On Wednesday, we are heading downtown for the Youth Philharmonic performance. Today we talked about what the kids can expect on the trip and what it might feel like when we're there. We talked about audience expectations with Ms. Tori, our librarian, who always delivered a brilliant performance of proper audience etiquette (she's an actor after all!). If you have not yet turned in a permission slip, please get in tomorrow. Unfortunately, we have limited slots for chaperones, so if I have not contacted you about coming along, we are unable to have you join us.
We are exploring something new in class, self-directed learning time. Kids are going to be pursuing topics of their own interest. To get smarter about learning on our own, we starting with how to use digital tools to guide us. Youtube is a fantastic resource, but you have to know how to use it so that you don't get lost or distracted. I asked kids to find an easy origami tutorial that they could master after a little practice. The results so far are astounding. They have progressed to steadily more challenging tutorials. And along the way they are getting lots of practice with some key skills for using online tutorials - pausing videos to try something out, rewinding to get it right, and seeking help from experts (that is, getting help from your friend who's got it down). It is so fun to watch the knowledge spread organically. We be using the skills to pursue deeper topics of inquiry.
No comments:
Post a Comment