The way we were spending our time during the "field trip" was 100% in our hands, it was up to us on how we decided to use our productivity, and in my opinion, this worked as definite motivation for the class.
Thinking about this even deeper, I began comparing it to past or even current MYP/IB projects, as I analyzed the topic I realized the lack of guidelines given to us during this particular field trip and how they caused us to be more diverse. Usually, projects tend to come with neatly outlined steps, certain goals we need to meet or different expectations, which can actually be very helpful for some, but the truth is, it takes away all the room for creativity. As we grow older, we need a chance to be independent, creating our own products with our own guidelines and eventually leading our minds to grow in a diverse way.
Getting to know the importance of being independent, got me thinking about the various opportunities we have had to do so in the IA, and even though this project is very similar to previous ones, the experience felt different.
It first began when planning the video, we were told that everybody could choose their own topic of film including the music, the shots , and the vibe. Each set of pairs had to plan out where and how they were going to be shooting, preparing us before hand. Having in mind that everybody had different topics, we had to be very flexible with the locations, some would be on the streets, others in restaurants, stores etc. But this certainly didn't limit us in any way, we were still allowed to move from place to place with complete control of what we were filming. Knowing that our productivity was on us, we had to take advantage of the little time we had to gather all of our clips, this lead us to be more efficient and conscious of what we were doing throughout the entire field trip. From the looks of it, we were very motivated and passionate on the project, because by the time we were done, everybody had the necessary footage to start editing the film.
This experience truly showed me how being independent and having the right amount of freedom can truly get you motivated in working on a specific task, being completely in control of what to do makes the person exceed that extra mile in reaching success. When one is tossed with rules and obligations, it takes away the benefit of the project being yours, and instead we view it as just another school assignment.