Understanding the creative JuxtaLearn process

First, I’ll outline the JuxtaLearn performance process

Juxta-Learn context	Step #	Action	Who (actors)	Notes
1: diagnosis & feedback	1	Identify the tricky topic (TT)	Teacher
	2	Identify the stumbling blocks (SB) of the TT
	3	Create the example teaching activity (ETA)
2: creative juxta-positioning	4	Choose a SB to work with	Students
	5	Find the characters of the ETA		These two steps of finding character & setting can be in either order
	6	Find the settings(s) of the ETA
	7	Choose a stumbling block
	8	Explore the storyline of the stumbling block
	9	Create juxtaposing characters		These two steps of creating character & setting can be in either order
	10	Create juxtaposing settings
	11	Create a storyline that relates the juxtaposing characters & settings

Hence,

ETA	Juxtaposed performance
Characters	Juxtaposed characters
Setting	Juxtaposed setting
Storyline	Juxtaposed storyline

For example,

ETA		Juxtaposed performance
Characters	Molecular values of water and carbon dioxide	Juxtaposed characters	Mrs Mole and her blobby friends in  green plasticine
Setting	Laboratory containers	Juxtaposed setting	Bell jars
Storyline	Process of titration or calculation of moles depending on stumbling block	Juxtaposed storyline	Narrative comparison of molecular size and weights

Now the students can plan the story scenes on their storyboard

Stories from settings and characters

Being as it's Christmas, I've been thinking about the Christmas story.  Like most stories, you can construct it from its setting and its characters.  I analysed the Christmas carols we sing at services:

Carol	Setting	Characters	Comment
Once in Royal David’s City	A town, with a cattle shed, stable	Mother, baby,	Nowadays, you are unlikely to find any cattle in a city, but until the beginning of the 20th century, people provided fresh milk in towns and cities by keeping cows in the town. You can find old pictures of cattle grazing on the open spaces. Stables were needed everywhere because of the use of horses for transport.
While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night	Night time,	Shepherds, angels, baby, manger (stable)
The First Nowell	Fields, cold winter’s night	Angel, shepherds, sheep
Little Town of Bethlehem	Silent morning, stars, dark street,	Angels present, and sleeping mortals, but interesting absence of people but with reference mortals sleeping, and God, Christ and Mary.
Silent Night	Bright, silent night, near dawn	Mother, child, shepherds, contrasting noise from a singing ‘heavenly host’
Three Kings	Star, Bethlehem plain	Kings, 3 from the orient, and a fourth born, referred to but otherwise not active.	Notice the use of props (boundary objects) in this carol.  Each gift has a meaning.
Little Donkey	A road, town in sight, star above, cattle shed	Mary, donkey, wise men,
Good King Wenceslas	Deep crisp even snow, bright moon lit night, forest,	King (old man) and page boy, poor man carry fuel (pine logs)
Little Drummer Boy	The setting isn’t stated	Ox, lamb, drummer boy, Mary, baby, “They”	Note the need for the prop (the drum). The “they” refers to people who told the boy to bring gifts.

You see how, knowing characters and settings you can construct a story.  If you have a Christian background, you probably know the story is about the same in most of these carols - they all refer to night time, a clear night and a special star, and they are all about a special baby.  Some of them make this an opportunity to express another sentiment or meaning.  For instance, the "Three Kings" uses the gift of myrrh to forecast the baby's death.  "Once in Royal David's City" admonishes children to be as obedient and good as the baby. "While Shepherds Watched" offers glory to God. 
For the JuxtaLearn project, students need similarly identify settings and characters that unfold a story that expresses a deeper meaning about the STEM subject of interest. 
Happy Christmas.