So the day was OK - not terribly challenging - Douglas was a great presenter - a good overview of teacher laptops, other MOE ICT initiatives, the new e-learning strategy. Discovery learning with the Stanley Ave kids with a little piece of software Pivot Stick Animator - would overlook the software quite easily but i don't think that was the main point of the session. Yes Discovery learning - to a point - we all have to work it out at sometime for ourselves - everything changes so quickly how else are you going to be independent learners if you don't try things out & take risks. But I wouldn't use this approach as the only way - kids can also go a long way if we model some starting points and give some expert advice where needed to push them through their zpd... It would have been good to have some real 'chew the fat' time with the other facilitators - there was lots of small talk but no real nitty gritty beyond 'how's it going?'
Thanks Barb for organising the day - it was great to have the involvement of the kids (a reminder perhaps of why we are all there). All the photos are here
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Yep a cracker day in Te Aroha. Thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to have a decent look through another school. What I liked was it was'nt flashy... More solid and well prepared. Handwriting groups! Great pencil sketches which must have been developed well over time. Kids work in progress evident. No overt thinking skills plastered across the walls about how we are thinking,,,, or what key, hat, level of bloom, visual organiser... was used...but perhaps some good evidence of quality work which is the outcome of some thinking! The big lab is a real credit to them. I wonder at the link between classroom and the lab. How often is it timetabled in? To what degree do classroom teachers keep the reponsibility of IT integration or does it become a specialist area for experts? Anyway, cool school in my mind.
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