The Space Research Competition - What does it mean to embody the 8 C's?

On a regular Thursday morning, I went to school armed with lesson plans and a vision to teach. However, the day had different plans for both me and my students. As I entered the school, a senior science teacher called out to me. She looked like she was in a hurry so I ran up to her, only to hear her panting while explaining what has happened. An order was sent from the MP's office, instructing all schools to conduct an impromptu space-research competition. It was my job to prepare ten students to deliver speeches and create models based on India's space missions. 

I knew my students weren't confident enough to deliver speeches, and I knew the school was under-resourced to provide materials for the models. So what does one do in such situations? I wore my yellow hat and decided to look at all the possibilities this situation was throwing at me. 

To be fair, I didn't have much to do, contrary to what I was expecting. The students who volunteered to participate in the events were apprehensive initially. They were all quiet, uninterested, and just didn't care. All they needed was a little motivation and push to make this project their own, and show some leadership. I explained the purpose of this project to them, and we discussed why we are doing this. Post that, the students started showing so much initiative, combined with critical thinking and collaboration, and in less than 5 hours they had a beautiful model to showcase.

Highlights of this exercise : 

1. When the students realised they have this task to take on, they went about a very methodical way to complete it. They made a list of things they need, divided it among themselves, went scavenging outside the school to find these, came back promptly, divided the work amongst themselves, and performed with efficiency. 

2. A student who usually does not respond at all in class, and has been termed to be the most disinterested one, volunteered for this competition. He showed genuine excitement about the project, and even showed the courage to stand in front of the class during the showcase, and speak about the model. This gave me a huge insight into what might interest the student, if not for traditional methods of learning. 

Here is an image of the final model - Indias Mangalyaan : 

Students who volunteered for the speech event - delivering their speeches 

Students who made the model - explaining their efforts