10 Ways to Empower Students With Choice

Giving Student Feedback

MindShift blog-post
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/04/12/why-giving-effective-feedback-is-trickier-than-it-seems/

Start the year off with lots of inquiry thinking...

Some very interesting points are made here by Australian inquiry 'guru' Kath Murdoch and have certainly got me thinking (again!) about how to incorporate more inquiry thinking across all curriculum areas...

http://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/blog/2017/1/24/establishing-a-culture-of-inquiry-through-inquiry

Problem-based Learning - 'real life' in the classroom

Very cool programme - I'm thinking about how I might be able to do the same to make my maths programme more 'real' and more effectively teach skills alongside strategies and knowledge.

http://www.theedadvocate.org/mr-johnsons-classroom-fun/

Teaching Kids to Think

From the MindShift site (always so informative!)

When Kids Have Structure for Thinking, Better Learning Emerges

Fun! (And THAT song is not to be heard...)

Maths games...

Always on the look-out for a new maths game or two?

Here are some suggestions from Leigh Langton via the Corkboard Connections blog

Are you listening?

Image source

Some cool tips here for ways to help pupils learn to listen...

http://www.edutopia.org/blog-five-listening-strategies-rebecca-alber

BLOOMing good!

A great poster to remind us of the multitude of ways to incorporated Bloom's Taxonomy in the classroom...

Thanks Mia, An Ethical Island blog

Using Padlet | a blog post link from Minds in Bloom

Another suggestion for using Padlet as a tool...click the link below...

Integrating Technology in the Classroom Using Padlet | Minds in Bloom

iPads in the classroom workshop 31-07-2014

Some practical activities using iPad apps in the classroom...an e-learning workshop for teachers...

Remembering the SAMR Model...we will be aiming to be actively creating (modifying and redefining) our own products to share information with the ipads (rather than just "playing games" with apps)...

Today's task/s: incorporating maths, writing, oral language, visual language...

1. Use the camera to take 5-6 photos of 2-d shapes in the playground or classroom.
2. Use the Skitch app to label the photos. Then you can use the photos from your PhotoStream or CameraRoll to...

• Create a Tellagami in which you verbally describe the attributes of one of the shapes you photographed.
• Your Tellagami can be saved to use as a video file (to upload to Vimeo* or You Tube), or shared to Facebook, Twitter etc (if you have activated those accounts) or sent as an email for further sharing via a laptop.

• Create a ShadowPuppet presentation about your shapes. - this can also be saved as a video to be shared in various ways**

• Create an Explain Everything or Show Me presentation about the shapes - also make into a video to share.

• Create a QR code for one of your presentations and share it to a blog or send it as an email to print - the ipad has a QR Creator app as well as a QR Reader app.

* from Vimeo or You Tube the video can be embedded into a blog for immediate sharing, or the URL link can be copied to use in a document or website eg a Facebook post

** The pupils and I usually set a criteria for the work that is to be shared - this often happens during the writing process that occurs before the app is used - we use the appropriate text type features to suit the purpose of our video and the audience that will be viewing it. This means that the pupils write a draft and peer check it against both the criteria of the text type eg an explanation as well as then having a criteria of what needs to be included when the writing is 'published' via the video app.

• I usually also set a time limit eg for an iMovie they are only allowed maybe 30 seconds of completed/edited video in which to share their message (iMovies that are too long will clog up the memory space of the ipad account)

Free maths posters

Here is a set of free PDF posters, great for starter activities or one-off tasks that get the children thinking!

Poster set (click on a poster to open the files) from Teaching Ideas (UK)

2014: Inquiry: Being a life-long learner

Term One 2014 - INQUIRY - How can I be a life-long learner?

The wall display at the end of the term - most activities were digital and are on the pupil blogs.

Reason for this inquiry: 
* We have a new school logo, slightly changed motto and vision statement.
* The logo has children with backpacks – in these backpacks they put their learning tools: we need to introduce these images and concepts and help the children embrace them as their own philosophy.

HOST CURRICULUM: HEALTH - target curriculum level: Three (Year Six pupils)

Understandings: (Big Ideas/Key Concepts) 

• I am unique; so is everyone else. 
• I have different strengths that complement the strengths of others. 
• Making healthy choices helps my learning. 
• Great learning happens in partnership. 
• I am responsible for my own learning.

