Collaborative iExplore Brainstorm of Curiosities

Learners: Harry, Ziell, Joshua & Tristan Learning Coach:   Stephanie Hooker         Date: 24 August 2016

Learning Area:          iExplore                                         Key Competency:     Participating and Contributing NZC AO:                    Level 2 Language Features: uses a large and increasing bank of high-frequency, topic-specific, and personal-content words to make meaning & shows an increasing knowledge of the conventions of text

Learning Observed

In iExplore today we worked collaboratively in small groups to share and record our wonderings and questions.  The focus for this particular activity was to identify areas of learning for our future iExplore learning adventures.  We share ideas for topics and make open ended questions that we can research and explore. Providing our learners with the opportunity to make choices about their learning promotes self directed learning, and research tells us this increases focus and motivation. Ziell, Harry, Joshua and Tristan co-constructed some wonderings and recorded them in a shared mind-map so all could look at them. It was great to see them make connections to their curiosities.

Evidence of learning & learner voice

Harry - I wonder “How old is the Pacman game?” Tristan - I wonder “How far can a paper plane go?” Ziell - I wonder “if we can learn about geocaching” Joshua - I wonder “Why Pokemon is bad for you’

Next Learning Steps

Chose one idea to explore  and decide whether you will Create, Research or Organise your topic Form this wondering into an open question eg. Why…? What if…?  How…? Will you work independently or with a partner or a small group? Make a copy of our online planning and design templates and get started! Share learning at home

Tristan's Temple Learning Story

Learner: Tristan Learning Coach: T.Dillner           Date: 20.5.16

Learning Area: Social Studies                 Key Competency: Relating to Others

Learning Observed

All of the OrmPS learners went on a trip to the Buddhist Temple in Dannemora. There were a range of different learning experiences offered to extend our connections to the world around us. One of the activities that Tristan participated in was to make a Lotus Flower. Tristan collaborated with one or two other learners to put the pieces together in the correct order and make sure the staple in the middle held them securely. At first, Tristan said “I can’t do this. I don’t know what to do”. After a while, he was able to make a strong effort to do the right thing and complete the learning to his best ability. Afterwards, he was able to talk about what the meaning of the Lotus Flower was.

Evidence of learning

Next Learning Steps

Have more confidence in your own abilities! Believe you can achieve! Make a StoryBird or Google Slide talking about your Lotus Flower or Temple learning.

Toni, Tristan, Seline & Alesha's Connected Challenge Learning Story

Learners: Toni, Tristan, Seline & Alesha     Learning Coach: T.Dillner            Date: 5.2.16

Learning Area: iExperience - Relating to Others

Learning Observed

This term our focus is on how we can be connected citizens. To introduce this, the Learning Coaches set up a series of challenges for the learners to complete. Each challenge was worth a different amount of points and the teams had to work together to get the highest amount to win. One task was to get all team members to cross the ‘Nile River’ (the width of one netball court) using only three hoops. Toni, Tristan, Seline & Alesha had to discuss ways to make this work before attempting it. They needed to think about how their words, actions, attitudes and ideas impacting the success of the team. Each learner was able to act in a collaborative way in order to achieve the joint goal of crossing the ‘river’. They were capable of devising a method to connect their strengths and remain safe from the Nile Crocodiles!

Evidence of learning

Next Learning Steps

Swap roles so other members of the team retrieve or replace the hoops. Make a point to do some iDevelop learning with one of their team members and build this relationship.

Tristan and Eric's Creative Writing Learning Story

Learners: Tristan & Eric    Learning Coach: T.Dillner           Date: 13.10.15

Learning Area: Literacy - Creative Writing

Learning Observed and Vision Principles

In Term 4, I am working with the Yoyos on a Tuesday specifically for Literacy. Today was our first session together and we started with a story called “Badjelly the Witch” by Spike Milligan. This was the inspiration for our Creative Writing - “Our Potion” - which encouraged them to show curiosity. The learners had to name their potion, explain what powers it gave people, write a set of make believe ingredients and describe which ingredient was the most important to have. Tristan and Eric chose to name theirs ‘Invisibility’ which can make people invisible. They had a whole range of creative ingredients including gold money, mango, frozen coke and clay to name a few. Collaboratively, they decided that the most important ingredient to include was apples because they would make the potion healthy. Tristan and Eric were capable of following every instruction, completing the task unassisted and handing it in before time was up. I was very impressed to see this!

Evidence of learning

Next Learning Steps

Next Tuesday the Yoyos group will be writing a set of instructions to tell the reader which order they need to add the ingredients to the potion and how long to boil it for. Think about how the name of the Potion could be more creative or exciting. Edit or change the ingredients to suit the feedback questions I have left on the bottom of the page.

