Today's TTLA Presentation
Friday 23 May 2014
Monday 19 May 2014
Badges and Passports
As well as creating Adventure Island, Room 8 came up with the idea of having badges. This idea came from two boys in my class who go to Scouts. Initially we were only going to use the designs the children came up with for our adventure passports. The idea being that for each stage on the island a group worked through, they would earn a passport stamp for their adventure passport. Then I came across a website called www.zazzle.co.nz where you can have physical badges made. We decided to call these explorer badges. To start with I ordered six badges, which is enough for one for each group. Why did I bother ordering badges? It shows the children that their ideas are valued, created instant student buy in and after all, learning should be fun.
The tricky bit was working out how we were going to get the design that was drawn on paper uploaded to the Zazzle website. I ended up using the Art Rage iPad app. You can upload an image, trace over it and then remove it. We did this using the photo of the original island design. This part requires a little bit of teacher help.I plan to order extra badges so that once the children complete their first Adventure Learning project they will be presented with their own explorer badge. The children aren't aware of this, so it will be a surprise. If you're planning on ordering products from Zazzle keep in mind that they can take up to three weeks to arrive (unless you want to pay the earth for faster shipping).
As well as the badges, I also had the children's passport stamp designs printed as stickers. That way they can easily be stuck into their passports.
Passport Cover
Inside Passport
Adventure Island - A Visual Model, Part 2
Throughout Term 1 my class of year 4 students put together a visual model for Adventure Learning. We decided on an adventure island. The children spent a lot of time coming up with different designs. You can read more about the process we worked through here. By the end of the term we had created the final product. All children are able to explain what each icon represents and as we work through the model for the first time are learning what happens at each stage. What I love about the design is that it was created by kids, for kids. The children refer to themselves as explorers as they work their way around the island.
Here's a brief overview
Adventure Island
Explore at Sunshine Cove
Plan under the coconut palms
Discover at Mermaid Lagoon
Create at the rocky volcano
Share at the island tree house
Take Your Learning Further in the hot air balloon
Here are Room 8's initial designs
Monday 28 April 2014
Kids Cafe
For awhile I've been wanting to create an Educamp inspired forum for kids to share, inspire and teach each other. I looked into doing it face to face with another school, via Skype Education or GHO (Google Hangout). However; all three of those options would limit the number of children that could actively participate. What I really wanted to achieve was to find a way where as many classes as interested, could participate and from anywhere in the world. I wanted to break down the barriers of location and time difference. This week I came up with the idea of Kids Cafe.
Week 4 - Run your own Kids Cafe in your classroom sometime during the week. Click here for an example of how you could do this in your class. On the Friday join in the @KidsCafeNZ Twitter chat to reflect on your learning, share photos of Kids Cafe in your class and to provide the presenters with feedback, as well as to discuss topic ideas for the next Kids Cafe.
To register your class for Kids Cafe visit the doc. Scroll right down to the bottom. Remember any class, anywhere in the world can join in. http://goo.gl/R3dLL1
To visit the Kids Cafe blog click here http://kidscafenz.blogspot.co.nz/
This is only a seed I've started to plant so am open to ideas and further suggestions for improvement.
Kids Cafe is based on the concept of Educamp, with a few differences. It’s an opportunity for kids to teach other kids about a passion, interest or talent. This could be anything from a maths strategy to Te Reo, how to care for turtles, how to use iMovie, how to kick a rugby ball over the goal post or how Daily 5 is used in your classroom. The aim is to create a mini tutorial to teach other kids about your passion, interest or talent. How you do this is up to you. You could create a YouTube clip, use Puppet Pals, digital storytelling, Educreations, create an ebook etc. The only catch is that it must be able to be accessed online. This is also a next step for my Adventure Learning programme, which is based on Google's 20% Time.
Kids Cafe runs on a four week cycle. Here is an outline:
Week 1 - At the start of the week sign your class up. Then add to the Google Doc, by recording what you could teach someone else or what you’d like to learn more about. You can do this by completing the kids registration form at the bottom of this doc. The Kids Cafe topics will also be announced on the Kids Cafe blog and via @KidsCafeNZ on Twitter.
Week 2 and Week 3 - These two weeks are set aside for presenters to create their tutorial, as well as for classes to plan how they are going to organise how they will run Kids Cafe in their own class. By Friday at 3pm all tutorials will be linked to the Kids Cafe Thinglink. Instructions on how to link your tutorial will be able to be found on the Kids Cafe blog -
Week 4 - Run your own Kids Cafe in your classroom sometime during the week. Click here for an example of how you could do this in your class. On the Friday join in the @KidsCafeNZ Twitter chat to reflect on your learning, share photos of Kids Cafe in your class and to provide the presenters with feedback, as well as to discuss topic ideas for the next Kids Cafe.
To register your class for Kids Cafe visit the doc. Scroll right down to the bottom. Remember any class, anywhere in the world can join in. http://goo.gl/R3dLL1
To visit the Kids Cafe blog click here http://kidscafenz.blogspot.co.nz/
This is only a seed I've started to plant so am open to ideas and further suggestions for improvement.