Core Knowledge: (Baseline knowledge)

• We can create our own toolkit for learning: SMARTS, turn-ons/turn-offs,school vision/motto/quotes/values; personal learning goals, making healthy choices (relationships, attitude, food, exercise, hygiene, sleep), working in partnership with others.

Inquiry Skill: Thinking      Key Competency: Managing myself      Value: Self-responsibility

Strategy: Six Thinking Hats         Blended Learning Opportunities: blogging, photos, tagxedo etc

Some of the concepts: motto, vision, competencies, backpack (toolkit) for learning

And, following our EDENDALE inquiry process, there was a huge range of possible learning activities...

EXCITING NEW KNOWLEDGE
(Covering the information in the core knowledge to build up a base of understanding to help pupils learn the Big Ideas.)

Attitude - having an attitude that is positive and healthy is important:

• Here is a lesson plan from the Education World site that emphasises the importance of can-do statements in building self-belief - pupils can 'bury' their negative statements.

What the competencies mean for us...

We carried out a variety of discussions and activities to reinforce the key understandings, and found that our Year Six Camp was the most relevant activity of the whole term for pupils to be able to put the concepts into action!

Showing we were lifelong learners with our activities at camp...

Pupils used the experience for a variety of follow-up activities - writing about their demonstration of the aspects needed to be a lifelong learner - many of these were expressed with digital tools...


Year Six Camp from Edendale Primary School on Vimeo.

Take Two News 2014 - Year Six Camp from Edendale Primary School on Vimeo.

Using the SAMR model with ICT devices in the classroom

I currently have 10 ipads in the classroom; all are set up through a classroom Google account.  This allows automatic/passworded access to:

• our blogs
• gmail - we can email many of our app creations
• the itunes store/icloud storage (controlled by teacher via a separate password)

Our ipads are used individually, in pairs, or in groups of 3 (video projects only)

And are used for: writing, maths, reading, inquiry and for general exploring!

When planning activities or selecting apps for the ipads I try to keep in mind the SAMR model for technology tool use in the classroom (aiming for transformation activities where-ever possible:

Image created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, Ph.D        http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/

APPS WE LOVE TO USE ON OUR CLASS iPADS:

• SUBSTITUTION - iBooks, Vimeo, Google Maps, Wonderopolis, WWF Together, Number Line,Weird But True (Nat.Geog), Touch‘n’Slide Calculator, Math Slide (Add/Sub etc), Tap Quiz Maps, Safari (for reading websites/searching for info)

• AUGMENTATION - Blogger, Comic Life, Wonderopolis, Typing Game, Google Earth, Kura, Piano, Maestro, padlet.com (used via Safari), Kibo 360, Let’s Get Inventing, Toon FX, PhotoBooth, and many MANY maths/spelling apps!

• MODIFICATION - Shadow Puppet, Tellagami, My Story, Show Me, Puppet Pals, Sock Puppets, Comics Head, Friendstrip

• REDEFINITION - iMovie, Explain Everything, GarageBand

Some links I have found interesting/useful as I consider how best to incorporate ICT tools such as laptops, digital cameras and ipads in my classroom programme.  I want the pupils to be getting maximum benefit from their use of these devices and the SAMR model keeps this in focus for me...

The SAMR model as applied to the use of a wiki - good visual example

Chart with simple explanation

How the Brain Works

'Five Minute Film Festival'  from the Edutopia blog is a cool posting that shares videos of how the brain works/how students learn - perhaps more for teachers or parents or teenagers than for my Year Sixes though, but very interesting!

New ICT tool - padlet.com

Padlet.com is an online app that is designed to work just as beautifully on an ipad as it does on a laptop or similar device - accessed viz the internet, its uses are numerous: for independent, group or whole class activities, for teaching, for learning - you are only limited by your imagination!

This is a great overview of some ideas, created by Suzy of the Technically Invisible blog and you can get your own free copy of it here

My class have been used the site for reading responses and inquiry brainstorming/sharing of ideas.

