Curating Student Work Through Publication

Maybe my aversion to student portfolios is rooted in my own slap-dash, guilt-ridden attempts at maintaining my children's baby books. Not. My. Thing.

There are teachers who are able to use portfolios and similar curating methods to help students visualize their growth, reflect on their learning, and organize examples of their strongest work. More power to them. I have nothing against the concept--unless students perceive it as hoop-jumping or creating of a product that is not truly needed or useful.

Instead I use (and teach) Google Docs. Save everything. Learn to use the search tools. Is that curating? It doesn't include a selection and presentation process, though as I write this, I can think of ways I could incorporate those worthwhile elements.

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My journalism students are constantly curating their work. Their writing, photography, and video work are all archived on our website. The yearbook is a both a publication of student writing and a historic document of our school. Furthermore, my students maintain stringbooks. We keep it simple: a document with a link to each of their published stories.

But one of my favorite methods of curating student work is to use Lulu.com to publish a collection of student essays. For the past three years my Comp 105 students have written exemplification essays about classes of benefit. Let me share the assignment here: 

Exemplification Essay: Classes of Benefit

Explanation: As a class, we will produce a collection of essays that will be printed in book form and made available in the scheduling office as a guide to help students register for classes.

Writing about a class of benefit gives you the chance to tell underclassmen about a class you are glad you took. This doesn’t need to be your favorite class, but it should be one you see benefit in taking.

Directions: Utilizing a blend of specific, typical, and hypothetical examples, guide your readers (in-coming freshmen) through the benefits of taking a specific high-school class.

Your writing should be engaging, clear, and smooth. As you explain the benefits of the class, also consider (and quell) reservations readers may have about taking the class. Examples should anticipate readers' needs to understand and visualize generalizations through specific examples.

Aim for 400-500 words.

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Day 20: How do you curate student work–or help them do it themselves?

Reflection: Yikes! Four minutes to hit "send" and finish this blog before midnight! 10 hours on the road today to watch my son play football (Go Grinnell Pioneers!) at Luther College.