Intrinsic Motivation
This morning I watched Dan Pink's TED Talk 'The Puzzle of Motivation'. He speaks about how there is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.
Bonuses, extrinsic rewards etc work well for tasks with a simple set of instructions. They don't work as well for creative problems, as they have been proven to actually narrow people's focus. In Western Europe, North America, Australia and many parts of Asia white collar workers are needing to not only do left brain, routine, rule based work, but are now also required to have more right brain, creative, conceptual abilities. There's the competition of low cost providers around the world being able to do a job cheaper, as well as software being able to do a lot of things faster or at a lower price.
So how are people going to be motivated without extrinsic rewards? Dan Pink suggests three elements of intrinsic motivation:
1. Autonomy - the urge to direct our own lives.
2. Mastery - the desire to get better and better at something that matters.
3. Purpose - the yearning to do what we do to service something larger than ourselves.
He then goes on to talk about FedEx days, 20 % percent time and ROWE (Results Only Work Environment). It was the first time I'd heard of ROWE. Basically people don't have schedules. They show up to work when they want and don't have to be in the office if they don't want to. They just have to get their work done. How they do it and when they do it is up to them. Research shows that when these three elements of intrinsic motivation are applied in the work place productivity goes up, worker engagement and satisfaction increase.
If this is correct and this is how things are moving, then how are we preparing our students for their future? When I started watching the TED Talk I had no idea that he was going to talk about FedEx days or 20 % percent time. For me, this just confirmed that what I'm trying to achieve with Adventure Learning is a positive step towards preparing students for when they leave school.
I then became curious about how ROWE could be applied to education. I soon started to come across blogs around ROLE (Results Only Learning Environment). There were teachers that had done away with grades, homework, national testing, set times of the day, attending classes etc. Although not completely realistic in the current NZ education setting, I couldn't help but think that aspects of ROWE or ROLE could still be applied to my classroom.
Last year I started exploring Independent Learning Plans (ILP) or Personalised Learning Plans (PLP). See my post here http://goo.gl/tigp3H. I now work in a much more traditional style school than I did last year, but am keen to have another go at ILP. ILP provide students with autonomy, mastery and purpose. It lifted student engagement, provided more opportunities for students to teach each other and encouraged them to take responsibility for their learning. This resulted in my students becoming independent learners.
Here is the TED Talk by Dan Pink
Friday 25 April 2014
Tip of the Ice Berg
This also relates well to when others see children's adventure learning sharing items or when people see that a child is 'just' doing skateboarding or baking cupcakes. What you see is only the tip of the ice berg. They don't realise that the group of boys learning about skateboarding are all engaged in something that they're passionate about, that their attendance has improved, that for the first time they're working effectively in a team, learning to compromise and share ideas. They don't see all the planning, practises, time and effort that went into that YouTube video. They look past the fact that for one of those boys it's the first time he's really felt like he's good at something at school, because literacy and maths aren't his strengths. That he feels valued by others in the class, which in turn lifts his self-esteem and gives him the confidence to teach others how to skate, as well as to take risks in other areas of his learning. So next time someone asks why you've let a group of kids do cooking, art or sport for Adventure Learning ask them to look beyond the tip of the ice berg.
Saturday 12 April 2014
Learning How to Use Minecraft
Last year I carried out my own Adventure Learning project, where I built a
chicken house as well as learnt about keeping chickens. Some people will ask
why I bothered to do this. Here are the reasons I personally chose to do it:
1. It put me in the shoes of one of my learners and took me out of my comfort zone.
2. It enabled the children in my class to see me as a learner too.
3. It allowed me to learn something new and forced me to make the time needed to do this.
4. It also provided me with an opportunity to reflect on what I'm asking my students to do during Adventure Learning time and the process they're expected to work through.
This time I've decided to learn about how to use Minecraft in the classroom.
Below are the planning questions that are on the planning proposal that each
group in my class has to complete. I decided that it was only fair that I
answer the same questions.
What do you plan to do and why?
For some time now I've been inspired by how other teachers are using
Minecraft in their classrooms. A couple of my students, who already knew how
to use Minecraft used it in our class last year. We'd been learning about
minibeasts and for their sharing item they created a beehive in Minecraft.
It was detailed and well thought through. One child was a very capable
student, who often became bored if he wasn't challenged and 'hooked in'. The
other child was amazing at hands on activities, but found writing and reading
challenging. Straight away I could see the potential that Minecraft could have
in the classroom.
The problem was that I had very little knowledge about how to use it mysef or
how it could be effectively used in our classroom. We've just got five iPads for
our classroom so I've decided that now will be a good time to learn a bit more
about it.
What do you already know about this topic?
* That you can purchase the full pocket edition of Minecraft for iPads.
* It engages students in their learning.
* It's recommended that you use creative mode, not survival mode in the classroom.
* Minecraft has huge potential for use in the classroom. I'm just not exactly sure what that is yet.
* There's a lot of teachers using it in classrooms already.
What are your 'I wonder' questions?
* How do I physically use the iPad app? How do I get started with building something?
