I think conducting multi-genre research projects are a great idea. I would love to try something like this in my future class. I have never seen anything like this done before when I was in school or in observing classrooms during my student teaching. I think it is so beneficial for students to get to select their own topics like the children got to do in the article. I also like the idea of the teachers working so hard to support students to select a meaningful topic. I think having accountable talk, where students can defend their topic choice to their teachers and peers before picking it for sure could really make the topic more valuable for that student.
Conducting multi-genre research projects are also valuable because it lets students emotions play a part in what they are researching. I strongly agree that the role of emotion plays an important part on the learning process. If students are researching something that means something to them they are likely to give more effort and will probably hold on to what they have learned. I know when I do any kind of project or writing that really means something to me I enjoy doing it, try harder to do my best, and remember it. Another idea that I loved about the multi-genre research projects were how students have the option of writing in a range of genres. Giving students this option will not only make the project more beneficial to them but also will teach them a lot about writing genres even if they choose not to use the ones they learn about. I also really liked how the authors decided to steer away from the traditional research paper and allow students to learn about the person’s personal life they were researching and not just the main contributions they made.
Finally I really liked how students get to celebrate their projects and writing by making presentations that they present not only to their teacher but other people in their lives. I feel this shows the student that their efforts were much more than just a grade and that their work was really valued. I can’t wait to learn more about multi-genre projects. From what I have read thus far I think these projects have the potential to be very powerful learning tools!
You have great insights about multigenre projects - I am especially in agreement about the role of emotion in research. There is a need for interest, even passion, and there are also a lot of ups and downs whenever we are creating something that is truly new. I think that the creation of something new is what appeals to me most about multigenre projects.
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