Using provocations to promote children leading their own learning – Part 2

WHAT?

The first session started in Week 3 of Term 1 to give us time to sort out the ‘space’ in an available classroom which has space equivalent to two classrooms. Beforehand the teachers took extra materials from their classes and also requested from the parents, items such as cardboard and other ‘bits and bobs’ that the children could use in the Makerspace. The teachers worked in the large area to create working spaces and areas that could be used for construction, crafting, cutting, painting and large areas for children to work collaboratively with others.

The teachers worked together to create and share a timetable for times to be selected but classes could opt in for more sessions per week.  The emphasis for the first session with our children was to clearly unpack the ‘systems’ in place in the room and respect for equipment.  This meant encouraging the children to put the room back in order and to leave it as we found it.

During the first session, I asked the children to be creative, an open invitation to make anything they wished, with whoever they wished. That was my only provocation, I encouraged  them to be collaborative and explore and problem solve, with my understanding that this is an evolving programme. I had no expectations on what the learning or engagement would look like but I started the session pointing out the different areas around the room and what and where everything went. I explicitly taught the children about paint expectations, what we do with any left over items that could be reused and that they were free to explore, problem-solve and create.

The children initially went to areas that they wanted, some boys went to the construction area and started building with the wood that a parent had kindly brought in. Some of the girls opened the craft drawers and used the hot glue guns, other went straight for paint and cardboard boxes to use a mixture of craft and construction. I mainly walked around asking questions to make the children justify their ideas and explain what they hoped to make in the time allowed. I also uploaded their creations onto Seesaw so that family and whanau could see what we had been doing.

The time that I had chosen for the class to use the ‘Makerspace’ is the last slot on a Wednesday before the children could go home. I stopped the children with approximately 20 minutes time to ‘put’ the room back to its original state. The children mostly walked away from the area they had been working in and wandered around doing not a lot. I encourage, cajoled and insisted that they all needed to help so we could leave the Makerspace room. The day was extremely hot as well which didn’t add to their enthusiasm.

SO WHAT?

As part of this learning, I wanted to have some data around whether or not this ‘Makerspace’ would work for my students especially those Year 4s who has been in my class from the previous year. So armed with my class list, I scribbled notes on what equipment the children were working with and whether or not they were engaged or not. The Year 3s who had been immersed in ‘Play-based’ learning for two years were like ‘ducks to water’, they were fully engaged and working in groups or 2s and 3s. There were a few of my more academic Year 4s who were totally lost – they were messing around, moving (running) from area to area, not really sticking with one project at all.

What surprised me the most was that my students in Year 4s who have low ability and are my priority learners, were really engaged and were very creative and could verbalise what they were trying to achieve, they were the most animated I had ever seen them. Some of the quiet children were also working well with others and seemed to really enjoy the whole experience.

NOW WHAT?

My thoughts about the whole Makerspace and Play-based are mixed at this time and I was somewhat frustrated with the children’s lack of care and consideration for the ‘clean-up’. Part of me can see the worth for those children who don’t always succeed at school in the academic sense but were totally ‘successful’ in this environment. The other part is wondering whether or not this is waste of ‘valuable’ learning time as my timetable seems to be stretched.

I believe that the provocation needs to be more meaningful and have more purpose to have all the children fully engaged. I also have some wonderings around whether or not the children will have a default setting, always gravitating towards the same area all the time.

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” - Carl Jung

Using provocations to promote children leading their own learning – Part 1

WHAT?

This year as part of my TAI, I will be going down the “Play Based Learning’ rabbit hole. I am going to put some effort into making this work because this year, I have children who have been in the the play-based learning programme for all of their school life – 2 years. My class make-up is such that I am keeping 12 of last year’s class, who are now Year 4s, and have now a whole new set of 14 eager learners.

As with any new learning I tend to ‘hold off’ initially, not always an early adapter but I glance at a few “Pinterest’ sites, open up a few shared links and have read a couple of Professional readings, in order to front load myself. This can be to a disadvantage sometimes as little information can be dangerous and as this a new concept for me I need to continue to do some more research.

Some of the readings and internet sites are directed at younger children, often kindergarten, is this because the benefits of play-based learning are only for the Juniors? I wonder? My off-sider was full immersed in ‘play-based learning’ last year. She praises the benefits for teachers and students alike – it is more engaging, fun, the children are creating their own learner pathways, very interest driven, good provocations are essential.

What is a provocation?

A site I found written by Heather Mactivity, she quotes, “A provocation is simply an activity or stimulus set up to provoke thought, curiosity, exploration and conversation. Provocations come in many forms depending on the stimulus and required outcome, but they are all created with these purposes in mind. These invitations to play are usually set up to help children expand upon an expressed interest, thought or idea, although may occasionally stem from the necessity to practice skills or consolidate learning.”

SO WHAT?

I have a number questions as I investigate ‘play-based’ learning and make it work for my teaching pedagogy and children’s learning. I’m sure as the year progresses I will be able to answer them and I’m sure I’ll come up with more.

·      How do I plan for and create meaningful provocations?

·      How do I track the children’s learning, keeping within the NZC objectives?

·      What prompts can I use to keep the learning/activity engaging and meaningful?

·      How much can I say when I am hoping to be more of a “Guide-on-the-Side”?

·      Can goal setting help direct the learning through play?

NOW WHAT?