* How are other teachers using Minecraft in the classroom?
* How can I effectively use Minecraft in the classroom to engage students in their learning.
I'm sure there will be a lot more questions as I work through this! These are
just my initial questions.
What research are you going to do? What will you spend your Adventure
Learning time doing?
* I'm going to connect with other teachers through my PLN to see how they're using it in their classrooms.
* I will read blog posts about Minecraft in the classroom.
* I have a much younger brother who is into Minecraft, who might be able to teach me a few tricks.
* I know there a few kids in my class who I'm sure would love to show me what they already know about using Minecraft. Lunch with the teacher and Minecraft lessons, from the kids might be a go next week.
* Connecting with other teachers and reading what is on the VLN. I think there's a Minecraft group I may be able to join, or something similar.
* Explore! There's nothing like just getting in and having a go. I think that's when the questions will start to arise.
* The Pocket Edition Minecraft iPad app.
* Access to the VLN group, access to Twitter etc.
* I will need help with learning how to use the app.
* I will also need help with finding ideas around how to effectively use Minecraft in the classroom.
Thursday 27 March 2014
First Adventure Learning Reflections
This was the first week that Room 8 had participated in the discovery part of Adventure Learning. At the end of the session I had a conference with each group. During this they reflected on their learning, challenges and how they could overcome these. Overall it was a really successful first session. There were a couple of teething problems e.g. some children found it challenging working as part of a team and knowing what to do when they were stuck with their learning. Other than that it all ran pretty smoothly. Next week we will reflect in greater depth as a class about how we can overcome these challenges as a class.
Each group has an Adventure Learning scrapbook that they use for planning, recording their new learning, pasting in photos etc. Because we are reflecting on Padlet I'm going to create a QR code that will link to the Padlet wall. Each week the QR code for the weekly reflections will be printed and pasted into their group scrapbooks. Photos of the scrapbooks to come, once there's a bit more in them.
Here are their first reflections.
Each group has an Adventure Learning scrapbook that they use for planning, recording their new learning, pasting in photos etc. Because we are reflecting on Padlet I'm going to create a QR code that will link to the Padlet wall. Each week the QR code for the weekly reflections will be printed and pasted into their group scrapbooks. Photos of the scrapbooks to come, once there's a bit more in them.
Here are their first reflections.
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Adventure Island - A Visual Model, Part 1
Last week I wrote a blog post about the Adventure Learning model I've created to support children with Adventure Learning. You can view this blog post here - http://goo.gl/1QuqIj
Over the past week my Year 4 class have worked hard to come up with an individual design of what they think our the visual model 'Adventure Island' could look like. The idea is that each of the six stages in the model is represented by a visual icon on the island. See below for an example. This is a work in progress. The six stages of the model are written in bold.
Adventure Island
Explore at Sunshine Cove
Plan under the coconut palms
Discover at Mermaid Lagoon
Create at the volcano
Share at the island tree house
Take it Further in the hot air balloon
Here are the completed Adventure Island designs so far...
Adventure Island Maps - Video Maker
This afternoon Room 8 did a walk and gawk around the room to have a look at each other's designs. They were then given the opportunity to share ideas that they really liked, as well as to suggest what our next step might be. I was really impressed by the positive feedback that they gave each other. The children shared that they want to use different ideas, from as many islands as possible so that everyone feels included.
As well as designing Adventure Island maps, Room 8 have also been designing badges. There is a badge to match each one of the six stages. As their group completes a stage they will earn a badge for their adventure explorer passport (still to be designed). Here are some of the designs. We will continue to keep you updated and would love any feedback.
Over the past week my Year 4 class have worked hard to come up with an individual design of what they think our the visual model 'Adventure Island' could look like. The idea is that each of the six stages in the model is represented by a visual icon on the island. See below for an example. This is a work in progress. The six stages of the model are written in bold.
Adventure Island
Explore at Sunshine Cove
Plan under the coconut palms
Discover at Mermaid Lagoon
Create at the volcano
Share at the island tree house
Take it Further in the hot air balloon
Here are the completed Adventure Island designs so far...
Adventure Island Maps - Video Maker
This afternoon Room 8 did a walk and gawk around the room to have a look at each other's designs. They were then given the opportunity to share ideas that they really liked, as well as to suggest what our next step might be. I was really impressed by the positive feedback that they gave each other. The children shared that they want to use different ideas, from as many islands as possible so that everyone feels included.
As well as designing Adventure Island maps, Room 8 have also been designing badges. There is a badge to match each one of the six stages. As their group completes a stage they will earn a badge for their adventure explorer passport (still to be designed). Here are some of the designs. We will continue to keep you updated and would love any feedback.
Sunday 16 March 2014
Adventure Learning YouTube Videos
20 YouTube videos to inspire Adventure Learning for teachers and students.
Saturday 15 March 2014
10 Tips for Teachers Doing Adventure Learning
Want to give Adventure Learning a go, but not sure how to best support the children in your class? This blog post is for you. If you think that because Adventure Learning increases student engagement, that you'll have time to sit down with a coffee and flick through a magazine you might get a bit of a surprise. Here are ten tips I've put together for teachers who are doing Adventure Learning in their classroom.