LEARNZ Virtual Field Trip - Feb 2014 - Geohazards

A resource I love to use to provide content and extend my pupils for reading and/or inquiry, is the NZ website LEARNZ, which provides real-time virtual field trips to various locations or based on various events around NZ.

I love it because the field trips, once you have registered and they have taken place, can be accessed any time - so if it doesn't suit my programme to follow the trip in real time on the dates the trip takes place, my pupils can still make use of the related resources at another time - for instance in 2012 there was a wetlands field trip which we used about two terms later in the year when it fit better in support of our inquiry.

Term One of 2014 - 25-27 Feb - a field trip to the geo-thermal region of the Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand is taking place. We will be using it for our reading programme as I think the non-fiction nature of the content will really motivate my boys and my reluctant readers:
                

Geohazards: 

volcanoes, tsunami, landslide, 

earthquakes and 

hydrothermal activity

The topic of natural disasters is one that many children find fascinating and, as I cannot physically take my southern class to view this North Island area, they will be able to see it via the photos and videos that will take place on the website. They know this is our theme and were excited about what they might find out.

This is a link to the learning resources page I created on our classroom blog for the children to use: 

Geohazards - NZ is full of them!

My guided group lessons will be using material based on the geohazard topics also, and the class bookshelf also has library books about the topics.  Different reading groups, as per ability, will be given guided or independent activities to complete over the next four weeks, some from the field trip and others based on their guided reading material.  These are the independent sheets that I have developed based on the fact sheets in the LEARNZ website.

Supporting materials - guided reading resources: to be used with various groups according to reading ability and interest level of the content...I usually set pre and post tasks for the title, meaning that the group has at least three days of activities with the guided text and one day of an independent activity using other resources (but that is a whole other blog post!)

• Connected 2 2005 - Living on a Lava Flow
• Connected 1 2011 - Ruaumoko Rages; Taupo; Time Capsules; Understanding Volcanoes; Living With a Volcano
• School Journal Part 2 No. 2 2002 -  Make a Volcano
• National Geographic Kids Science Readers Level 2 - Volcanoes!
• School Journal Level 3 Nov 2011 - One City, Two Earthquakes
• School Journal Story Library Level 3 - Quake, Rattle and Roll
• Connected 2 2000 - Jago Descends
• MainSails 2 - The Volcano Awakes!
• MainSails 2 - Tsunami!
• School Journal Part 4 No 3 2004 - A Bit of a Bang
  
• MacMillan Winners - Killer Quakes
• Scholastic Connectors - Extreme Scientists

True Grit - the key to success...

Watched this awesome TED talk from Angela Lee Duckworth today as a point of interest for our teacher only meeting in preparation for starting school on Monday...our heads were nodding in agreement throughout the whole talk...


By a quirk of fate, the same TED talk popped up in a blog article I have stumbled across this evening while looking for info about Project Based Learning...Vicki Davis shares her (secondary level) lessons/ideas for teaching pupils about true grit

I Love Teaching Conference 2013 - Invercargill

My colleagues and I were pleased to be able to attend this high-quality conference for the first two days of the school holidays. The speakers were excellent and we learnt a lot and were able to reflect on our teaching practices and how we run our classroom.

 I made separate notes about ideas I want to implement or carry out this term as I listened and reflected.. The list got quite long but I am going to start the term with an intensive digital week, as now that the class have had the chance to explore the iPads I want them to create with more focus.  I also aim to bring in a lot of discussion about their learning focus, the use of our inquiry process and the use of learning tools in a much more powerful way for learning.

My notes:

HINE WAITERE - RAISING CULTURAL AWARENESS

-Success comes in CANS.

- CULTURE Is cultivation, nowadays about the practices that produce significant meaning. 

SAM CAWTHORN - BOUNCE FORWARD   - this man is an absolute inspiration, he lost an arm in a car crash but has never looked back and is now a motivational speaker...

1.  Crisis creates opportunity - what you focus on is what you get - look forward and look for opportunity or potential, where focus goes energy flows. 

2. Proximity is power - you are the average of your five closest friends - the company that you keep determines who you are - look for inspiring, positive influences build your energy and motivation.

3. Leveraging happiness that fuels success - being happy will increase your success eg work rate, give 110 % and make a conscious choice to be happy and positive. 

