Assessment
Learning Context/ Introduction
Students in a business marketing class create store displays to better understand their importance in advertising.
Purpose
Students in Grades 11 and 12 in the business marketing class at Valley Stream Central High School learn the importance of store displays "by doing." A corridor bulletin board and a showcase are secured for class use. Students are grouped in triads. Each triad is assigned one month for a bulletin board display and an alternate month to exhibit a display in the showcase. This project is started in September and continues the entire school year. The displays are changed monthly.
Connection to School Curriculum
The marketing course is a full year business elective. Display is a unit in the marketing curriculum. This experience incorporates SCANS which is a part of course instruction utilizing cooperative learning and team building strategies.
What Skills/Knowledge Students Need Prior To This Activity
The teacher instructs students on the purpose of displays, introduces basic display principles, and facilitates the discussion on sensitivity issues during the first week of the course in order that students have some knowledge base to begin the project. Students begin the project with the following:
- Familiar with the purpose of store displays (to increase sales and to heighten customer interest).
- Have discussed the need to be sensitive to entire target market (example: a holiday display should address Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa).
- Have been introduced to the basic principles of display, target audience, color, theme, proportion, and effectiveness in large display.
Duration
| Planning : |
(Teacher) Explanation and discussion about tasks involve two or three class periods (a class period is 42 minutes)
(Triad) Works independently for one class period during month for layout (Note: Rest of class is engaged in other activity.)
|
| Implementation : |
Each triad works independently for two class periods to mount display
|
| Assessment : |
(Students) Evaluate each display and complete form (20 mins. a month)
(Teacher) Approximately 15 minutes for each triad's display
|
Instructional/Environment Modifications
"Become a pack rat!" A storage area is needed to house items that may be used for displays. It is also helpful to use a showcase, which can be locked for items on display which students may need secured.
Procedure
What Students Do
- Students work in teams of three (triad). Each triad requests one month for the showcase display and a second month for the bulletin board display.
- Assignments are made based on requests; however, if a triad receives the bulletin board assignment in the first half of the course, then the showcase assignment is during the latter part of the course. This allows each triad an opportunity to revisit the principles of display and demonstrate improvement on the second display.
- Prior to the assigned month, the triad meets to brainstorm ideas, identify target market, and give "layout" and a "Needs List" to the teacher for approval.
- After receiving approval, the triad assembles materials needed with teacher assistance.
- Each triad is given two class periods to mount a display.
- Each triad gives an oral presentation to the class about the display in the corridor in front of the exhibit.
- All students complete an evaluation form for each bulletin board and showcase display.
What Teacher Does
- After introducing the purpose, basic principles of display and emphasizing the need to be sensitive to entire market, triads are randomly established as follows: A deck of cards is created containing the total number of students in the class. Three numbers are used three times in the deck. A card is given to each student. The students find their triad members by locating students with their number.
- The student evaluation form is presented and discussed.
- The rubric used by the teacher is discussed.
- Assistance maybe needed to help triads gather material, paper, letters, etc.
- The components to be included in the oral presentation are reviewed: (explanation of theme, target market, design, objective, color, etc.)
- Student assessment forms are used as input for completing the rubric.
Student Work
Resources
Students:
Triads are responsible for gathering items for displays and using available art supplies housed in the storage area. Items vary monthly.
Teacher:
Provides basic art supplies needed for each display from the "Needs List." The students furnish specialty items they wish to use in the displays.
Teacher used a professional display manager employed with a large shopping mall in the community who visited the class and spoke about display techniques and careers in the field. Subsequent to this visit, the class met at the mall on an "installation" day and was permitted to assist in the creation of mall displays.
Assessment
Each student completed the Marketing Student Evaluation of Showcase/Bulletin Board form. Forms are shared with each triad and can be helpful with the second display.
In completing the rubric for each triad, the teacher used the student evaluation forms as input. Points earned were converted to a percentage and used in computing a quarter report card grade.
Student Evaluation - Microsoft WordStudent Evaluation - PDF Rubric - Microsoft WordRubric - PDF
Student Work
Photographs of a bulletin board display and a showcase display are with the completed rubric for each.
BULLETIN BOARD DISPLAY
This is a photograph of the display by three students. The theme is the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. The theme is very evident. There is good use of space, and the use of a "Black" background spoke to his tragic demise.
SHOWCASE DISPLAY
This is a photograph of the showcase by two students. The theme is "NFL Football." All of the small figures in the background represent each NFL team. There is a great deal of detail; some items, however, are too small. The use of color is very good. The display drew the attention of the students in school.
Author
Marsha Iverson, Hofstra University
Reflection
This is one of the most effective and comprehensive projects I use in my marketing classes. Students engage in problem solving, material processing, team building and assessment. This activity is a great marketing tool for promoting the course. The entire school population sees the displays completed by the marketing students. Many are intrigued and decide to elect the course.
Although this activity is used in a marketing course, peer reviewers have commented that the format can be used in an art course, social studies and other disciplines making minor adaptations in the rubric.
It also was suggested that since a working relationship has been established with professionals from the community mall, one or more of these individuals could be used to critique in-school student displays. This would enrich the assessment plan.
