IsYourLessonaGrecianUrn?

cultofpedagogy.com/grecianurnlesson/

JenniferGonzalez

October30,2016


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Anearlierversionofthispostwaspublishedin2013.Thisisanupdatedversion.

Afewyearsago,Iwasworkingwithagroupofstudentteachers.OneofthemwellcallhimEricwasteaching
seventhgradesocialstudies.HisclasswasstudyingancientGreece.Thestandardsforgrade7requiredteachersto
addressconceptslikethegovernment,economics,andcultureofthisera.Forhis5dayunit,Ericwasgoingtofocus
ontheculturepart.
Onthefirstdayoftheunit,whichEricdevelopedwithhiscooperatingteacher,studentswouldreadthechapteroftheir
textbookthatsweptthroughthreecenturiesworthofancientGreekcultureinaboutfivepages.Thentheydwrite
answerstoasetofendofchapterquestions.Ondays2through4,studentswouldcreatetheirownGrecianurnsby
wrappingballoonswithpapiermch.Oncetheurnsweredry,studentswouldpainttheminasimilarstyletothatof
theGreeks,incorporatingsomethingpersonallymeaningfulasthemainartisticfeature.Finally,theywouldpresent
theirurnstotheclass.Onday5,theywouldbegivenaquizaskingthemtomatch10vocabularyterms,suchas
comedy,tragedy,urn,andOlympics,totheirdefinitions.
Feelingmorethanabitskeptical,IaskedErictoshowmethestandardshisunitwasalignedwith.Herustledthrough
somepaperwork,thenpointedtothislanguagefromthestatestandards:Studentswilldemonstrateanunderstanding
ofthecomplexityofculturebyexploringculturalelements(e.g.,beliefs,customs/traditions,languages,skills,literature,
thearts)ofdiversegroupsandexplaininghowcultureservedtodefinegroupsinworldcivilizationspriorto1500A.D.
andresultedinuniqueperspectives.
IreadthisoutloudtoEric,thenaskedhimtoshowmeexactlyhowhisplanstaughtormeasuredthestandard.
Foralongmoment,hesaidnothing.
Finally,heshruggedandtoldmetheunitwasbasicallywhathiscooperatingteacherhadalwaysdoneforancient
Greece.Shedtoldhimtheurnprojectwasreallyfun,andthatthekidslovedit.Theonlyproblemwas,ithadnothing
todowiththestandards.Drapingwet,glueynewspaperaroundaballoonhasnothingtodowithdeepeningones
understandingofsocietiesandcultures.

AllHandsOnTasksAreNotCreatedEqual
IwishEricsstorywasjustarareexample,butinmyworkwithstudentteachers,asaclassroomteachermyself,inmy
manyyearsasastudent,andnowasaparent,IveseenfartoomanyGrecianUrns:projectsthatlookcreative,that
theteachermightdescribeashandsonlearning,interdisciplinaryteaching,projectbasedinstruction,ortheintegration
ofartsortech,butthatnonethelesslackanysubstantiallearningforstudents.Whatsworse,becausetheseactivities
areoftentimeconsuming,theytakeawayfromothertasksthatwouldgivestudentsthechancetowrestlewithmore
challengingstuff.