I must find and read the Book by Brad Smith Aussie entrepreneur

Jason Ohler was my favourite speaker and I attended two of his workshops. I must seeJodie and read her notes for his third workshop too...

JASON OHLER - TRANSFORMING LEARNING THROUGH DIGITAL CREATIVITY

jasonOhler.com.     www.committedsardine.com.            Presentation is on his website

BYOD - personalised workspace, find a policy to guide you. Brand it on-off, turn on and use, now turn off and talk

Building blocks of Education today-  

1 we are mobile

2 we are connected, where's school? ( who owns the learning), connectivity, constructivist, constructionist -TRANSMEDIA - immersed in digital devices, 

3 We are moving from text based to media based teaching and learning

4 digital citizenship

Augmented art - blending real life with virtual life - Aurasma app. Easy to use in class. 

Ed Leadership magazine CREATIVITY. from Feb 2013 ? Try to find and read for ideas

 Literacy is consuming AND producing therefore students need to be able to write well what they read. 

SO: TEN DIGITAL LIT ACTION GUIDELINES

1. VALUE WRITING as this is what good media is based on

2. Shift from text centred to new media collage

3. ADOPT ART as the 4th R

4. Follow DOAR  of literacy - digital oral art writing - use all four to create media

5. Attitude is the aptitude - learning is the heart, being able to learn, unlearn, relearn

6. practice personal and digital literacy

7. Develop literacy about digital tools

8. develop literacy about info

9. Fluency, not just literacy

10. Harness both report and story...embrace story!  Digital storytelling eg green screen of pupil telling story with their own art on background, or Voice over of a presentation. 

CHILDREN AND TEACHERS NEED TO BE CRITICAL CONSUMERS OF THEIR DIGITAL WORK: don't just give an A for anything that moves!

Need to bring children over the media maturity line (get them to reflect on their work and think "will the people who are not in my head understand what I am telling them about?", this covers use of storyline, art work, music - it must all enhance the story, not detract from it, the connections must be less about themselves but more about making sense to the audience)   - get them to view tv and see how the professionals handle the music, titles, transitions, the people creating these need to be top of the line as there are a thousand others who want their job so they need to do it right and do it well!

-encourage all stories to have TRANSFORMATION (where someone changes or grows) as an element, ie not just a problem and solution

Use a story map rather than a storyboard as pupils will see more possibilities and it will be easy for teacher to see potential of story. 

WORKSHOP ONE - TRANSFORMING YOUR CLASSROOM USING DIGITAL MEDIA TOOLS - DIGITAL STORYTELLING PRIMER

Creating media, not just consuming it...building writing and sharing skills through digital tools - building media literacy by creating media - storytelling/ persuasions/ explanations 

TWO KINDS OF MEDIA DEVELOPMENT WITH KIDS:

Two rules: 

1.  story first and digital second - front end load the project with a lot of discussion and review of the story first before the devices are even turned on

2.  There are no rules! Only guidelines and ideas. 

NARRATIVE: 

iMovie - green screen with own artwork as background, pupil tells the story on screen as filmed - expect and teach them to do body movements, facial movements, sound effects - play games like the programme whose line is it anyway eg be my sound effects, or be my actions

Voice over narrative - create a slideshow/video and record narrative overtop

Evaluate the product twice - first for the story alone, then again for the production. Keep them separate and give feedback separately. Low production skills can be forgiven only if the story is good, the reverse is not true. 

See Jason's website> digital storytelling> part 2/part 3 etc - range of links to tips and resources 

The image gives you the information, the music tells you how to feel it - Jason ahas a movie sequence that shows this example ( boy getting out of bed- play with no music, children tell you what it's about, then play and listen with music to get sense of emotion)

Aim for instrumental music, do not allow singing while a narrative is happening

Www.freeplaymusic.com - allows you to choose music by emotion

GREEN SCREEN STORYTELLING - see his website for ideas

1 develop content first eg at the end of an inquiry tell a story about it, decide on content, practice telling the story (most likely have not even written it down yet), the write it, tell and repellant critique stories, design artwork for background, scan it to computer, perform in front of screen and pupils film it, edit in chroma editing, add music etc

Recommends buying a collar mike that can pick up the pupils voice so much more clearly ( video camera needs to have an external mike port) and headset mikes so sound is lot clearer. 