1. Spark excitement and inspire your learners.
Most children have never been given the opportunity to learn about something that they're passionate about, while at school. Some children will instantly light up and know what they have always wanted to learn more about, others will struggle with the idea of being given this time. Spend the first couple of weeks sparking excitement about Adventure Learning. Watch YouTube clips, share passions and talents, create a class Pinterest account or a physical Twitter board in the classroom to get children sharing and discussing ideas, provide examples of previous children's Adventure Learning projects or create an 'I wonder...' window. For ideas around sparking excitement see my blog post - http://goo.gl/VK40Fs Please note that I'm aware that some of the links no longer work and am in the process of updating it, so check back soon.
2. Student voice
Involve your students in the process of setting up Adventure Learning as much as possible, as well as provide ongoing opportunities for student voice. I can't stress how important this is to get student buy in. This doesn't mean that it's a free for all. Yes, there are some things that I want the children to be able to do e.g. reflect regularly and use the Adventure Learning model to support their learning. However; the children always have input and their ideas are valued. The children in my class are in the process of developing a visual model for Adventure Learning. Already most of them can remember the six different stages. Why? Because they've had ownership of it and have actively participated in co-constructing it. I used to make every child complete a written reflection. Some of my boys told me it was too much writing and that it resulted in them being bored. I explained that reflecting was important, but that if they could come up with a different way I would listen to their idea. They came back with the idea of video reflections, which then became an alternative way to reflect on their learning each week.
3. Support the children with learning specific skills
Don't expect your students to guess what is in your head when you ask them to plan their learning or reflect. Make time to explicitly teach these skills. Model what it might look like, unpack it. Reflect as a class on what's working and what needs to be improved. Often during class discussions you will only get the usual half a dozen children contributing their ideas. Experiment with other ways of gathering student feedback e.g. by using a Google form.
4. Get your community on board
Share what you're doing with your community. It can be daunting at first, but you'll be surprised by the positive feedback that you receive. This can be done in a variety of ways e.g. class letters, blog posts and links, inviting parents/caregivers in for a sharing afternoon. Providing nibbles helps. Keep them informed. Also consider inviting them along to work alongside their children or to share their expertise. They're often only too happy to help.
5. Make it manageable
Everyone is different, but I've personally found it useful to limit the number of Adventure Learning groups to no more than six. When someone first suggested this to me I felt concerned that this would stop children from being able to learn about what they were truly passionate about - it didn't. Often the children who aren't sure what they'd like to learn about end up being inspired by what those around them have decided to do. They then naturally slot into those groups. Limiting the number of groups allows me to be able to give more quality time to each group, which in turn enables the depth of the learning to be further extended.
6. Provide opportunities for children to self-discover
One of the hardest things as a teacher is learning when it is best to keep quiet. Don't give children the answers; encourage curiosity, provide opportunities for self-discovery and ask questions that will challenge the children's thinking and further extend their learning.
7. Let the children see you as a learner
Learn alongside the children. One of the most valuable experiences I've had so far was participating in my own Adventure Learning project. I decided to build a chicken house and run. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, enabled me to reflect on how we did Adventure Learning as a class, but most importantly it let the children see me as a learner as well. I shared my experiences, what challenges I came across and how I overcame them. Sometimes it's important to put yourself in the shoes of your students. To read more about my own Adventure Learning project you can click here - http://goo.gl/nN6OEj
8. Conference times and tracking learning
Every week the children book themselves in for a conference time. Initially it is more teacher led, but as the children are scaffold it becomes a lot more student led. The purpose of a conference time is for the children to reflect on what's worked well, what they've achieved, share any challenges and identify next steps. As the teacher, it's important to do less talking and more listening. During the scaffolding stage you will need to ask more questions or provide prompts that will encourage them to further expand their answers e.g. tell me more about that, is there another way you could do this? What made it so successful? What could you do when you're stuck with your learning? What will you need to organise for next week? What are you planning to do next? etc.
Regularly tracking the children's learning is an important aspect of Adventure Learning. Conference times are the perfect time to track the group's learning so far. Find a way that works best for you early on. Whether it's using a physical notebook, Evernote or Google doc make sure it's something user friendly. It's also a lot more effective if the children have access to these notes and next steps. For more information on tracking learning visit http://goo.gl/haVhKa
9. Find a way to collate online resources.
Storing website links, YouTube clips, photos etc in the one place makes it easily accessible for the children. It also allows you to develop a bank of resources over the course of the year, which can be used for future Adventure Learning projects. I've created a class Pinterest account for my class. Each group has their own board that they can then pin ideas to. What I like about Pinterest is that it's visual and easy to navigate for my year 4 children. Delicious, a Google Presentation/ Doc or Evernote, using QR codes could be possible options too. I know there are lots of different tools out there that do the same thing. It's just about finding that one that best works for you and your class. Here's a link to the Pinterest account I recently set up for my class - http://www.pinterest.com/room8smarties/ You could bookmark the website, add a shortcut on your desktop or stick a QR code up in the classroom. Remember that children will need to be provided with log in details to be able to pin new pins to their board.