IntheirgroundbreakingbookUnderstandingbyDesign,JayMcTigheandthelateGrantWigginsdescribethisproblem
astheSinofActivityOrientedDesign.Insteadoffocusingonthedesiredlearningoutcomes,thisapproachmerely
seeksouttasksthatmightbefun,oratleastkeepkidsbusy:Theactivities,thoughfunandengaging,donotlead
anywhereintellectually.(They)lackanexplicitfocusonimportantideasandappropriateevidenceoflearning.
Toillustratethis,WigginsandMcTighedescribea3rdgradeunitonapples.Inthistwoweekunit,studentsreadabout
JohnnyAppleseed,paintpicturesofapples,domathproblemsthatinvolveapples,writeapplethemedstories,make
applesauce,andtakeatriptoalocalorchard.Studentsprobablyenjoyedalloftheseactivities,anditslikelythatboth
teachersandstudentswerecharmedbyhowcleverlythethemewaswovenintosomanydifferentcontentareas.
Throughouttheunit,studentsprobablyseemedengaged,theclassroomwasfullofcolorsandproductivityandmaybe
evencollaboration,butwhatvaluablelearningactuallytookplace?
Letsmoveourlenstothehighergrades.Here,theGrecianUrnsmightinvolvenocraftsatall,butstillforcestudentsto
ridealongcurriculartangentsthat,ratherthaninspireandigniteapassionforlearning,leadtodeadends.
Takethemathandsocialstudiesteacherswhodecidetocoteachatwoweekunitonfamousmathematicians.Math
andhistory,right?Studentsspendmostofthefirstweekoncomputers,researchingthemathematiciansbirthplaces,
families,deaths,andcontributionstothefield(whichmoststudentssimplycopy,becausetheactualmathematical
conceptsareovertheirheadshowmanyeighthgradersdoyouknowwhocanexplaintheFibonaccisequence?).
TheyspendanotherthreeclassperiodscreatingPowerPointsorPrezisfulloffactsabouttheseobscurepioneersin
math,completewithneatoanimationsandstomachturningtransitions,andanotherthreedayspresentingthesetothe
class
Forwhat?
Noneofthekidsgotanybetteratmath,nordidtheirthirstforhistorygrow.Buttosomeonewalkingby,maybeevento
anadministratordoingaformalobservation,thisunitwouldlookkindofamazing.Studentsdoingonlineresearch!
Cooperativelearning!Technology!Interdisciplinarystudy!
No!
Theseteachersmisunderstoodandmisappliedtheconceptsofinterdisciplinarystudy,handsonlearning,andtech
integration,andtwoweeksofpreciousinstructionaltimewerewastedbecauseofit.

HowtoSpotaGrecianUrn
Itcouldbearguedthatalllessonshavesomeeducationalvalue,thatanykindofreadingandwriting,manipulating
materialsandwords,interactionwithpeers,andexposuretotheworldingeneralofferopportunitiesforlearning.With
thatinmind,thinkofGrecianUrnasmoreofarelativetermthananabsoluteone:FewlessonswillbepureGrecian
Urnsalmostanylessonwillprobablyhavesomearguableeducationalvalue.Farmorelessonswillsimplycontain
elementsthatareGrecianUrnishwecanmaketheselessonsbetterifwetrytominimizethoseelements.
ThebestwaytoidentifyaGrecianUrnistolookatataskandaskthisquestion:Doesitconsumefarmoreofa
studentstimethanisreasonableinrelationtoitsacademicimpact?Ifstudentsspendmoretimeonworkthatwillnot
movethemforwardintheskillyouthinkyouareteaching,thenitmaybeaGrecianUrn.Anditmayneedtogo.
HerearesomemorespecificwaystospottheGrecianUrnsinyourteaching,andwhatyoucoulddotoreplacethem:

1.ExcessiveColoringorCrafting
Ifyourlessonrequiresmoretimecoloring,cutting,orpastingthanmeaningfulworkwiththecontentyouretryingto
teach,itmightbeaGrecianUrn.Ifyouareaprimaryteacherandstudentsneedtodeveloptheirfinemotorskills,then
theseactivitieshaveaclearplaceinyourclassroom.Everyoneelseshouldusethesetasksmoresparingly.

Thisdoesntmeanyoushouldneveraskstudentstocolor,cut,paste,sing,act,ordraw,buteverytimeyoudo,ask
yourselfifthatworkiscontributingtolearning.Ifnot,theremaybeawaytocutdownthetimeittakes.Supposeyou
wantstudentstodrawillustrationsofvocabularywords.Addingvisualscanworkwonderstoboostmemory,sothisis
aninstructionallysounddecision.Butisitnecessaryfortheseillustrationstobecolored?Onposterboard?Orhanging
fromamobile?Wouldasimplelinedrawingbesideeachwordonaregularsheetofpaperservethesamepurpose?
Nowifyourgoalistrueintegrationoftheartsintoyourcurriculum,Ihavetwoarticlestorecommendtoyou.Bothof
thesereallydigintowhatitlookslikewhenteachersusearttoreallyenhancestudentslearning:readthispostonarts
integrationfromMindShiftandthisonefromEdutopiatolearnmoreaboutwhatthislookslike.