And no more than four or five pupils present at filming, to keep noise down.

Do not use storyboards ( too restrictive) - use story maps as they chart the story flow and the flow of emotion, look for a story to have a problem ( tension) and s solution ( resolution) and a transformation ( change or growth -A REALIZATION,  the character must realise something) -

range of story maps on his website? - kids respond to the first part of the McKee map, 'the mountains' where the storyline goes towards the goal the away from the goal over and over and that is what keeps the audience engaged

Story spine by Kenn Adams: once upon a time...every day...but one day...because of that...because of that...because of that...until finally...ever since then...the moral of this story is...

assessment aspects and the process of creating - two column plan, every time there is a new image on the screen there will be a new part of the script - making plans about the specificity of the images and words they are choosing, if have time then can then look for images and insert into the column as a kind of storyboard but is not necessary

Does it need to be clear like an essay or challenging like a poem or somewhere on the scale in between?

Use a story storming table to help check storytelling elements are present

See hulu.com for documentaries: by director Burns (1st person). Jason has an example he referred to as King John (1st immersive  - being the person eg a monologue, children love to do this type of documentary), by director Michael Moore (1st person protagonist), 3 rd person narrator

SECOND WORKSHOP  - DIGITAL COMMUNITY, DIGITAL CITIZEN

ISTI standards for IT In Ed.  Go to ISTI. com. (Or is it ISTE?)

Digital citizenship is a general term that is the international term

Digital citizen week in October.  Jason is doing a MOOC course in  early 2014see website

 Being a digital citizen - How am I behaving while I am online? Users need to think about this in a way they never think about it, taking it from the invisible to inquiry.  Users forget they are broadcasting themselves online ( disinhibition) and we behave as if no one is watching. 

Character education for digital kids - create a frame work rather than just attack the issues, make kids aware of the connections between values and behaviour and digital tool use

Be involved but safe

Risk assessment v risk aversion

Enthusiasm v skepticism

Positive v negative footprint

Develop critical filters

Be inspired, creative users

Think about local and online communities - we live in two places now! eg consider behaviour with regard to local and virtual perspectives and relationships. Eg in all communities, local, global and digital.

Create a mantra, one sentence/phrase eg We use internet safely, respectfully, responsibly.  Or eg. Is it honest, fair, protective? Is it appropriate?  Is what you are doing publishable? Does it add or subtract to my digital footprint? 

Involve students in policy develoment. Eg book From Fear to Facebook

UOPS - using other people's stuff  - Have students develop the citation scheme that works for them

Connects and disconnects can be sprinkled throughout the curriculum - what did that technology give us And what did it take away from us? Eg the microwave connects us to fast food but disconnected us from family meal cooking or eating together - be deTECHtives and always think about/ discuss how tech tool connects or disconnects us, as EVERY item of tech will enhance and reduce us

7 questions: physical characteristics, enhancement/reductions, social contexts, replace/foretell, biases, benefits, applications(?)

Teachers need to be an ethical coach, 

Video 'Digital Dossier' (TED  clip?)

//borndigital.com

Engage the kids:

Look at the evolution of a technology eg the suitcase, think past, present, future??

Combine two technologies eg wagon and suitcase, wii and Internet - what are the possibilities??

Create maps of their own personal networks- use variety of lines to show importance of relationships between friends and classmates

Lane Clark from Canada is an inquiry expert who focuses on the I profane of learning about learning in order to be a successful learner.. I felt that much of her theory and advice was very relevant to me as I aim to develop an independent, differentiated learning program in y classroom, so my list of,things to do got longer as I listened to Lane...

LANE CLARK - COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY.     - Edmodo has the full set of notes, the course handout has graphic org to help work through the notes.  Code  t4cwdj.  And code kvm4 gs for first workshop group

Two focuses: what the research says and how to use it in the classroom with kids

What is learning? If nothing has been changed in long term memory then nothing has been learned.

Make sure graphic organisers for children are framed by you so that it helps the children learn the schema that you want them to take into long term memory.

