Working with Themes and Images that Touch the interest of the Teenager

When we find an archetypal theme, such as the Journey, we know we have hit the motherlode when ideas and inspirations keep on coming and our students are enthused as well. The boat journey offers a metaphor for all kinds of projects we might do together but also opens up the cross curricular scope of what we can offer. This means an economy  for the teacher, always desirable, and a core integration of subjects for the students whereby learning happens in a unified field. Creation works like this so why not align ourselves?

The six stages of our boat journey called, Getting Underway were explored very creatively  in group work as if we were students.

We then applied this experience of Netting, Mapping, Building our Boat, Resources, Captain and Crew, and Evaluation, in the Clouds of Knowing and Unknowing process as teachers planning a seven week course. The theme of the Renaissance was the universal Choix du Jour and produced a cascade of creativity as we bathed in  images, impulses, turning points and good ideas for a short course..

The next step is the assignment to build a bridge into the future by creating the first day of our Renaissance course using the 8 fold mandala structure.