Walking into junior Vanessa Wang’s fourth-period AP Biology class on a Wednesday morning, an observer would see an entire room full of students modeling cell mitosis out of colorful beads and pipe cleaner.
These types of projects are becoming more and more frequent in AP and Honors classes all over school.
But is this right? Is it appropriate for college-bound juniors and seniors to be participating in hands-on projects more often carried out by elementary school students?
The answer is that this growing trend is perfectly fine. While the words “AP” and “honors” may conjure up nightmarish images of endless studying and impossible homework loads, many teachers are trying something new by implementing more hands-on and artistic projects into their curriculums. These lessons enable students to gain a new way of interacting with the often difficult material.
Some of the classes that assign artistic projects include English 11 Honors, AP Biology and AP Environmental Science. Assignments that require a creative aspect provide a well-needed break from the traditional curriculums and allow students to express their individuality.
Many students feel that incorporating arts and crafts into tough courses is just a waste of time and a hassle. But honestly, would a student rather write an essay on the major symbols in “The Scarlet Letter” or create a poster board on it?
If forced to choose, many students should opt for the latter. Making an appealing, high quality display may take more time than writing an essay, but the process is a lot more interesting than squeezing one’s brain dry in an attempt to create a coherent literary analysis.
Many students feel nervous or anxious about these types of assignments and projects because they feel that their grade will depend on the quality of their artwork. Just because students are not a Van Gogh or Monet doesn’t mean they cannot succeed with these projects; there is no need to be concerned over how appealing one’s art is.
If a student obviously hasn’t put any time into an artistic assignment, it is completely justifiable for a teacher to dock points due to his or her lack of effort.
Ultimately, teachers grade based on the quality of the actual content that shows understanding of the topic. Artwork is at most a minor portion of the assignment that can always pale in comparison to the actual meaty portion of the work.
In the end, arts and crafts in AP and honors courses are not not something to cry over. Just like with any other assignment, one cannot just half-heartedly create a project and expect to get full points for it.
Arts and crafts should be treated as a welcome deviation from traditional course curriculums and serve as a breath of fresh air for some students. Letting students have more choice and individuality, artistic projects are harmless and a good choice for teachers who want to add variety to their lessons.
The extra variety offered by these types of assignments allows students to express their learning in ways that essays and test can’t always show.
