Session 1 Week 2 in Review
Elementary Studio
What another exciting week! Learners seem to be finding their groove. They engaged in an experiment called "I'm not here". During the experiment, the Guide only facilitates the signature learning experiences. It is up to the learners to use their resources and peers to figure out what they don't know. This is a typical day for a self-directed learner! It was very exciting to see them naturally make necessary adjustments to become self-directed learners! Everyday since, I've witnessed amazing self-directed learning skills from everyone. In Quest, they're continuing their Wayfinding journey as they become familiar with self agency, self advocacy, running partners, and customizing their badge plans.
This week they were introduced to two signature learning experiences called Civilization and Story Arts, formerly known as Storytelling. In Civilization, learners researched history, geography, culture, and civilization as an orientation to civilization. Next, they created aliens that traveled back in time to a time period of their choice. In Story Arts, learners will follow a curriculum led by Christy Todd. This week they began the brainstorming process for their podcast!
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -Benjamin Franklin
Starting next week, learners will be in the full swing of self-directed learning! I'm eagerly waiting to witness their continued growth on their Wayfinding journey to become self-directed learners. Stay tuned to see what happens next week!
Middle School Studio
We had another great week in the Middle School Studio collaborating, sharing ideas, and starting to create beautiful works in our Signature Learning Experiences! We shared moments of fun and laughter, as well as struggles with technology. Learners are starting to work through problem solving, offer help to each other, and explore resources to utilize when they are “stuck”.
Quest in the middle school studio this week was centered around Purpose Statements, which is a driving piece of each learner’s badge plan. Learners first interviewed each other using five questions: who are you, what do you love to do, who do you do it for, what do those people need or want that you can offer, and how will what you offer them change or impact them? Next, they took two diagnostic surveys on Purpose Match and used their results to help form their own Purpose Statement that they will refer back to throughout the year. We ended the week by exploring the Deep Book Badge and how each Deep Book can support a learner’s badge plan. Learners had the opportunity to research and brainstorm a book list that they can pull from when they select Deep Books throughout the year!
Tuesday we had our very first Civilization session! We had a visit from a very special, movie famous alien that came to Earth to interview us about the history of our species, past and present civilizations, and where we as the human race are headed. Learners began a group project in which they were tasked with designing their very own civilization. They had to collaborate to decide on when and where their civilization took place, as well as defining features of their civilization. Each learner had their own role and product to create that will be compiled into a group presentation: the historian, the cartographer, the anthropologist, and the political scientist. Learners explored new group dynamics and learned in real time about time management, role delegation, and compromise. I can’t wait to see each group present their civilization next week!
Story Arts began on Thursday, kicking off our session on Podcasting! Our learners took part in the first of four challenges, which was all about brainstorming ideas for a topic and planning out the storyline for their first episode. They narrowed in on one topic, wrote out the problem or need that their podcast will aim to solve, and created Podcast art that will brand their Podcast when they upload it to real podcast platforms like Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Audible!
High School Studio
It was another great week in the High School Studio. I’m continuing to be impressed with how the learners are including one another, bouncing ideas off of each other, and sharing their unique points of view. We began the week by introducing YouScience, a new platform that our studio will be using this year. YouScience includes a set of “Brain Games” which test for learners’ natural aptitudes, pairs them with a variety of career tracks that fit their interests and aptitudes, and provides learners with a customized database of colleges and businesses that may pique their interest. We will continue to complete learner profiles on YouScience in the coming weeks, which will provide insight for apprenticeships, graduation, and beyond.
We had our first Circle on Tuesday, in which we discussed non-academic accomplishments that we are proud of. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the strengths and passions of each learner. We also solidified our plans for how our studio-specific Town Halls will run, and learners were given the go-ahead to begin campaigning for council roles that they are interested in.
We spent time in Quest this week discussing some of the graduation and badge requirements; namely, we discussed our relationships with Math, and brainstormed ideas for how to make math more accessible and relevant to each learner. We also covered the Deep Books requirement, which saw deep discussion about the importance of books, and allowed learners to practice “pitching” books to their peers and guide.
This week marked the beginning of our Civilization and Story Arts curriculum, as well. In Civilization this session, the High School learners are diving into and tackling the intense but important topic of Human Trafficking. We began this curriculum by diving into the definitions of Human Trafficking, the history of how it began, and the scope of the problem in modern times. In Story Arts, we began an exciting exploration of Podcasting, and learners brainstormed topics for their own podcast episode. They shared their ideas with a small group of their peers, and got feedback on their themes, content, and ideas. Learners created cover art for their podcast, which provided another opportunity to “brand” their podcast.
All the while, learners have begun putting together their badge plans for this school year. It was quite a productive week in our studio, and I look forward to continuing our curriculum next week!