The second year of breaking my class into two separate parts, journalists and traditional, is now in gathering steam. The Radio Action News Team has had some great early experiences to share. Their first live interview on 100.1 KRUU was a no-show. Unfortunately some Marx-Brother-Like confusion happened as the radio team was getting ready. Two people came into the station and asked to speak to someone in charge of the studio. They were our guests who had no idea they were being interviewed by middle school students and, since my students hadn’t actually met face-to-face with their guests yet, were directed to the back. |
The station assistant had not actually learned our names yet either, so when the interviewees asked for my students by name, they were told they weren't here. The guests left a message and went home.
Luckily we had a practice show prerecorded. As we were driving back to the school one of my students said, “I learned a lot more today than I thought I would.” Here we just had a total meltdown of communication that resulted in a near complete failure of our first show and we all “learned more than we thought we would.”
Because my students were doing a real job, they pulled success and learning out of failure. I could not have planned and orchestrated such a lesson in a traditional classroom. Even if I could, learn from our mistakes and communication is key are lessons that would take months to pull off. These kids did it themselves in fifteen minutes.
The Radio Action News Team really has learned those lessons well. They’ve published their first blog on 100.1 KRUU FM’s website and did a very difficult interview with a whole 5th and 6th grade class. They are doing a real job and getting real work experience.
Luckily we had a practice show prerecorded. As we were driving back to the school one of my students said, “I learned a lot more today than I thought I would.” Here we just had a total meltdown of communication that resulted in a near complete failure of our first show and we all “learned more than we thought we would.”
Because my students were doing a real job, they pulled success and learning out of failure. I could not have planned and orchestrated such a lesson in a traditional classroom. Even if I could, learn from our mistakes and communication is key are lessons that would take months to pull off. These kids did it themselves in fifteen minutes.
The Radio Action News Team really has learned those lessons well. They’ve published their first blog on 100.1 KRUU FM’s website and did a very difficult interview with a whole 5th and 6th grade class. They are doing a real job and getting real work experience.