I’m a big fan of digital portfolio’s, although up until this year I wouldn’t say I’ve been terribly confident in using them. The teams first attempt felt overly complex. We had a scheduled period each week for students to reflect on how they’d used that disposition that week and post on their DP… basically it boiled down to half hearted attempts, tech issues, and no … Continue reading Playing with Digital Portfolios
I used to joke about my ‘neglected blog’. But then, I tried to log back in last week and literally couldn’t remember the password. Suddenly, the joke didn’t really seem like a joke anymore. I could easily blame being time poor; since I started this site I’ve filled my professional life with a ton of cool projects. I’ve also had two babies, with a third … Continue reading Back to Blogging
How do we get students to invest in their learning? One way is to involve them in the planning process. Involve students in the project design Whilst this is a fantastic way to get students energised about a project, it can also be daunting. It helps if you have a clear idea about the parameters of the project. Consider what skills/content you are required to … Continue reading Building student voice into a project
I know we don’t always have time to do this, but when we do we should. Arguably, this is the part of teaching we need make time for. An entry event is designed to get students excited about their learning, and the excitement can start long before the event itself. Delivering teasers and cryptic clues before a project commences can generate buzz amongst your students … Continue reading Entry Events – Building the Hype
This was one of my goals this year. I wanted to run a Presentation of Learning (POL), High Tech High style. Post experience, it’s got to be one of the most valuable things I’ve done in years. The day started off pretty rough – students pulling out, panel members not showing up etc. Then, our first speaker gets up. She’s shaking. The moment she starts … Continue reading Presentation of Learning
I’ve gotten a little slack lately, and my entry event’s have been the victim. In my time-poor state, I’ve been classifying team planning sessions as Entry Events. They’re not. Let’s not kid ourselves. So last week, I decided to inject a little fun back into the process and kicked off Year 7’s picture book project with some craft and finger painting! Welcome to our hour … Continue reading Entry Events – let’s not forget the fun!
This week has been massive! We have two very cool projects about to launch (I’ve just added them to Project Cards – House of Cards and Mosquito Project). Johnny and I have spent a rainy Sunday holed up project planning – feels like the good ol’ days. Anyway, we’ve got very some cool Entry Events planned which I’ll get back to soon, and I’m experimenting … Continue reading Coming Soon…
Welcome to my ah ha moment. I’ve just figured out why my gallery walks haven’t always been so successful; the ones that have worked have been spontaneous, springing from a genuine need for feedback. The ones that haven’t have been neatly scheduled moments in my program. Today was one of the more successful moments. I ran a refining workshop with Johnny’s class – they’re still … Continue reading Kind, helpful, specific feedback
I’ve already posted about our 50 word stories, (here and here) they’ve since become a staple with all my classes. But what I haven’t covered is how we share these with the world. Cue today’s blog. The original idea sprung from Chipotle’s Cultivating Thought Author Series , and resulted in me ordering 200 coffee sleeves late one night in the whirlwind of excitement… Luckily, the … Continue reading What you like a story with that?
I’ve discovered a ton of great resources lately, here’s a quick run down for anyone interested. 1. ‘The Motivation Equation‘ is my top pick. From the first page it breaks down how to capture student motivation, each chapter unpacks the concept in beautiful detail. A great read, you can find it here. 2. I love this woman. Her blog is a beautiful rabbit hole that … Continue reading Whatcha reading?
Shelley and Johnny 