- limit your words, give time to record, record (write in colour to switch on your brain), use images/symbols, initial your contributions (ie did you borrow idea from a friends ideas)

- pupils must understand why they are using the organiser

- provide a cheat- sheet to help the kids check they were on the right track - add anything you missed in a different colour, if they had other ideas then have a conference to discuss relevance / thinking around it

Working memory alongside longterm memory 

- children should record with ANY learning they do

- mind maps are great for this and can help lock new learning into LTM If reviewed

- the learning has to be relevant/personal to them so they will take it into LTM

- video or record teaching points,pupils can refer to it the next day as much as want

- personal relevance is crucial for them to invest in the learning for long- term rather than just memorising for short term eg put the continuum or progressions in their writing book

We need to: 

- unpack the curriculum to  recognise the level of complexity inherent in the material 

- know what schema the pupils already have or need to have before learning the new material

- use immersion experiences to test prior schema and lay down foundation schema

- separate the criteria for the skills, content, processes - in kid speak, specific and measurable

- provide micro processes for learning

If chunk the learning, keep the big picture in mind at all times eg how we do inquiry question and have key statements to support

Have an inquiry process that is kid based and they use it for all areas of the curric, and have images alongside the words. 

Immersion - the time to check the prior schema and acquire new learning - use task cards to help them know what to do - have images with text ( build a library of clip art to use in class) big numbers, no more than four on a card, a well- framed organiser to support the schema/ sharing of the schema - new concepts are taught by resources eg brain pop or study ladder or Kahn academy or books etc - use organisers to help the students focus on the appropriate material, children check the cheat sheet and sign up for workshop if need to clarify a concept - pupils can move between groups as identify own needs and progress against the checkpoints (see Lane's solution think strategy/ sheets for process of building knowledge through to applying and problem solving)

WORKSHOP ONE PROCESSES FOR LEARNING look for this on Edmodo

Empowering them to be able to continue their work without us.  (Helen Keller)

Enable.  Empower. Engage. Awaken their soul.

Micro learning processes are part of the big picture, are a good place to start, are still a whole in themselves and are a way of getting to the big picture without getting lost on the way.

Lane to make a code for demo do for processes for learning, will put it in the first code page?  Email her if she doesn't. 

Need systems in place as well as tools. 

Macro processes  - the inquiry/ research aspect or model of helping kids learn how to learn - make sure the steps are explicit and have icons so the kids own it, and use it in every area of the programme. Use copy of model and colour in the steps you have completed, should be at least four stages as well as celebrating/ sharing.

Think box is the model of the processes: 

When you learn you have to think, thinking is what you do to learn. " I,m going to teach you what tools you can use to help you find out.  Thinking tools work with thinking jobs.  Choose from the think box a tool that will be useful."

Keep it tight to start with, Model it first, choose one to who tools at a time, lead the kids through it, after that they can select their own when they need it. Show the kids what you planned for them, why, where the tools are on the think box; eventually the kids can help you plan.

Kids Hilite on 

think box in colour code to show when used a tool.

15 second retention, so there are a lot of options for tools to record the info.

Organisation of self, information and team.

Micro processes are processes to manage self within the learning eg need to publish, so use the author process, need to design something, use the techno process, need to evaluate, use the view process.

You haven't learnt it if you can't apply it to your so what brief or problem (a solution/an alternative) this is when you synthesise twice, as problem solve and as share the solution.

Hilite the tools you know from the think box, get started on using them, learn some of the ones you don't know.

Think tower (similar to our inquiry model, puts the think box tools into a linear model) - should be using tools from all the areas to have comprehensive thinking and learning happening, and the linear tower shows that everything is linked and if one section is missing then the tower will collapse.

On edmodo lane will put the power point with the micro processes. 

The microprocesses relate to the think box and are based on the thinking JOB not the actual task: eg author think is the framework for quality publishing (not writing as such but any form of publishing), so it will include the criteria for each step, pupils have. Copy and colour as they work their way through

Lane will give us this PowerPoint on edmodo - Author process: plan on planning document or organiser, draft, get typed on computer verbatim, print out and take to author circle for review, now self-edit on copy, outside edit with teacher or adult, when ready can plan out the publishing format and create

Will also give us the PowerPoint for Thinkitgreat process and examples etc of think charts

Must be using the same processes throughout the school so pupils are not having to learn new schema for carrying out each process. 