10. Provide opportunities for children to learn from each other.
In previous years I've let children run a 5-10 minute session at the beginning of each Adventure Learning lesson. This was an opportunity for a child to be the expert and share a skill, app or idea with the rest of the class. Another way I've done this was by having an app smack down. The children were split up into seven groups, each group was given an app to explore that they hadn't used before. They then had to evaluate how useful it was, how it could support how learning or enable us to create content, then they taught the other groups how to use it. This year my aim is to trial a kids educamp in my class. Would also love to collaborate with other schools to do an educamp for kids or possibly a Google Hangout.
1. Spark excitement and inspire your learners.
Most children have never been given the opportunity to learn about something that they're passionate about, while at school. Some children will instantly light up and know what they have always wanted to learn more about, others will struggle with the idea of being given this time. Spend the first couple of weeks sparking excitement about Adventure Learning. Watch YouTube clips, share passions and talents, create a class Pinterest account or a physical Twitter board in the classroom to get children sharing and discussing ideas, provide examples of previous children's Adventure Learning projects or create an 'I wonder...' window. For ideas around sparking excitement see my blog post - http://goo.gl/VK40Fs Please note that I'm aware that some of the links no longer work and am in the process of updating it, so check back soon.
2. Student voice
Involve your students in the process of setting up Adventure Learning as much as possible, as well as provide ongoing opportunities for student voice. I can't stress how important this is to get student buy in. This doesn't mean that it's a free for all. Yes, there are some things that I want the children to be able to do e.g. reflect regularly and use the Adventure Learning model to support their learning. However; the children always have input and their ideas are valued. The children in my class are in the process of developing a visual model for Adventure Learning. Already most of them can remember the six different stages. Why? Because they've had ownership of it and have actively participated in co-constructing it. I used to make every child complete a written reflection. Some of my boys told me it was too much writing and that it resulted in them being bored. I explained that reflecting was important, but that if they could come up with a different way I would listen to their idea. They came back with the idea of video reflections, which then became an alternative way to reflect on their learning each week.
3. Support the children with learning specific skills
Don't expect your students to guess what is in your head when you ask them to plan their learning or reflect. Make time to explicitly teach these skills. Model what it might look like, unpack it. Reflect as a class on what's working and what needs to be improved. Often during class discussions you will only get the usual half a dozen children contributing their ideas. Experiment with other ways of gathering student feedback e.g. by using a Google form.
4. Get your community on board
Share what you're doing with your community. It can be daunting at first, but you'll be surprised by the positive feedback that you receive. This can be done in a variety of ways e.g. class letters, blog posts and links, inviting parents/caregivers in for a sharing afternoon. Providing nibbles helps. Keep them informed. Also consider inviting them along to work alongside their children or to share their expertise. They're often only too happy to help.
5. Make it manageable
Everyone is different, but I've personally found it useful to limit the number of Adventure Learning groups to no more than six. When someone first suggested this to me I felt concerned that this would stop children from being able to learn about what they were truly passionate about - it didn't. Often the children who aren't sure what they'd like to learn about end up being inspired by what those around them have decided to do. They then naturally slot into those groups. Limiting the number of groups allows me to be able to give more quality time to each group, which in turn enables the depth of the learning to be further extended.
6. Provide opportunities for children to self-discover
One of the hardest things as a teacher is learning when it is best to keep quiet. Don't give children the answers; encourage curiosity, provide opportunities for self-discovery and ask questions that will challenge the children's thinking and further extend their learning.
7. Let the children see you as a learner
Learn alongside the children. One of the most valuable experiences I've had so far was participating in my own Adventure Learning project. I decided to build a chicken house and run. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, enabled me to reflect on how we did Adventure Learning as a class, but most importantly it let the children see me as a learner as well. I shared my experiences, what challenges I came across and how I overcame them. Sometimes it's important to put yourself in the shoes of your students. To read more about my own Adventure Learning project you can click here - http://goo.gl/nN6OEj
8. Conference times and tracking learning
Every week the children book themselves in for a conference time. Initially it is more teacher led, but as the children are scaffold it becomes a lot more student led. The purpose of a conference time is for the children to reflect on what's worked well, what they've achieved, share any challenges and identify next steps. As the teacher, it's important to do less talking and more listening. During the scaffolding stage you will need to ask more questions or provide prompts that will encourage them to further expand their answers e.g. tell me more about that, is there another way you could do this? What made it so successful? What could you do when you're stuck with your learning? What will you need to organise for next week? What are you planning to do next? etc.