Learner: Justin V, Mohammed and Tristan     Learning Coach: Margaret Patrick            Date: 24.09..2015

Learning Area: Science Narrative Learning story

Learning Observed

These learners were part of the “Mythbuster” group for iExperience in Weeks 6-10. They ”busted” the myths about everyday objects behaving in unusual ways. They were curious and explored the  physical and chemical reactions that caused the strange things to happen.They practiced writing up the phenomenon using a scientific experimental method developing their capabilities.  In week 10 they collaborated to form a  group and they had to make their own experiment, connect with other research available and come up with a hypothesis as what they expected to happen, do the experiment and reflect on the actual outcome. Following this they were required to make a presentation to an audience of learners. This included: the actual experiment, explanation of any changes they made, review of their hypothesis, present their digital recording of their work and field answers to questions. They managed their time well and were ready on time. Their experiment was about creating a shock using static electricity from a balloon, transferred to a plastic spoon wrapped in foil as a conductor. They were not prepared with materials for the day of their experiment. They relied on Mrs Patrick for the balloon and plastic fork. Mohammed brought the foil from home and Justin brought the plastic gloves. When they first tried the experiment, it appeared it wasn’t working but they had missed an important step. I asked them to read the procedure again and they realaised that they needed to touch the fork with the other hand’s finger. They were trying to rub the balloon on their hair and when I suggested rubbing faster on my top the reaction was a lot stronger. During the demonstration apparently they could get any shock. They probably needed a new balloon as the the original one was slightly soft and deflated. They didn’t try rubbing on their clothes. They called their experiment “Shocking Lightning”. Refer their slide show presentation.

Evidence of learning

Next Learning Steps

try out other experiments in a safe supervised manner explore where this scientific phenomenon is used in real life activities write a reflective blog post about your learning. Add a cross-section of comments from the other learners’ feedback during your presentation. encourage your family to go online and read your blogs. spend time ensuring all group members have a role during a presentation. create a schedule for group members regarding responsibility for bringing various items to contribute to the group’s experiment.

Tristan's Zoo Narrative Assessment - July 2015

Learner: Tristan Learning Coach :   DWilkes                               Date: July 30, 2015

Learning Area: Science

Learning Observed

Our trip to the zoo was a lot of fun and learning for Tristan.  He was part of a smaller group while we toured the zoo visiting animals from around the world and observing their behaviour and habitats.  Tristan enjoyed looking at the animals and asked lots of questions.  For example “why do they have pink bums?” about the baboons and ‘why do they stand on one leg?’ about the flamingos.  He thought is was very amusing that one of the elephants had the same name as his classmate “Anjli”.  Tristan was attentive, collaborative and curious.and enjoyed the opportunity to talk about what he already knew about animals and what they need to survive.

Evidence of learning

Key Competencies/Vision Principles

During the animal encounters with the zoo keepers Tristan demonstrated his curiosity when he got to touch the elephant tooth and ivory.  He asked ‘what do they use ivory for?’ and ‘why is the tooth so bumpy?’.  Tristan demonstrated progress with managing self during the zoo visit by staying with his group, buddy and listening to instructions.  He was collaborative and participated and contributed in all 3 animal encounters: flamingos, cheetahs and elephants.  His favourite was the elephants.  Tristan connected to his learning at school and could tell me which continent a lot of the animals came from.

Next Learning Steps

Tristan would enjoy and benefit from visiting the Auckland zoo website to learn more about the animals and their habitats. -share and contribute his ideas and questions with the wider group -use his learning and wonderings in his Habitat Design learning adventure when we go back to school -make connections to his observations of the animals habitats at the zoo to their natural habitats

Tristan's Music Learning Story

Learner: Harry, Tristan and Kevin     Learning Coach: T.Dillner           Date: 2.6.15

Learning Area:

Learning Observed

The Keas Hapu group have been learning about the features that we use to make music. They were introduced to the formal language of Tempo, Dynamics and Rhythm. After three sessions, Harry, Tristan and Kevin chose to work together in a group to collaboratively write three lots of four beats (rhythm), that had a change in volume (dynamics) and speed (tempo). The learners needed to record their patterns using correct musical notes to show timing and the correct Italian terms to show where the dynamics and tempo changed. The boys then had an opportunity to share this with the Keas and demonstrate their understanding of the three features of music. They used clapping to show these patterns.

Evidence of learning

Key Competencies/Vision Principles

All three boys were beginning to work collaboratively to share their thinking and formulate their pattern (Participating and Contributing). By standing up and giving a short presentation, they demonstrated a basic capability in understanding some parts of the three features of music. When we talked about Dynamics and Tempo, the learners were making connections with new vocabulary. They had to make sense of words and symbols in the traditional language of music - Italian (Using Language, Symbols and Texts).

Next Learning Steps

To make up a clapping game that uses the same thinking or language from this activity. In the future, practise musical performances in order to stay in time with one another.

Diamonds Maths Group Measuring Learning Story

Learner: Kim, Gary, Tristan and Helen (Diamonds)   Learning Coach: Bex Remington          Date: 29 June 2015

Learning Area: iDevelop - Maths: Measuring Cubes

Learning Observed

The Diamonds maths group has been looking at measurement and how different units of measurement work.  This session was focused on how to make estimates and measure using objects found around the habitat.  The object we were using was popsicle sticks.  The group decided this would be a good thing to use because they are all the same length and not many would be needed to measure large objects.  Today we used an outline of Gary’s body to make our object to measure and the group decided which body parts we could estimate and measure.  The learners had to estimate how many popsicle sticks they would need to measure different parts and this started a discussion about whether the sticks should be used end to end or lying beside it each.  The group all decided that this would depend on the size of the object.  It would take too many to measure the length of Gary’s body if we did side by side but this method would be okay to measure the width of a finger.  The group agreed that this task was a fun way to learn about measuring because it was about them!

Evidence of learning

Key Competencies/Vision Principles

The learners in the Diamonds group are developing their capabilities in measurement.  They are able to discuss their answers showing that they understand language, symbols and text. All of the learners were able to work together and take on different roles within the task, which demonstrated participation and contribution and relating to others.

Next Learning Steps

Explore measuring other items using a mixture everyday objects Begin using formal measurement units Estimate using formal measurement units before measuring