Lane always creates the rubric not the children. What the kids decided as important will be base criteria on all three levels, teacher adds the level of complexity via negotiation ( see the fairy tale example on Thinkitgreat PowerPoint)

Aim to build independence with the process stages, even if not done competently they are at least done independently (pupils following the model you have demonstrated), then kids get the process with the indicators so they can fine tune their process: 

provide worked models that other kids have done, model yourself doing it, then let the kids take a punt on doing it themselves and support them as they follow the steps

Almost never only use one tool, you should be layering tool upon tool

Display learning process, display the tools that could go with each stage - all labelled and visible and transparent (see next workshop notes)

WORKSHOP TWO: THE 12 DIMENSIONS OF THINKING INFUSION

WIGs - wildly important goals

For learners to be good learners they need to be good thinkers and to be good thinkers they need infusion - where the lines between thinking and learning are almost invisible because they are occurring so naturally together and within everything they do.  

The lines become invisible because you first made the lines visible and taught the children how to do it.

There are twelve dimensions within four overarching categories: nature of the program ( dispositional links, extent of the tool use, consistency, transparency), nature of the tools ( diversity, complexity), nature of tool use (cognitive consciousness, transference, cognitive responsibility), nature of tool use (significance, authenticity, relevance )

NATURE OF THE PROGRAM: 

How EXTENSIVE is the use of thinking tools across my program? 

How are the intellectual dispositions LINKED to my thinking program? Eg Costa's 16 habits of mind

Extent - the degree to which something has spread

Consistency - conformity in e application of something

Transparency - can be distinctly seen

Dispositional links - a persons inherent qualities of mind and character

Diverrsity - a range of different things

NATURE OF THE TOOLS

How DIVERSE are the tools you  use?

How COMPLEX are the tools you use in your teaching and learning program?

Complexity - being intricate; consisting of many different parts

Diversity- many different things

Looking at the tools you'd know and saying what thinking is in each one,  eg is it used to acquire or extend knowledge, do they need the immersion before can do the vein diagram to compare?

Always go general to specific, that is about building depth of schema, and in the breadth or complexity of the thinking eg t chart to cross classification to reasons why to cause and effect ( guess/predict then research/ synthesise) to alternative / so what ideas to help with the issues - this may involve framing changes of the organisers to make me more complex to get depth of thinking

NATURE OF THE TOOLS USE

How SIGNIFICANT is the outcome achieved because of the tool? Is it making a difference in their life or someone else's life because they used it for their thinking?

How RELEVANT Is the tool you are using?

How AUTHENTIC is use of the tool?

Significance - being worthy of attention

Relevance - closely connected to the matter at hand

Authenticity - being real or true

NATURE OF THE OWNERSHIP

Cognitive consciousness - awareness or perception of something

Cog responsibility - having duty to deal with something,ability to act independently

Transference - act of moving to another place

WHATS THE WIG OF MY THINKING PROGRAM? Comprehensive, seamless infusion!!!

EMAIL LANE IF WISH TO BE PART OF TRIAL PERSONALLY OR AS A SCHOOL AS A PD FOR A YEAR - I think I would like to do this! It would be a good teaching as inquiry project. 

FOR IMMERSION LEARNING - ie inquiry process

Unpack curriculum, unpack specifically what want from it ( content) look at how they can use that outcome to make a difference if their lives or some one else's lives and develop a so-what to inquire based on the needs of this community and culture of the kids in the class - you set the context and that is the reason for the schema that you build with them. Don't have to change the world but do have to have impact on

Remember the schema needs to be relevant to the learner, ie set a design brief that will require the schema to be learnt and applied.

Has find-out Fridays. When the teaching is all about tools and skills for inquiry, but pupils follow own inquiry of an area of passion. Teacher is then teaching tools without cognitive overload for the content, whereas the Mon to Thursday class inquiry program is about building schema required by curriculum. - this would fit with the book I got for the Essential Resources stand about Passion Projects, something else on my term four list of things to do!!