Regularly tracking the children's learning is an important aspect of Adventure Learning. Conference times are the perfect time to track the group's learning so far. Find a way that works best for you early on. Whether it's using a physical notebook, Evernote or Google doc make sure it's something user friendly. It's also a lot more effective if the children have access to these notes and next steps. For more information on tracking learning visit http://goo.gl/haVhKa
9. Find a way to collate online resources.
Storing website links, YouTube clips, photos etc in the one place makes it easily accessible for the children. It also allows you to develop a bank of resources over the course of the year, which can be used for future Adventure Learning projects. I've created a class Pinterest account for my class. Each group has their own board that they can then pin ideas to. What I like about Pinterest is that it's visual and easy to navigate for my year 4 children. Delicious, a Google Presentation/ Doc or Evernote, using QR codes could be possible options too. I know there are lots of different tools out there that do the same thing. It's just about finding that one that best works for you and your class. Here's a link to the Pinterest account I recently set up for my class - http://www.pinterest.com/room8smarties/ You could bookmark the website, add a shortcut on your desktop or stick a QR code up in the classroom. Remember that children will need to be provided with log in details to be able to pin new pins to their board.
10. Provide opportunities for children to learn from each other.
In previous years I've let children run a 5-10 minute session at the beginning of each Adventure Learning lesson. This was an opportunity for a child to be the expert and share a skill, app or idea with the rest of the class. Another way I've done this was by having an app smack down. The children were split up into seven groups, each group was given an app to explore that they hadn't used before. They then had to evaluate how useful it was, how it could support how learning or enable us to create content, then they taught the other groups how to use it. This year my aim is to trial a kids educamp in my class. Would also love to collaborate with other schools to do an educamp for kids or possibly a Google Hangout.
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Adventure Learning Model
After three years of playing with different ideas and working towards creating a model for Adventure Learning the pieces are finally coming together.
Adventure Learning has always been about the process, not a final product. It's about providing children with the opportunity for authentic learning to take place, through a context that they're passionate about. It's about learning to work collaboratively with their peers. Learning how to effectively plan, but also learning that things won't work out perfectly the first time and that it's okay to fail. Knowing that when they're in that learning pit that, that's where their most meaningful learning will often take place. It's about learning how to reflect, explore, discover, identify next steps, create content, to share and celebrate new learning. Both the ability to think creatively and critically are also essential skills that are developed through Adventure Learning.
There are for and against points in creating a model/process for children to work through. Something I've kept at the forefront at all times while contemplating concepts has been that it must allow for self-discovery, creativity and individual learning styles. I didn't want something restricting or a set of boxes for children to tick off. I see this model as more of a tool that will provide support for the children participating in Adventure Learning.
I've done a lot of research around personalised learning, inquiry learning, motivation and student engagement over the past few years. I've been inspired by the work of Sir Ken Robinson, Dan Pink, the Reggio Emilia philosophy, as well as the Montessori philosophy, Kath Murdoch and numerous school visits across NZ and in Melbourne as well.
I'm positive that this concept will continue to grow and evolve, as I continue to adapt it to more effectively meet the needs of my learners. Here is the draft so far...
Adventure Island
Explore
This is where children are given the opportunity to explore their own passions and where initial interest is sparked. See http://goo.gl/dYcnQM for more information.
Plan
During the planning stage the children complete a planning proposal. Once completed they book a conference time to discuss and further expand on their initial ideas with me. See http://goo.gl/duqls4
Discover
The discovery stage is when children gather their information, self-discover, experiment, work through the process of trial and error, build, make, research, practise, make connections with other learners, organise visits or visitors to come in, contact experts. This particular step looks very different for each group and is personalised by the learners.
Create
As I mentioned before, the focus of Adventure Learning has never been on the push for an end product. However; it isn't what we know, but what we do with what we know that counts. It's an opportunity for children to create new content to share their learning. This can be done in any shape or form e.g. a Google Presentation, Animoto, Haiku Deck, an eBook, dance or drama, a presentation board, a photo, an art board, a photo story etc.
Share
Generally the children's learning is shared and celebrated in two ways - via our class blog and Twitter in an attempt to share with a wider audience, as well as a community celebration afternoon where other classes and family are invited along to an open afternoon. There continues to be a lot of student voice even at this point as the children plan and organise the event. It also provides an opportunity for the children to receive authentic feedback via discussions and the feedback forms that are made available at the open afternoon.See an example here http://goo.gl/Mhb3EL
Take it further
Most inquiry models stop at the sharing or celebration stage. In Adventure Learning the children continue to take their learning further, by using the feedback forms to support them if needed. Sometimes children may already have an idea of how they can further their learning, sometimes this may require further peer or teacher support. This step is all about asking so what? Now what? I've trialed this during my whole class inquiry time, but this term will be the first time it's a part of Adventure Learning. I'm excited to see how it goes.
A visual model
The children in my class are currently designing a visual model to represent these six steps. The visual will be of an island, with each stage represented by a different icon. Room 8 have also voiced that they would like adventure explorer books or passports where they can earn badges as they complete each stage. This is a work in progress, but I will blog about it and post photos as we get closer to a finished product.
Adventure Learning has always been about the process, not a final product. It's about providing children with the opportunity for authentic learning to take place, through a context that they're passionate about. It's about learning to work collaboratively with their peers. Learning how to effectively plan, but also learning that things won't work out perfectly the first time and that it's okay to fail. Knowing that when they're in that learning pit that, that's where their most meaningful learning will often take place. It's about learning how to reflect, explore, discover, identify next steps, create content, to share and celebrate new learning. Both the ability to think creatively and critically are also essential skills that are developed through Adventure Learning.
