The Learning Design Process – BORG Dreierschuetzengasse

The project was started by developing community maps with two of our Science classes comparing and contrasting changes in our school’s neighbourhood, an area that has been under constant development in recent years. Owing to the establishment of FH Joanneum the whole area has gained a completely new atmosphere. In field studies the students had to opportunity to find out about recent years’ shifts and alterations, which were presented to their peers through power point presentations and perfectly well depicted in our community maps.

While working students even designed talent/skills boats analyzing and selecting intelligences (according to Howard Gardner) found and used during group work. From the beginning of the project till the final steps it was clear that innovative didactic methods be used in order to stimulate creativity, such as e.g. de Bonos thinking hats, the Disney method, Fishbowl, World Café – just to name a few.

As already mentioned above, our objective was telling and staging the story of John’s extraordinary life, initiatives and marriage in various ways that express and combine our school’s unique atmosphere and characteristics.

For the realization of the performance and the video it was another essential requirement that students from all our school’s branches would (and could) become part of the project to interact in the creative process. Therefore, historical and modern musical pieces together with art, dance choreographies, chemical experiments and dramatic sequences were designed to be acted out on stage and put together in a scenic performance aiming to depict biographical highlights to complete the storyline. Music performed and recorded by our students was added to create unique elements and rhythm, pullovers and T-shirts designed by students for the stage highlighted the topic and created a specific atmosphere. Furthermore, students got an insight into filming dramatical sequences. To get a deeper insight into the Archduke’s life and to gain a feeling for his time and age, an excursion to Stainz Museum including a guided tour through the exhibition and the church was organized for the students. The teenagers highly appreciated the information they got, were excited to see miniature models of farming machines and equipment as well as to hear about the history of the famous “Steirische Käferbohne”. The excursion really succeeded in pointing out connections and relations between the past and the present in Graz and in some other parts of Styria. The students’ newly gained knowledge was later on discussed in presentations.