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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Teacher reflections about the learning process2003Finding our way: Curriculum maps and task maps were introduced as a way of planning ourinquiries. Initially the children and I were overcome with the enormity of the process. Initialtrigger words had to be simplified – possibly had too many choices at each stage of theinquiry. I need to be more confident with some triggers so that I can guide the children morepurposefully. [p. 1]Children are having problems switching between a teacher who is willing to give choice andteachers who aren't. I am missing out on the communication loop somewhere and I have tocontinuously juggle timetable clashes! The children and I both feel that this reflects teacherattitudes to our programme. [p. 1]Establishing that level of independence means that these children have to unlearn theculture of dependence that the education system has imposed on them since they startedschool. The skills needed to be independent learners are not learnt over night, or in oneterm, they develop over time. [p. 7]We don't give children a book and expect that they can read within a term so why shouldinquiry learning skills be mastered in a term? Also I am learning too. I'm creating thisprogramme as I go. I have a vision, but I don't have all the tools or all the answers. Somethings will work and some things will need to be reworked. [p. 7]Keeping track – the eternal nightmare: With 36 children from six different class groupscoming and going at different times, there has to be a degree of trust and personalaccountability. There are some who are abusing this trust and therefore the question has tobe asked as to whether they are suitable candidates for a negotiated programme. [p. 8]My issue is determining whether these children's non-engagement is a motivation issue or aself-discipline issue. If a motivation issue, then learning choice should be a solution. I needto challenge their choices. [p. 8]If a self-discipline issue then short term goals may help. But if children require closemonitoring, I am unable to do this and negotiate 30 individual programmes and establishscaffolding for those programmes. [p. 8]This is a learner problem and the solution lies with the learners. I am thinking that ArtCosta's 16 Habits of Mind may have some structures to guide children's self-reflection andbehavioural change. [p. 8]Ok! The kids are starting to know stuff and use the inquiry process. How am I going to recordprogress in a meaningful and manageable way? I am totally committed to involving thelearner in the whole learning process and therefore the assessment and evaluation also hasto be a transparent process. [p. 8]Scaffolding is foremost in my mind. How can I create generic organisers to scaffold learning?Lane Clark's Think sheets offer a source of inspiration. To explore and develop for term 2:Science Think, History Think, Techno Think, Future Think, Arts Think, Author Think, DesignThink, Communication Think, Community Think, Geology Think, etc. [p. 9]Sandra Kaplan describes similar scaffolding as thinking like a disciplinarian. [p. 9]
I also need to establish an assessment system that actively involves the children and whicharises out of their learning, while linking with the schools assessment system. [p. 9]Higher level thinking – how do we get past comprehension and understanding to analysisand creative thinking and evaluation? [p. 9]Skills need to develop within the context of knowledge. But at this stage of the programme Iam emphasising skills and consequently, I am not chasing depth of understanding. The endproduct will not be a child who stands in front of the class and amazes everyone withendless facts and impressive figures. The end product will be a child who has explored arange of information sources, thought analytically and critically about the findings andworked to apply their understandings to solve an issue or create a masterpiece within ameaningful context. And this does not happen overnight! [p. 10]Altitude Cruising: I am still struggling to lift the emphasis beyond knowing and understandingto analysis, evaluation and synthesis without controlling the learner. The children's choice oftopics seems simplistic (animals, space, ghosts, dinosaurs). I guess it's what they know issafe. Their questions are narrow (How many? Where? What?) They don't seem particularlyinquisitive. I wonder if this is the nature of gifted underachievers. Is it a product of the system(systematised dependency) or is it a product of these children's personal characteristics? [p.11]My experience has been that pre-school children are naturally curious and willing to exploreindependently. Preschoolers use their five senses to filter through a world rich in information,making connections through trial and error, building learning. The school system seems tochange this as children are shaped to conform to a particular way of knowing. (Auditory) Iguess the challenge here is to provide an environment that encourages multiple ways ofknowing, an environment where it is safe to experiment and make mistakes and in theprocess lift the children's thinking to a higher level where they are more proactive in theirlearning and critical, creative thinkers. [p. 11]Have explored future problem solving (FPS) and community problem solving (CPS) aspossibilities for maintaining altitude. I feel that I need to spend a term focusing on the skillsfor identifying issues and working through problem solving strategies to gain anunderstanding of the processes involved and to develop resources to scaffold the children'slearning. [p. 11]Met with the gifted advisor and linked these processes with Renzulli's Enrichment triadmodel and planned skill development through the vehicle of three current issues. Instead ofthe usual negotiated process this term children will be given a choice of issues to work onusing the FPS, CmPS processes. [p. 11]2004This year the emphasis for my learning shifted to higher order thinking. [p. 12]Download a PDF of the learning centre term plan timetable for term 4, 2004 (PDF61kb).Making sense: My questions are changing from how to implement the process tounderstanding why a negotiated curriculum is such a powerful motivator for gifted kids andwhy this group of learners under-perform in a regular differentiated classroom. The inquiryprocess is well established and underpins all learning. [p. 12]
Page 1 and 2: Ilam SchoolIntroductionThe followin
Page 3: The learning jungle: It's so hard t
Page 12 and 13: next, maybe I need to know which in
Page 14 and 15: case I do something wrong and half
Page 16: Classroom placements for 2006 have

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?