2.ExcessiveNeatOTech
Thisisthetechequivalentofitem#1:Ifstudentsarespendinglotsandlotsoftimesearchingforimages,makingdigital
drawings,addinganimationsoreffectstoslideshows,addingsoundeffectsorspecialtitlestopodcastsandvideos,
youareprobablyheadingintoGrecianUrnterritory.
Thekeyphrasehereislotsandlotsoftime:Ourstudentswillabsolutelybenefitfromlearninghowtocombinetextwith
images,manipulatepresentationstomakethemmoreinteresting,andmakeuseofallthedigitaltoolsattheirdisposal.
ButwhenastudentburnstwohourslisteningtosoundclipssohecanmakeaphotoofLangstonHugheszoomonto
hisPowerPointslidetothesoundofscreechingbrakes,well,hesprobablynotdoingmuchthinkingabouttheHarlem
Renaissance.
Sowhenyoureassigningworkthatrequiresthecreativeuseoftech,bemindfulofhowmuchtimestudentsareputting
intothebellsandwhistles.Lookatyourrubricandmakesureyouhaventrequiredtoomanyofthesebellsand
whistlestobeginwith.Andifpossible,seeiftheycanmakethebellsandwhistlesrelevant:Ifstudentswantsoundin
theirslideshowabouttheHarlemRenaissance,havethemaddaDukeEllingtonsong,musicthatsactuallyfromthat
era,ratherthanafunnysoundeffect.

3.LowLevelThinking
MostofthethinkinginaGrecianUrntaskisonthelowestlevelofBloomsTaxonomy.Inotherwords,thetaskappears
tobecreative,buttheprimaryacademicworkisrearrangingandregurgitatingbasicfactsordefinitions.
LetslookattwopossibleassignmentsforstudentstodemonstratetheirunderstandingoftheFoodPyramid.Inone
class,theteacherhasstudentsrecreatethepyramidasahangingmobile.Theywriteallthepartsofthepyramidon
piecesofcoloredpaperandhangthosepapersontoahangerorsomething.Theymightalsobeaskedtodraworcut
outmagazinepicturesoffoodsthatrepresentitemswithineachpartofthepyramid.AllofthisworkisattheRemember
andUnderstandlevelofBlooms.Studentsaremoreorlessdefiningstuff,andyetthetaskstilltakesanawfullylong
timetocomplete.GrecianUrn.
ButwhatsthepointofteachingtheFoodPyramid?Dontwewantstudentstolearnitsotheycanmakehealthyeating
choices?Heresadifferentassignment:Havestudentswriteupa3dayeatingplanthatappliestheprinciplesofthe
Pyramid.Sure,theycandrawaborderarounditiftheylike.Thiswilltakefiveminutes.Theycanchooseacoolfontfor
theheadingsthats10minutes.Butshouldnttherealtimeconsumingworkbeputintodeeplywrestlingwiththe
contentitself?

4.BigPointsforCreativity
AnassignmentmightbeaGrecianUrnifasignificantpartofthegradeisbasedoncreativityorattractiveness.And
bytheway,Imabigdesignsnob.Ithinkpresentationisimportant.Butifmorethan10percentofagradeisbasedon
thesethingsandIeventhink10percentispushingitwerenotmeasuringthelearningthatssupposedtobetaking
place.

Thefixforthiscouldntbeeasier.Cutwaybackonthepointsyouassignforcreativityorattractiveness.Andifyoufind
thattheprojectsyougetdontexciteyoubecausetheyarenotcolorfulorpretty,itstimetostartplanningprojectsthat
willexciteyouwiththeircontent.

5.WordSearch
Ifthetaskisawordsearch,theresaverystrongchanceitisaGrecianUrn.Someargumentcouldprobablybemade
forhowwordsearchesreinforceletterrecognitionintheveryearlygrades.Fine.Butifsomeformofletterrecognition,
decodingskill,orlanguagedevelopmentisnotthecurricularintentofyourwordsearch,thenyourwordsearchis
probablyaGrecianUrn.IfyouareateacherwhodoesnthavetimetodothingslikeprojectbasedlearningorGenius
Hour,butyouhavetimetomakewordsearchesandhavestudentsspendtimedoingthem?Dropthewordsearches
andyoujustboughtyourselfandyourstudentsatleast30extraminutesperweek.

