Call Back: Day 1, Term 2

Knowledge - Curiosity - Knowledge

i-Experience

Di posed the question:

What does this look like in your mind?    

We used a brainstorming technique Graphic Jam to illustrate our thinking/thoughts, then added these to the left-hand side of the 

Start....   Stop...   Continue...

Accessibility to the Learner -

• provide a 'taster'
• what is the 'experience' that we want the Learner to have, or should they be able to form their own 'experience'
• does the Learner know enough about the purpose for the 'experience'

My thinking...

In LH2, can we use the Learners' choices for iExplore to initiate the iExperiences?  Can we move them forward and challenge their thinking? Can we provide them with other 'wonderings' which they can pursue through the following day's iExplore?

It would be important to make sure that we are aware of the Learners' interest so that we can ensure that the resources are available - also where we can weave through iDevelop so that the reading, writing and numeracy becomes authentic.

Think...  am I helping to create a memory?

The challenge... make our ILE more learner centric - demonstrate a concept and then ask the Learners to do something!

Provide more provocations to encourage thinking and questioning.

Following a team discussion and exploration of an idea through a 'Safe to Fail' probe, I have decided on a 'spiral of inquiry' that I wish to explore further.   Check it out here

Other Bits and Pieces

Ways to share:

• 200 ways to show what you know

Are we using different ways?  Are we exposing our Learners that presentations/iMovie are not the only way.

NZC 'Coverage'

Suggested that we look at the front of the NZC - the key competencies as these will enable the back end, e.g. Using Symbols, Language and Text will bring through numeracy, written language and reading.

Making learning authentic and connected to the Learners' world will help to engage and make the learning more meaningful to them.  These words are not new to me, but I still need to remind myself of this when preparing for their learning.  Know the Learners and understanding where their interests lie will help me to be successful.

Safe to Fail Probe

Fail?  That's not something that sits easy with me.  So when I was introduced to the idea of carrying out a 'Safe to Fail Probe',  I felt anxious and apprehensive.

Why plan for something that could quite likely fail?

During an ELT in Term 1, we were given the opportunity to experiment with designing a Safe to Fail Probe.  Within a safe environment, we explored how sharing an idea with other groups encouraged us to question and delve deeper into our 'probe'; making changes and redirecting our thinking.

This practice highlighted the possibilities that sharing can create.   Through our own eyes we felt that we were designing a great plan.  But with the support an independent group, whose role was to question not praise, we were able to see gaps - not only in our plan, but also in the way that we delivered the concept.

Safe to Fail - LH2

In early May, following our discussions on Safe to Fail Probes and how to identify whether it is risky - yet not disastrous if it fails, we constructed our first 'probe'.   Our thinking which lead to this probe was that we felt that many of our Learners were not engaging in an iExplore activity in a meaningful way.   Many of the boys were making guns an swords out of the multilink cubes and running around the habitat.   Many girls were drawing princesses and making cards.

In our minds, iExplore was to be a time for the Learners to explore their curiosities, yet also extending their learning.   Were these activities providing this?   Could we design iExperience opportunities out of their interests which could then lead into a more personalised and challenging iExplore?

One area of difficulty with designing a probe is to make it simple - to keep it granular.   Also, it is challenging to design a probe that would help to solve a problem, rather than to learn something from.   

Chris and Leanne reminded us that it needed to be an inquiry to learn, rather than an inquiry to solve.  They also suggested that we keep our eyes open to notice what would happen if we make small changes - to be alert for anything that is not normal - emergence of the unusual, e.g. the quiet Learner suddenly starts speaking.

Our initial probe was redesigned towards the end of May and although we have started the 30 minute taster experiences, we are not overly pleased with Learner acceptance to choose an extension experience on the Wednesday.     It seemed as if they felt little need to delve deeper or extend their understanding.    

Today, during our EOD, we designed Our 2nd Safe to Fail Probe - 3.6.2016.  This was influenced by a day of discussion in which we identified that we wanted the iExperiences to generate greater independence, yet to also meet their individual Proximal Zones of Development.

I'm sure there will be some tweaking and I'm curious to find out who can manage this and which taster experiences ignite their minds.