Description - 'Learn Create Share' student-centred project learning.
In week 1, I chose to read the book "Chinese New Year" as it was the beginning of the Chinese NY celebration. I hoped that my learners would ask many questions about Chinese traditions and the Chinese calendar. To be honest, I didn't expect that our learning would flow like a mountain stream with many unexpected turns. Following their interests, we first learnt about dragons using multimedia texts. Then my students noticed that the dragons looked like some extinct dinosaurs and we had to investigate more to be able to compare and contrast these creatures. After that, we ended up talking about palaeontology (later on, this led us to explore birds, etc).
Significance
Cognitive engagement is defined as the extent to which students’ are willing and able to take on the learning task at hand. “When children come home talking excitedly about the latest issues they are grappling with in class, this shows that something important has kindled their desire to know more. When students want to bring resources from home that contribute to the class study, do extra at home for the sheer pleasure of it, offer to lead a group of peers, start contributing in unexpected ways, make suggestions to the class on how to improve something or want to stay in when the bell goes because what they are learning is just so absorbing, then we know that students are taking learning to heart. We know that they are curious and inspired.” (Connecting Curriculum, Linking Learning, 2013, by Barbara Whyte, Deborah Fraser and Viv Aitken)
That's exactly what was happening in my class! My learners, their parents and friends were all excited and engaged in our learning.
Learning
Reflecting on my teaching practice, I believe that this project was successful because I was teaching throughout the project—not teaching and then doing the project. Every aspect of learning was purposeful and meaningful to my learners. They wanted to read and write to be able to find out what was interesting to them. The learners decided to find out what dinosaur was the most popular - we conducted statistical investigations learning how to collect, sort out and display data. The students asked how long is 30 metres (the average length of an Argentinosaurus) and we went to measure an imaginary dinosaur on the court learning about non-standard and standard units. During this project, I used a cross-curricular approach and a range of deliberate acts of teaching in flexible and integrated ways that led to the success of our project and increased my learners' cognitive and intellectual engagement.
In week 1, I chose to read the book "Chinese New Year" as it was the beginning of the Chinese NY celebration. I hoped that my learners would ask many questions about Chinese traditions and the Chinese calendar. To be honest, I didn't expect that our learning would flow like a mountain stream with many unexpected turns. Following their interests, we first learnt about dragons using multimedia texts. Then my students noticed that the dragons looked like some extinct dinosaurs and we had to investigate more to be able to compare and contrast these creatures. After that, we ended up talking about palaeontology (later on, this led us to explore birds, etc).
Significance
Cognitive engagement is defined as the extent to which students’ are willing and able to take on the learning task at hand. “When children come home talking excitedly about the latest issues they are grappling with in class, this shows that something important has kindled their desire to know more. When students want to bring resources from home that contribute to the class study, do extra at home for the sheer pleasure of it, offer to lead a group of peers, start contributing in unexpected ways, make suggestions to the class on how to improve something or want to stay in when the bell goes because what they are learning is just so absorbing, then we know that students are taking learning to heart. We know that they are curious and inspired.” (Connecting Curriculum, Linking Learning, 2013, by Barbara Whyte, Deborah Fraser and Viv Aitken)
That's exactly what was happening in my class! My learners, their parents and friends were all excited and engaged in our learning.
Learning
Reflecting on my teaching practice, I believe that this project was successful because I was teaching throughout the project—not teaching and then doing the project. Every aspect of learning was purposeful and meaningful to my learners. They wanted to read and write to be able to find out what was interesting to them. The learners decided to find out what dinosaur was the most popular - we conducted statistical investigations learning how to collect, sort out and display data. The students asked how long is 30 metres (the average length of an Argentinosaurus) and we went to measure an imaginary dinosaur on the court learning about non-standard and standard units. During this project, I used a cross-curricular approach and a range of deliberate acts of teaching in flexible and integrated ways that led to the success of our project and increased my learners' cognitive and intellectual engagement.
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