There are for and against points in creating a model/process for children to work through. Something I've kept at the forefront at all times while contemplating concepts has been that it must allow for self-discovery, creativity and individual learning styles. I didn't want something restricting or a set of boxes for children to tick off. I see this model as more of a tool that will provide support for the children participating in Adventure Learning.
I've done a lot of research around personalised learning, inquiry learning, motivation and student engagement over the past few years. I've been inspired by the work of Sir Ken Robinson, Dan Pink, the Reggio Emilia philosophy, as well as the Montessori philosophy, Kath Murdoch and numerous school visits across NZ and in Melbourne as well.
I'm positive that this concept will continue to grow and evolve, as I continue to adapt it to more effectively meet the needs of my learners. Here is the draft so far...
Adventure Island
Explore
This is where children are given the opportunity to explore their own passions and where initial interest is sparked. See http://goo.gl/dYcnQM for more information.
Plan
During the planning stage the children complete a planning proposal. Once completed they book a conference time to discuss and further expand on their initial ideas with me. See http://goo.gl/duqls4
Discover
The discovery stage is when children gather their information, self-discover, experiment, work through the process of trial and error, build, make, research, practise, make connections with other learners, organise visits or visitors to come in, contact experts. This particular step looks very different for each group and is personalised by the learners.
Create
As I mentioned before, the focus of Adventure Learning has never been on the push for an end product. However; it isn't what we know, but what we do with what we know that counts. It's an opportunity for children to create new content to share their learning. This can be done in any shape or form e.g. a Google Presentation, Animoto, Haiku Deck, an eBook, dance or drama, a presentation board, a photo, an art board, a photo story etc.
Share
Generally the children's learning is shared and celebrated in two ways - via our class blog and Twitter in an attempt to share with a wider audience, as well as a community celebration afternoon where other classes and family are invited along to an open afternoon. There continues to be a lot of student voice even at this point as the children plan and organise the event. It also provides an opportunity for the children to receive authentic feedback via discussions and the feedback forms that are made available at the open afternoon.See an example here http://goo.gl/Mhb3EL
Take it further
Most inquiry models stop at the sharing or celebration stage. In Adventure Learning the children continue to take their learning further, by using the feedback forms to support them if needed. Sometimes children may already have an idea of how they can further their learning, sometimes this may require further peer or teacher support. This step is all about asking so what? Now what? I've trialed this during my whole class inquiry time, but this term will be the first time it's a part of Adventure Learning. I'm excited to see how it goes.
A visual model
The children in my class are currently designing a visual model to represent these six steps. The visual will be of an island, with each stage represented by a different icon. Room 8 have also voiced that they would like adventure explorer books or passports where they can earn badges as they complete each stage. This is a work in progress, but I will blog about it and post photos as we get closer to a finished product.
Saturday 22 February 2014
Moving Out of the Comfort Zone
I run Adventure Learning throughout the whole year, so at times I come across children who pick the same type of projects each time e.g. a child who created a frog habitat last time and the following time wants to learn about turtles. If that's what they're really passionate about then obviously I support them. On the other hand sometimes it's good to encourage children to branch out and to work beyond their comfort zone.
I've continued to take note of the types of projects and questions children have come up with over the years. In my personal experience they have always fallen into one of these four categories - a community project, something the child wants to discover or further explore, an innovative or creative topic or around nature.
At the end of each term we have a celebration afternoon (see my other post for further information). In a nutshell it is a sharing afternoon where family and other classes are invited to come along to see the children's adventure learning projects. This year, I want to also include an awards ceremony at the end of the celebration afternoon. During this the children will earn a badge and certificate for their completed project. The colour of the badge will depend on the type of Adventure Learning project they have completed. No category is of a higher status than the other. They're all equal. If a child earns all four coloured badges they will then receive a gold badge. This doesn't mean that if they chose a discovery topic last time, that they can't do another one. It's simply a small incentive to give something new a go and another tool that children can use to support their planning during Adventure Learning.
It will be the first time that I've tried this, this year so am interested to see what impact it has on Adventure Learning.
I've continued to take note of the types of projects and questions children have come up with over the years. In my personal experience they have always fallen into one of these four categories - a community project, something the child wants to discover or further explore, an innovative or creative topic or around nature.
At the end of each term we have a celebration afternoon (see my other post for further information). In a nutshell it is a sharing afternoon where family and other classes are invited to come along to see the children's adventure learning projects. This year, I want to also include an awards ceremony at the end of the celebration afternoon. During this the children will earn a badge and certificate for their completed project. The colour of the badge will depend on the type of Adventure Learning project they have completed. No category is of a higher status than the other. They're all equal. If a child earns all four coloured badges they will then receive a gold badge. This doesn't mean that if they chose a discovery topic last time, that they can't do another one. It's simply a small incentive to give something new a go and another tool that children can use to support their planning during Adventure Learning.
