What do we do with an opportunity? How might we work within the constraints that have occurred because of Covid? So many of our lives have required a shift in mindset. The unknown is something that many of us struggle with, yet we must adapt and continue to grow in our learning each day. I…
Baking Club
What happens when you study fractions with 5 boys, add some flour, butter, and chocolate chips to the mix? You get these amazing conversations about how we should have a baking club, unprompted. I was floored by these conversations and the legitimacy behind their thoughts. Our goal was to be able to convert a recipe…
Encouraging Compassion
How do we encourage compassion within our day? What kind of questions might we ask that can drive our learning towards compassionate responses, better yet compassionate listening? I have a student who comes up to me each day and gives me a hug before they enter the building. This is a student who has struggled…
PBL and Vocabulary
This week we began a three week unit on persuasive writing with a 5th grade class. Our focus is on creating arguments for or against having tire chips on our playground. Creating opportunities for students to do authentic research is a piece that we needed to focus on, especially with the numerous amounts of vocabulary…
Authentic instead of Amazing
Today was an interesting day. I wanted to interview some students for our podcast, but they were both sick so I decided to interview a pair of 1st grade students. It is really interesting to think about the quote above as I listen back to the recordings of our conversations. They both were authentic conversations…
The next step…
After my last post on creativity and being open to new ideas, I wanted to stretch my thinking and dive into the creation of a podcast. I didn’t want this to be any old podcast, but one that focuses on student voice, kindergarten to 5th grade. With this in mind, I began to compile resources…
Open…..
We say that we are open to new ideas, but…… that’s a challenging activity for many. I want to put my self into the perspective of a young learner for a bit. A child comes into the world with an incredible perspective, always being willing to explore and find out new information. When the child…
Why are you an artist, Dad?
Why am I an artist? Our daughters posed this question to me earlier this week as I was trying a new way to create. I am always amazed by the way paint works and saw some interesting acrylic pours at our local farmer’s market leading me to try this new method and I asked our…
Question Mark or Period….
Think about this comment for a bit, then read on… “Our children enter our education system as question marks, but leave as periods” Creative Thinkering by Michael Michalko Reflect a moment on how this could relate to our lives as learners. Will we end the year as a period or as a question mark? As…
Innocent Wonder
When you look into the eyes of your students what kind of sparks do you see? Our belief is that we always want to be curious. Curiosity gives us life. Curiosity leads our conversations. Curiosity bridges any age gap. Here’s a conversation I had with my 5 year old daughter: “I want you to know…
A Bridge to Creativity
Ask yourself this question and think about your response……. “What are the interests of your students?” If I were to ask myself this question I could possibly name a few interests of a couple students, but not everyone. That’s unfortunate since I am missing so many chances to engage students through their own interests. The…
Curiosity, Exploration, Wonder 