I am finding the more I look into play- based learning the more I can see the benefits but I am currently feeling out of my comfort-zone. There are others in my team feeling the same way. We need to be collaborative with our approach and be willing to make mistakes.

I need to think of ways to incorporate my goal setting/ learner pathways so that the children can be mindful of their specific next steps in the play-based learning environment. I am thinking of using play-based learning/provocations in one circulum area at a time until I get used to the idea. But is that how it works best?

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly in play children learn how to learn”

- Fred Donaldson

Using Authorship to promote better writers – Part 21

WHAT?

I asked Verity for some help. I had thought about writing letters to Santa but the time frame doesn’t work, that will work better later in the term. Verity was quick to offer help and suggested that Santa letters need a range of genre. I put this to one side and investigated the other plan she gave me on writing letters to influence others.

This was just what I needed as it used a letter written to Mr Cunliffe, our Deputy Principal) on the options for wet days. Not quite the letter I was looking for so I wrote a letter to Mrs Taylor on the inclusion of the Year 3s in the Senior School Athletics event. Thinking about what Verity had said in her PD, that it is essential that the children connect to the text, I thought that this would work.

I began the lesson by reading the letter out to the class and asking what we learning to do, as a class, we analysed the letter and reverting back to the old technique of highlighting the structure of the argument.

The next lesson started with the the children watching a video on youtube on plastic pollution and the effects that it was having on animal and bird life in the oceans. I asked the children if they thought plastic pollution was a problem at school. After discussing this, I asked the children to go outside, only for 1 minute, and find a piece of plastic. It was very scary to see that all 25 children retrieved a piece of plastic from just outside our class. We used this to form our rhetorical question and begin our introduction. During this I emphasised what a paragraph needs in the way of sentences and facts.

We continued the next lesson by reviewing what a paragraph needed. That a paragraph needs beginning (topic sentence), middle (2 sentences with facts) and an end (topic sentence). We crafted 3 paragraphs for our letter to the school that we will make iMovies on to get the message out to a wider audience. Using the idea of making an iMovie has motivated the children to write more.

SO WHAT?

By using the highlighters, the ’buy-in’ was much better and our authorship lesson was completed well within time. I think this was because that the children saw this as an easy option rather than writing. But this was what I needed to do to get the children back on board to write an argument, they had been very confused with the stop start of the previous lessons.

I used a shared writing approach as I know this enables my less able writers. During this 2nd lesson, I had the RTLB working and observing the lesson. She wrote, “The writing session brought out some interesting and thoughtful ideas in the brainstorm. Some really thoughtful and individualised ideas were developing.  A lot of students completed 2 or 3 paragraphs and used persuasive techniques; questions, evidence. Useful sentences starters for paragraphs were brainstormed and written up on small whiteboard.” She also wrote, “Target students appear to need the follow up group time as soon as teacher can be available - as they are finding it hard to concentrate and think carefully where they are at, with the others being taught ahead of them, and them needing a slower pace and more support. It seemed the higher students were ready to go to desks to work independently, after the instructions and teacher modelling. This would allow for the lower ones to get their follow up group time.”

NOW WHAT?

I need to change it up for these struggling writers as my more capable writers ‘get it’. I wonder if the desks were rearranged would work so that I can rove around the class and give those who need more support. The RTLB teachers have provided files for these children that have spelling booklets, prompt cards and buddy feedback cards that they plan to teach ‘buddies’ in the class with.

I am still keen to work with the idea of an iMovie to support and motivate the children to write for an audience. I have given them storyboards to plan their recordings so I am looking forward to how this develops.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

- Thomas A. Edison

Using Authorship to promote better writers – Part 20

WHAT?

My next step was to find the perfect genre that adds detail and makes connections to the audience. Thinking about this made me gravititate towards persuasive writing. I searched numerous lesson plans on the internet and I found a blog from a teacher in America who had used an internet platform to give her students a voice. I read the pieces from the site and copied one for an exemplar and began to plan the lesson.

I used the planning template and looked into what my students needed to learn. I knew that my focus was going to be more about the structure of a piece of persuasive writing, in the analysis phase, I planned for the children to be focussed on a rhetorical question and the setting of the piece. This would help the children to add details and to connect with their audience.

To connect with their lives, I planned for the children to think of something that they wanted from their parents – a new iPad, going to a friend’s place, staying up late. During this part, the children would THINK-PAIR-SHARE, what they would say to convince their parents to get what they wanted. My plan required the class to make a list of things that they wanted change in the school and who we needed to persuade.

SO WHAT?

I had carefully planned this part of the lesson but unfortunately I didn’t take this lesson, my release teacher did. She was very enthusiastic and created a list of things that they wanted to change in the school. But for the following lesson I felt that the children were missing to the point of the lesson and I needed to change/ respond to their needs.

My next step involved using more of a scaffolding for the text and use bare bones boxes to help the children see what they needed to do. Because the point of the lesson was lost I needed to refresh my ideas and look for another way to achieve what the needs of the children.

NOW WHAT?

How can I find a scaffolding that works for my class, especially my priority learners? Who can help me to help me get on the right track again? I know that an argument will create success for my learners so I need persevere with this genre and find purpose for the writing.

Back to the drawing board…

“Failing doesn't make us a failure. But not trying to do better, to be better, does make us fools.” 
― Wes Moore