Senior Project 2012Awesome

Memorizing ThinkingAcademic Best Personal Best

Follow Curriculum

Follow Interests

Hints at What Your Grade Will Be

Hints at What Your Future Will Be

Involves Risk TakingInvolves Playing it

SafeRelies on Knowing Answers

Relies on Asking Right Question

Being Scholarly

Being Smart

Finding the right question

Topic:Beauty

Question:Do magazines promote unhealthy images of beauty?

Question:Would you be willing to become extremely

ugly physically if it meant you would live for 1,000 years at any physical age you chose?

Revolving Research

I agree

It’s bothI disagree

It’s neither

They Say

Group ActivityFor each magazine article, identify:•The topic•The focus question

So What? Who Cares?“The problem is not necessarily that the speakers lack a clear, well-focused thesis or that the thesis is inadequately supported with evidence. Instead, the problem is that the speakers don’t address the crucial question of why their arguments matter.”

Graff and Birkenstein, They Say, I Say

Group ActivityPrioritize the 6 questions from most relevant to least relevant

How on earth does anyone propose to assign a number to something as complex as a college or university?

Will technology be a form of tyranny or will it free us from tyranny? Will it upend democracy or strengthen

it?

If the end of white America is a cultural and demographic inevitability, what will the new

mainstream look like and how will white Americans fit into it?

What explains teenage behavior?

Can parents harm their children by doing too much?

Topic Brainstorming

Objective:Leave class with 25 viable senior project

ideas that you are genuinely enthusiastic

about

This is what enthusiasm looks like

Brainstorming Tip #1Turn off your inner critic

The Brain has two hemispheres

Right brain functions

ThoughtIntuitionCreativityArt &

Music

Left brain functionsAnalytic Thought

Logic

LanguageScience &

Math

The Right Brain keeps you from turning into Spock

Right brain functions

ThoughtIntuitionCreativityArt &

Music

The Left Brain keeps you from turning into a Space Hippie

Left brain functionsAnalytic Thought

Logic

LanguageScience &

Math

To generate good ideas, you must silence your inner critic

Right brain functions

ThoughtIntuitionCreativityArt &

Music

Left brain functions

That ideas is dumb.It will never work.

And let your creative side play

Right brain functions

Left brain functions

This is fun!

How do I do that?

Limit your time!Don’t give your brain time to criticize.

Give yourself 20 minutes to come up 50 ideas.

Record your ideas on sticky notes

IDEA 1

IDEA 3

IDEA 2

IDEA 4Organize them later

Or mind maps!

Stay away from the computer - it will slow you down

Collaborate with others

In five years, what do I hope to have accomplished?

Make lists of interests, hobbies, goals, concerns

What do I want to do better?

What do I want to learn more about?

What experiences do I want to have?

What controversial issues do I feel strongly about?

What professions am I interested in?

What problems do I want to see solved?

What organizations or groups do I admire?

Where would I like to travel?

Brainstorming Tip #2Look for inspiration elsewhere

Where?

Reference books

Magazines Databases

LIBRARY RESOURCES