WhatThen?
SoyouhaveidentifiedacoupleofGrecianUrnsinyourlessons.Whatdoyoudoaboutthem?
Oneoptionistocutthemout.Justmovethoselessonsoutofyourplanbookandreplacethemwithactivitiesthatwill
actuallyresultinlearning.Lookagainatyourgoals:Whatdoyouwantstudentstoknoworbeabletodobythetime
theyredone?Andwhattaskswillhelpthemgetthere?
Theotheroptionistorevisethem.LetsgobacktoEricandhisurns.Maybeinsteadofusingupthreeclassdayson
allthatwetnewspaperbusiness,hecouldhavestudentsdrawtheirurnsonpaper.Hecouldbuildthehistorical
relevancebyprovidingstudentswithimagesoftypicalGreekurns,havethemchooseone,thendrawtheirownurn
withimagesthatparallelthoseintheoriginal,butwithamoderntwist.Soiftheurntheychoosedepictsabattle,they
mightdrawsomethingontheirownthatrepresentsasignificantwarorotherbattlethathasoccurredinthelast
century.Studentscouldthenaddcaptionstotheirdrawings,pointingoutthesedetailsandthethinkingbehindthem.
IfyoureallylikeyourGrecianUrnactivity,youdonthavetocompletelydropit.Butifyoucantweakittomakeittake
lesstimeandbuildinmorecurricularrelevance,youvemadeitalotlessurnyand,inturn,givenitamorerightful
placeinyourclassroom.

TheFunandSanityLoopholes
Havingsaidallthis,Ithinkitsimportanttonotethatnotallclassroomactivitieshavetohaveaclearlydefined,rigorous
academicpurpose.TherewillbetimeswhenataskthatwouldbecalledaGrecianUrninonecontextservesa
completelydifferentpurposeinanother.
TheFunLoophole
Buildingrelationshipswithstudents,creatingafamilylikeatmosphere,andmakingtheclassroomaplacestudents
lovetocomehasincrediblevalue.IfIdidntbelievethis,IneverwouldhavewrittensomethingcalledWhenaPrincipal
WhipsandNaeNaes.Somethingsshouldjustbedoneforfun.Ifstudentsabsolutelyloveplayingwiththedrawingapp
ontheiriPads,makethatanoptionforfreetime.Ifstudentswanttocreateacollageasathankyougiftforadeparting
student,byallmeansletthem.
TheSanityLoophole
Atothertimes,youjustneedyourstudentstobestillandquiet.Maybeyourecomingdownwithastomachbugoryou
justgotbadnewsoverthephone.Maybethemorningassemblyleftyouwithonly6minutesofclasstimeandyou
knowyourenotgoingtogetanythingdone.Maybetheyhavedrivenyoutotheabsolutebrinkandyoureabouttostart
throwingthings.Thebestteachersintheworldhavedayswhentheyjustcantbeon.Atthosetimes,goodold
fashionedbusyworkislikemannafromheaven.Thatswhenyouhavethemcolor.Thatswhenyoupullouttheword
searches.

Whenusedforfunorsanity,thesetasksarenolongerGrecianUrnstheyremorelikeclassroommanagement
strategies.Theimportantthingistoknowthedifference.

ThatswhatItriedtoteachEricaswerevisedhisunit.Wehadhimusesomegraphicorganizeractivities,where
studentsdidsidebysidecomparisonsofancientGreekandmoderndayculturalelements.Studentsthencompleteda
lengthyquestionnaire,wheretheytookontheidentityofapersoninAncientGreece.Eachstudentchoseasocialrank,
age,andgender,andwroteaboutwhattheirlifewaslike.Somequestionsaskedthemtodescribetheirfeelingsabout
otherpeopleintheircommunityandaboutsocialissues.Theyhadtodrawafewsketchesofsomeoftheartifactsin
theirdailylifeanddescribewhytheseartifactswereimportanttothem.Onceallstudentscompletedthese
questionnaires,theyworkedtogethertoarrangethemonawallinawaythatrepresentedtheirsocialhierarchy.
Theactivitytookthreedays.Studentscollaborated,usedtechnologytoresearchtheirpersonslife,andevenusedabit
ofcolorfortheirsketches.Intheend,theyunderstoodalotmoreaboutancientGreekcultureandabouthowculture
influenceswhoweare.
Andtheydiditallwithoutasinglestripofglueynewspaper.

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