CEP 818: How Do I Love Thee? Module 3

Module 3: How Do I Love Thee?

Patterns: Pattern Recognition and Formation

There are many patterns that we recognize and utilize throughout my Independent Living class. For example, we study organization, time management and stress. During this unit, the students choose a small space that could use a little organizing. The goal is to organize the space so that items they need are accessible when they need them. This allows for better productivity and time management as well as reduced stress. The students take “before” and “after” pictures of the space they choose to organize. They also write a reflection paper that discusses the steps they follow from our lecture/video on effective organizing. Completing these tasks really help the students to analyze their existing situation, strategize to make it better and then attack the area by grouping similar items, tossing away garbage, etc. The existing patterns are pretty obvious in their pictures, but their reflection papers also show distinctive patterns. Many students discuss sorting their items, grouping like items together by size, color, shape, importance, etc., and then assigning them to specific areas or zones for future retrieval. In doing this, they are creating patterns in the layouts that they choose.



Another example of pattern usage when my students create “mock” college course schedules. They use a time log grid and fill in the time slots with courses, work hours, study time, etc. This gives them an idea of what their daily/weekly schedules might look like after graduating high school. I have the students highlight and color-code the various activities they have scheduled throughout the week and one pattern they quickly notice is how little free time they have in between everything.




Since reading the pattern chapters in Spark, I think there are a few different assignments that would benefit my students with pattern recognition and forming patterns. One of them could be a dorm room layout design project…

We discuss how dorm rooms are typically very tiny and crammed spaces and how important it is to maximize space. Not only would the students have to create patterns by moving furniture items but they would also need to consider traffic patterns and door/drawer clearance spaces.


Another useful lesson that references patterns would be reading a bus schedule/map. This would involve recognizing patterns in streets, bus stops, buildings, etc. in addition to time schedules. This would be useful because the students would have to consider many factors when choosing times/bus stops and ensure they allow for enough time to walk from place to place in between. This would also teach them to recognize the layout of the surrounding areas and neighborhood. They would have a clear view of the streets and notice patterns created with the grid-like features that are displayed.