As noted in yesterday’s blog, Friday was a blockbuster day.
THE TICKET TO 100% INDEPENDENCE
Getting everything we need to get done done by March 5th requires 2G students are able to work 100% independently, as when an individual or small group of students are in front of the camera.
We thus introduced 2G to the idea of a “ticket.”
On the ticket are activities a student may engage in during our three rounds. Students can choose what they work on.
Reaction?
As Ms. Erin said, “Wow… so QUIET!”
At least right out of the gate, our 100% Independence horse race is off to a great start.
When we debriefed with students, we heard one of the most self-aware student comments ever:
I liked it. But I felt less structured.
Out of the mouth of babes…
WHY SO MUCH SAND ON THE GROUND?
Sand in sand tray.
Sand on ground.
How did it get there?
We had a fascinating-for-teachers discussion, about physics no less.
Interesting 2G speculation included, “The wind blew it there.”
Ah, yes, those terrifying Aina Haina tornadoes and pesky hurricanes.
Interesting (to us), no one honed in on piling the sand high up at the edges, rather than leaving some of the wooden side visible above sand all the way around.
Even after our discussion, back at the sand tray, many students still didn’t see the link — until the sand on the ground in front of them was pointed out.
“Oh!”
Teacher reminder: What is obvious to an adult — “Stop piling the sand up at the edges! Can’t you see what will happen? And I have to sweep it up!” — may not be at all obvious to a young child.
Everybody learns in 2G!
One does wonder how much elementary-school “teaching” includes abstract knowledge that makes perfect sense to adult teachers, but goes right over the heads of young people.
It’s worth reminding oneself often: 2G students are still in what Piaget called the “CONCRETE operational” stage.
(True, consistent) abstract thinking starts later, with more life experience and with many more frontal-lobe neurons and synapses activated! You can’t push normal brain development!
Truth be told, it’s HARD WORK for adults to rejig their thinking to make teaching/instruction appropriate to the developmental level of a child — and to accepting that working at a very concrete level is what the child needs!
I’m reminded of a discussion in a child-development course in graduate school. At the time, showing infants and toddlers Chinese characters was all the rage.
Our professor moaned, “Babies and toddlers need to be crawling around TOUCHING things, learning about the PHYSICAL world! That’s their IMPORTANT mental work! These parents, they’re STARVING thing children’s brains!”
Our question:
What is (truly) nutritious brain food for the 7- 8-year-old brain?
MEET IBUKI 息吹 (いぶき)
Per HNS tradition, Ms. Sakiko has named our latest white tern chick: Ibuki 息吹 (いぶき).
Ibuki means “new life” or “new birth.”
After HNS’s 2.5 year white-tern-chick drought, this seems an apt name!
OUR CHUBBY KOLEA (Pacific Plover)
Per requests to see more of the chubby kolea, here we go!
Onwards!