Ilam School Introduction The following story is about the gifted and ...

next, maybe I need to know which inquiry step I am up to. I want to search on the Internetand I could use my word-find words as search words. I want to get more work done.Everything seems to take so much time. I want to make a business card and I don't knowhow. We also need a folder on the common drive where we can put learning centre stuff. [p.3]Reflections are a bit of a challenge. I've started thinking about campylobacter I found out thebacteria are not spiral shaped when you look at them under a powerful microscope but theyare round with tails at each end. I have problems activating my alpha brain waves andwriting things down and I still don't know how to make a business card. I think using acomputer might help but the bells and whistles are a bit of a distraction. I'm ready to startplanning my new inquiry. [p. 3]At first I wasn't so settled but now I am. I feel like I am learning quickly and I am beginning toplan my day. My learning journal is really well organised and I tidied my file box. I plan tohave a tidy session every Friday. I understand the steps for writing an article and I made mybusiness card. I can't wait to use it. Making a model helped me to think more clearly aboutmy information. I enjoyed our class trip to Riccarton Bush. I enjoyed being back with theclass more to do my work even though I am beginning to make new friends in the learningcentre. I finished my curriculum map and I now know what I am doing. [p. 3]The teacher is always going to and fro through the door and does not have time for me. I feelI'm not getting as much attention as some of the other children in the learning centre. Also Islightly misunderstand the teacher and I'm not sure I know what to do. It would be good if wecould work in groups more often. I mucked around a lot this week and I don't reallyunderstand what I am doing. I find it annoying when there are new must dos and by the timeit is the end of the week I haven't got any topic work done. Why do I keep losing things? I'mworried about my report writing for my portfolio and I keep missing the serial in theclassroom. Dad was a great source of information and I learn stuff in the workshops andconferences, but they take up a lot of time that I need for my topic. The learning centre isbigger than the classroom, it goes outside the walls. [p. 7]Tabloid sports were fun. I found out that the vision centre is in the back of the brain. And thevomit centre is in the brain stem. I also found out the difference between a sheep and a pig'sbrain and that I go green when I see them cut up. I feel quite good about learning andcompared to last year it feels very, very, different. Choosing my own topic makes it fun forme but I don't think I am getting enough time to learn stuff. I know a bit more abouttimetabling and how to plan my time, but there are some things about the brain that I can'texplain and I'm not getting answers. The results of the number smart-brain smart test will beuseful for helping me know what I am good at and what I need to work on. I found the testsfun and interesting. [p. 8]Independent learning is easier and more fun because you don't get bossed around by ateacher on what you have to do. You get to choose what topic you think is interesting insteadof a topic that you might know a lot about or which is boring for you. You go where you needto go to find out info. I think I can ask key questions well, but I haven't been using all theinquiry tools. [p. 9]I learnt this week that humour can come with information and I am laughing while learning.This week was hard work and I am tired. I need to remember not to do too much at once. Iam focusing on my work because I can choose when I work. I am excited about my newlearning topic because it will be big! Very big! I need to contact some experts and get someanswers to my questions. The alphabet key helped me to identify how much I already knowand where my gaps are. [p. 9]