it definitely happens. A lot. And now, they are starting to experience that. Sometimes a plan doesn't go as planned, and you have to readjust your expectations and your schedule to accommodate those learning opportunities.This is all well and good, but here's another thought...In this school where we don't issue grades, we (the Collaborators) constantly invent and reinvest systems of accountability in our Bands all the time. There isn't an across-the-board standard or universal approach, and thus there isn't really a model for students to use when the tables turn and they have to self-direct.So, how is a middle schooler supposed to effectively establish, stick to, and follow through with a procedure that keeps them productive and on task (for WEEKS at a time)?This week, we worked really, really hard at verbalizing goals and subdividing those goals into smaller tasks. We wrote those tasks down, declared them to the group, and then made sure to publicly announce when tasks were completed. (Sometimes, we also rewarded ourselves along the way!)This is a system that works. And the Band is excited about it!It works because it asks Blue to self direct in manageable chunks. The system also makes accomplishments that might otherwise be publicly invisible visible to a peer group. This visibility is awesome because we can high five and smile and make one another feel good for accomplishing things during the day. Also, it feels really wonderful to check a box in front your friends!Also, sometimes you can use the temptation of cake as a reminder to hurry up and check a box!