Project Based Learning

 This is seriously a case of the teacher learning as much as the students are learning.  When a project  incorporates different possible scenarios as a solution to a 'driving question', it is referred to as 'project based learning.'  It is the basis of my successful grant with BP Energy.

The students started with a real life situation, Earth Day, in April.  We read a Curious George book about planting a tree.  From there, the students were involved with an inquiry around the question "Should Recycling be Required?"  This inquiry involved understanding that some countries do a great job of recycling cans but others do not!  The students wrote a little opinion piece after the inquiry.

This led to this new 'driving question' What is Energy?  They had read that recycling saves energy, but did they know what energy was or why it should be saved?

Here's the real learning for me!  Our school district is requiring that students in Grades 4 to 12 bring their own device in September 2016.  I attended a number of inservices after school to learn about something called Google Classroom, which is a way to have students interact with technology provided by the teacher.  I decided to give this a try throughout this project.  Steep Learning curve for me!

Old habits die hard, and in doing my research about what other teachers are doing, it became clear that since my class does not have their own devices, I needed to have the good old fashioned bulletin board to refer to during the lessons.  The students could not be expected to have a device open all throughout to refer to.  They are just learning how to navigate this system along with me.

You might have heard that in Alberta, a ministerial order was signed and that school communities are being required to report of students' progress in the competencies, also known as the 3 E's: being an engaged thinker,  ethical citizen, showing an entrepreneurial spirit and in Catholic Schools, having an evangelical heart.

Here is another way to discuss the changing way we look at students' learning.  We want them to be 21st Century learners who possess these skills: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.

The students log into a google classroom where I ask them a question.  I also include a little video to help them think about the question, or provide them with some information.  Today's two little videos were to answer our next driving question "What types of energy are there?'

Here are the ideas that they came up with and then, using their different coloured highlighters

they collaborated and which items on this picture should be which colour. Their group had to be in agreement before a colour could be used.  It gave them a chance to really communicate.

Fingers crossed, I took a little clip of the loud but enjoyable moments of discussion today.

I hope it works!

Good Deeds

Everyone loves to play with clay.  Each child was given a piece to roll out,

and then add to their table partners' pieces to create one long rope.

They worked together to bring the three long pieces to one table,

where the three pieces were braided together.

The braided clay was wound into a circle, and the children instantly saw that it looked like a crown.  We added toothpicks and discussed how our transgressions even today, add to Jesus' pain.

Father asked us at the Ash Wednesday Mass to do one small, kind deed each and every day of Lent.

Each morning, the students who have done so, can remove one thorn, from our representation of Jesus' crown of thorns.  Our prayer table has representations for the three aspects  of Lent that we are striving to add to our daily lives: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

It is soooo exciting to have out iPads all up and running.  The students were given their first opportunity to search for an answer to a question I posed.  We discussed that you must read the little 'teaser' at each site before you go to it, in order to know if it is an appropriate site, or if it will be a waste of time.  Since almost all of the students have earbuds, it was a quiet session as they engaged in the task.

The Ministerial Order that will see a shift in the manner in which schools deliver curriculum to 21st century learners, includes as its first goal to:
"enable all students to achieve the... outcome(s)....

be Engaged Thinkers and Ethical Citizens with an Entrepreneurial Spirit.."

When students are set a task in which they choose the manner in which they will solve the problem imposed, they are working on that entrepreneurial spirit.

 

More about that as we continue our learning journey!

Shrove Tuesday

This week saw us celebrate Shrove Tuesday, the day that we reflect on how to bring a clean heart into the season of Lent.  On Wednesday, our entire school will travel to our parish and celebrate mass for Ash Wednesday.  It has been years since I have had the privilege of bringing students to church on this important day, the beginning of Lent.

A HUGE thank you to the parents who organized our pancake 'mid-morning' lunch.  The students loved the healthy oranges and bananas that accompanied their pancakes and juice.

They ate it all up!

I am over the moon with our success using our iPads.  All of the students have completed their reports and this week we are learning how to use the iPads to video tape (probably a more modern 'techie' word for that, but I am of an age...) each other.  The plan is to take the iMovie (is that what I should call it??) and upload (see I know new terms!) onto my private Youtube channel (which I set up all by myself!!)

Once the movies are loaded, I will be creating QR codes and these will be displayed so that when the parents come for Student Led Conferences later in the month, they can use their SMARTphones, and scan their child's code.

That code will then allow the parent to view their child reading their report!  I hope it all works!

Please, if you don't have a QR code reader downloaded onto your device, please do so.  If you don't have the kind of phone that allows for that technology, I will have my iPads available for you to use!

You should be able to book your time for Student Led Conferences on March 25 and March 26 on line now.