LAUNCH/TEAM
A few things you need to know before we get started, (or you feel overwhelmed, or highly irritated.)
RESEARCH TEAM 1
Makerspace Movement
Challenge Brief:
Students need to have relevant, meaningful life experiences that allow them to be creative, work with science, technology, and math, and defy stereotypes for the roles of girls and boys in society. Boys can cook, sew and scrapbook, and girls can make robots and build with legos right? We want to encourage that in our students while they are still young.
Driving Question: How can we create a reasonable, realistic way to engage our students in passion project type activities that are developmentally appropriate?
(Our ideas also must not require so much work for teachers that we feel like calling in sick on project days.) A few things you need to know before we get started, (or you feel overwhelmed, or highly irritated.)
1. The requirement for this "passion project", "genius hour" or whatever we decide to call it, is once a month. (Sigh of relief) If you think we should do these things more often than that, that is an option we can discuss!
2. Leadership has discussed the idea of different teachers teaching different things, and students picking where they want to go, kind of like elementary clubs. If we did that, classes would split up and go to different rooms. Does that work for you? Does it not? Want to keep it within your own grade level? Arguments for keeping it in your own classroom? This is all open for discussion!
3. Ideas leadership has thrown around include:
- Legos
- Art
- Cooking/Baking
- Scrapbooking
- Technology Use
Other ideas are welcome!
4. Anything we do needs to be open ended for students. If every kid creates the same thing every time we have a passion project or genius hour time, we aren't really meeting our goal. Kids should be creating and learning how to be creative during this time. Of course, that is a learning process, so at first, they may all do the same thing, no matter how hard we try to encourage variety. Be thinking of ideas that will encourage creativity for our young learners!
Project Requirements: (Don't move yet, just read!!)
1. Meet with your first team (mixed up departments). Don't panic! You will return to your comfort zone shortly!!
- Research the "Makerspace Movement" and "Genius Hour" using the provided links under Research Team 1.
- Create a list of what things we should see students doing/not doing during this time. (What should this look like?) (What ideas do people in your group have?) This list can be general, or specific. For example, "Students are being creative, not working on specific TEKS content." or "Students are using art supplies."
- Create a list of what things we should see students doing/not doing during this time. (What should this look like?) (What ideas do people in your group have?) This list can be general, or specific. For example, "Students are being creative, not working on specific TEKS content." or "Students are using art supplies."
- Share the list with everyone.
2. Go back to your department teams!
- Research some ideas for kid activities using the provided links under Research Team 2.
- Create a visual or list of what your team wants to do during this passion time or genius hour. What do you want to call it? When will it happen? Will students stay within the grade level or go to teachers from different grade levels, or stay in their own rooms?
- Share with everyone.
Then, we have to come to a school wide agreement. That's right......you read that correctly.
Things to think about:
If students cross from one grade level to another, this cannot take place in the afternoon.
If this takes place on a Friday, how does that effect "Fun Friday" for your students?
If this takes place in the morning, how does it affect computer times, lunches, etc?
If you do this in your own classroom without changing rooms, is that more planning work for you than if students could choose from a variety of classrooms?
Would changing classrooms be difficult?
Where are we going to get the supplies for these activities?Where can we keep things so that everyone would have access to supplies for students to create?
Where are we going to get the supplies for these activities?Where can we keep things so that everyone would have access to supplies for students to create?
NOW, pick up your stuff, and find a table where everyone is on a different department team than you. Mix up as much as possible. Smile while you do walk to your new seat, and don't give me dirty looks. Grouping this way was not my idea. ;)
PLAN
Quickly develop a plan about who will research what. See the Research Team 1 section below.
Start researching, and creating your list.
Start researching, and creating your list.
Makerspace Movement
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2014/07/makerspace-movement-in-education/
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/2014/06/18/educational-makerspaces/
Primary School Examples:
http://ahrens.weebly.com/makerspace.html
http://www.fcps.edu/CamelotES/Makerspace.html
http://www.donorschoose.org/project/a-kindergarten-makerspace/1205859/
http://www.donorschoose.org/project/lego-library-makerspace/1261015/
Not Going to Happen Yet:
(Not realistic for us right away, but fun anyway! LEF grant writing anyone?!?!)
http://makezine.com/magazine/make-38-cameras-and-av/kids-makerspace/
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/designing-a-school-makerspace-jennifer-cooper
Genius Hour
http://www.geniushour.com/
https://theglobalgeniushourproject.wikispaces.com/
http://www.gallitzvi.com/home/what-is-genius-hour
Primary School Examples:
http://www.canteach.ca/2013/03/yes-genius-hour-in-kindergarten/
http://lovefromkindergarten.weebly.com/blog/category/genius-hour
http://www.geniushour.com/2013/10/06/a-constructivist-take-on-genius-hour-using-wonder-wall/
http://teachbrightly.blogspot.com/2014/04/genius-hour-in-1st-grade.html
CREATE: A LIST
Create a list of what things we should see students doing/not doing during this time. (What should this look like?) (What ideas do people in your group have?)
SHARE: List
After everyone has shared, move back to your department teams.
PLAN
Quickly develop a plan about who will research what. See the Research Team 2 section below.
Start researching again. See below:
RESEARCH TEAM 2
Things for kids to do:
http://www.education.com/activity/recycled-crafts/
http://www.legoclub.com.au/
http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-host-lego-club.html
http://www.kidspot.com.au/best-recipes/kids-cooking+5.htm
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-baking
http://www.learnquebec.ca/export/sites/learn/en/content/curriculum_elem/kinder/documents/LES-Robotics.pdf
http://www.robotshop.com/en/robots-preschools-kindergartens.html
http://www.ivillage.ca/18-amazing-diy-kids-toys-you-can-make-cardboard-box
http://davisonkindergarten.blogspot.com/p/what-we-are-doing-with-ipads.html
Search for additional ideas online please! I know...the firewall. (sigh)
CREATE:
Create a visual or list of what your team wants to do during this passion time or genius hour. What do you want to call it? When will it happen? Will students stay within the grade level or go to teachers from different grade levels, or stay in their own rooms? What supplies do we need to make this happen? (Maybe we need to create an area on campus where we can get the supplies students need for these create activities?) Try to think outside the box. Maybe the box is a sphere....
SHARE: Visual or List
Discuss and come up with the following for our campus about this concept:
1. What will we call this time?
2. Will students go to different rooms?
3. If students will go to different rooms, will they stay within the grade level?
4. How often will it occur?
5. What day/days of the week?
Please continue to develop a specific plan in design time in the coming weeks.
See ya!
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