On Wednesday, Nov. 9, students in JP deGuzman’s Honors Capstone: Historical Analysis took to campus for a special scavenger hunt lesson. A surprise activity meant to conclude a unit where students learned how to locate, read, and decode complex academic journal articles and chapters from monographs or anthologies, students were broken up into teams and given separate clues that took them across campus to find QR codes with specific tasks. These tasks required students to practice navigating academic databases like JSTOR and using the Chicago Style citation format. After they completed each task - such as finding journal articles that use concepts discussed in class such as "Ideological State Apparatuses" or citing works from the 19th century - they'd email JP their findings and, if they were successful, they’d receive another clue. The fastest group took about 30 minutes!
All in all, students demonstrated a keen aptitude for this critical skill, which is the building block for the 20-page undergraduate style research paper they will start working on later in the year and something students will need in college. A special shoutout is due to Sarah, Cielo, and Natalie from the Center for Teaching and Learning, who were vital in helping students build these skills.
"This activity represents the best of what teaching at Windward is all about, whether it's partnership or the ability to experiment with new kinds of lessons,” said JP. “The scavenger hunt developed out of a collaboration with my former History Capstone co-teacher Dr. Regan Buck Bardeen. Even though many people think that history is very solitary, I've been inspired by colleagues who have worked with the CTL or CREATE Studio to find ways for students to demonstrate their analytical skills in interactive ways, and sometimes even with a bit of healthy competition."
