Week 4 Term 2

Some of our collaborative projects groups now have the end in sight with their project work coming together.  There has been a huge amount of learning in this process for our children.  Learning from mistakes, reflecting on participation and communication with the view to 'doing it better' next time has been a focus.

In supporting learning, we take a different angle from the traditional micromanagement style.  This is deliberate choice to advise rather than tell as we want our children to be able to think for themselves, have freedoms to be able to risk-take and have ownership over their learning.  We run the learning common like a business model, with regular check-ins and progress meetings to support and challenge.

Our learning wall, in the corridor, has learning stories going up on it over the next week or two.

Here are some snapshots of student voice reflections:

'We lost our planning calendar so we had to make a few vital changes like changing our direction as we couldn't remember what were going to do next.  We played the blame game and we learnt we should all have taken responsibility for looking after the plan.'

'We wanted to do the interviews a lot later in the process but we had to do them earlier and that put us under stress as we had to learn how to email, ask good questions and practise.  We had to talk together and have a few meetings to problem solve how we were going to calm down and focus.  This meant we had to allow time in our daily planners to make time to make it happen.'

'We had to spread out into two groups so we could get things done faster.  Within our group we had some people getting stuff done but others weren't really so we decided to do different parts. Basically, we just have to get it done and now everyone is doing something.'

'We really wanted to get lego but it's been really hard so now we are writing a newsletter to try and get some.  Now I have learnt how to do that and if you do teamwork you can get things done.  Teamwork is working together.'

'It was difficult working with different people but we got through that.  It's taught me that I should work with new people more often as it's a different way of learning.  We are going quite good because we are getting things done a lot quicker than we we first started.'


Responsive Mathematics

We've been exploring fractions in our workshops and also through our independent maths programmes.  Remember to have a look at the online learning sites we have links to off our planning site.

Link here

As part of the learn it - practice it - apply (teach it) model some students have started to run their own workshops for others.  This collaborative teaching model is tapping into all of our resources and strengthens learning.

Fractions Workshop Leaders

Book Track
Braydon and Levi delivered a workshop to some LC3 students on how to use Booktrack to add sound into your writing. The workshop was well received by LC3 and they quickly followed the instructions from the boys. Their presentation was well constructed and challenged the boys with their written and oral language skills.

More words from the children...

Highlights

'Enjoying other peoples ideas and each person has a different meaning to them.  When I first started I was watching a few Ted Talks and some made them funny and interesting and that's what I've enjoyed most so far.'  Danny's Ted Talk is going to be on how the words from inspirational people such as Martin Luther King have impacted on him.

'Thinking of my idea as been the best part because I have a lot of personal highlights and passions that I already do.  The hardest part was choosing one and in the end I came up with on that was a different.  Now I am looking at why people have the inspiration and desire to compete.  My first idea was to look at racing.' Grace.

We are well represented in the Hobsonville Point Fliers Team and lots of children from our learning common will be joining in the 3 and 5km walk/runs this weekend.

Goodluck, run hard and have fun!