It will be the first time that I've tried this, this year so am interested to see what impact it has on Adventure Learning.
My Own Adventure Learning Project
Last year I decided to put myself in one of my learner's shoes and have a go at completing my own Adventure Learning project. This is something I should have blogged about at the time, as it was so beneficial.
I did this for two reasons
1. To enable myself to learn alongside my students.
2. To help me begin to design an inquiry process (model) for children to work through when participating in Adventure Learning, or to work out whether I needed one at all.
We live in a rural area and for some time now I have been contemplating buying a few chickens so that we could have our own free range eggs. I knew that I had very little knowledge about chickens and how to look after them, let alone how to go about building a chicken house. If you know me, you'll know that I'm the last person who is likely to pick up a skill saw or fire a nail gun. Not to mention that maths also isn't my strength. However; I'm forever telling my kids to take a risk with their learning and give something new a go so I felt it was time that I did the same. Luckily my partner is a builder so I knew I had an 'expert' available to help me out a bit.
To start with I decided that I needed to record what I already did know about chickens. It really wasn't a lot. I knew they needed a house and run; I also knew that I didn't want a rooster squawking out like a strangled cat at 6.00 am. That was about it! My next step should have been to work out how I would build a chicken house and run. It wasn't... I jumped straight on Trade Me and started searching for chickens. It wasn't long before I was emailing a lady about a couple of cute Frizzle chickens I had come across. So now I bought chickens that would be ready to pick up in a couple of weeks, but still had no chicken house. It was one way to get motivated! I was on holiday at the time so it wasn't as bad as it sounds.
I started pinning different concept ideas on Pinterest, spoke to my dad (who is a farmer and previously had chickens) and a friend from work who has several shaver hens. I soon worked out that I wanted a chicken run that was big enough to walk into, but still had no idea of actual measurements. This was where my partner Paul came in. He has his uses. We made it 2.4 m cubed. We also had a brand new dog kennel sitting in the garage that had never been used so decided to use that for the chicken house. We ended up putting a perch and nesting box in, but other than that didn't have to do too much.
Next stop was ITM. For anyone overseas it's a trade shop full of building materials. It's safe to say that I felt completely out of my comfort zone. Half the time I swear they were speaking in another language. We came away with a van full of timber, some hinges and a lot of chicken wire. Over the duration of building the chicken run I learnt how to use the nail gun, skill saw, how to hang a door and ensure things were level and square. I was constantly writing down odd words e.g. flush (yeah, you can all have a laugh) with a rough definition next to the word. I was continuously reflecting and I can honestly say it was a new learning experience for me.
It gave me a genuine insight into how a learner in my class feels and the process they work through. Although each group has their own adventure and path, I still feel that there are some common stages they work through - exploring, planning, learning, creating, reflecting, sharing and digging deeper. The model continues to be a work in progress. It's something that I've played around with for the past four years, but feel that I'm getting a better understanding of what may need to be a part of it. The plan will be to simplify the ideas I currently have around the process and to make it more kid friendly.
Now to think of what my next Adventure Learning project will be.
I started pinning different concept ideas on Pinterest, spoke to my dad (who is a farmer and previously had chickens) and a friend from work who has several shaver hens. I soon worked out that I wanted a chicken run that was big enough to walk into, but still had no idea of actual measurements. This was where my partner Paul came in. He has his uses. We made it 2.4 m cubed. We also had a brand new dog kennel sitting in the garage that had never been used so decided to use that for the chicken house. We ended up putting a perch and nesting box in, but other than that didn't have to do too much.
Next stop was ITM. For anyone overseas it's a trade shop full of building materials. It's safe to say that I felt completely out of my comfort zone. Half the time I swear they were speaking in another language. We came away with a van full of timber, some hinges and a lot of chicken wire. Over the duration of building the chicken run I learnt how to use the nail gun, skill saw, how to hang a door and ensure things were level and square. I was constantly writing down odd words e.g. flush (yeah, you can all have a laugh) with a rough definition next to the word. I was continuously reflecting and I can honestly say it was a new learning experience for me.
It gave me a genuine insight into how a learner in my class feels and the process they work through. Although each group has their own adventure and path, I still feel that there are some common stages they work through - exploring, planning, learning, creating, reflecting, sharing and digging deeper. The model continues to be a work in progress. It's something that I've played around with for the past four years, but feel that I'm getting a better understanding of what may need to be a part of it. The plan will be to simplify the ideas I currently have around the process and to make it more kid friendly.
Now to think of what my next Adventure Learning project will be.
The Launch of the Adventure Learning Facebook Page
For a while now I've been thinking about how I can inspire other teachers to get their kids involved in Adventure Learning. Adventure Learning is something that I've been passionate about for a long time now. Over the past year I've regularly blogged and tweeted to share my own experiences and ideas. While I'm sure this has been of some use to others, it has been flawed in the respect that it's only my ideas that are being shared.
I've created the Adventure Learning Facebook page to provide teachers with a place to share ideas and make connections with other like-minded teachers across NZ.
You can find the Facebook page by clicking this link http://goo.gl/AD8Qkp
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