As my senior World Religion students have begun to discover different ways of seeing the world I asked them to put the principals of the Buddhist 8-fold path into their own worldview.  They were assigned to explain the 8-fold path in images from their own life.  

In Buddhism, the 8-fold path is the practical instructions to help individual Buddhists understand the suffering in the world and to aid them in reaching nirvana/enlightenment.  In lieu of a traditional essay or test I challenged my students to adapt the 8-fold path in their own view through photos, drawings and other images.  For many of my students this was the first time that they had been assigned a photo essay.  I was not sure what to expect and I knew it could be an assignment that the students would not take seriously, or that they would not see the value.  It is always a small risk to assign a new project or style of assessment.  I worry what the students feedback will be and if they will actually understand the point of the assignment.  In this case, I wanted them to understand that religious principles can be universal, and by thinking about the Buddhist 8-fold path and adapting the ideas in one’s own words and in one’s own life that the concepts would stick.  I was pleased to discover that this happened.  My students came to understand that spiritual ideas can transcend specific religions. My classes told me that they loved looking through their own photo archives and discussing their viewpoints with their friends and family.  Many searched for pictures from their childhood and they went on many emotional journeys.  A few students commented that they really appreciated the push to sort through pictures and memories as they prepare for what is next. All of these were unintended results and incredibly encouraging to continue to try something different in assessments.  

Most students chose to submit their project digitally.  I had given them the option of creating a visual as well.  The photo above is one of my favorite student creations.