What is a curveball?
The world is full of unexpected challenges and we want our students to be prepared to face whatever comes their way. We are developing a systematic approach to introducing unexpected challenges into classroom instruction in order to explicitly help students become more comfortable in uncomfortable situations. We call these challenges “curveballs”- wrinkles that teachers introduce to a project to create new conditions that students must adapt to. By introducing periodic curveballs, we intentionally ask students throughout the learning journey to adapt, iterate, face ambiguity, and learn from their mistakes -- thus becoming more prepared for the unexpected in the future.
choose & embed
Using the Curveball Library, choose and embed Curveballs throughout your project.
execute & assess
Do the Curveball as a part of your current project.
Assess the students using the Curveball Rubric and the What to Look For checklist. Share your feedback with students.
Debrief & Reflect
Complete a whole class debrief after the curveball using the Student Reflection Questions resource as a guide.
Have students self-assess for the Curveball using the rubric and Individual Reflection Prompts. Include time in class or assign as homework to reflect the same day so that students do not forget the experience!
