Day 8: Creating

 

Today we have been looking at creating in response to reading (and writing). Create is all 

about engaging and empowering our learners. It is more than just using Google Slides or Google Draw, it's engaging the students to apply and share their understanding of the topic/learning. 

One thing that really stood out was the different tools we can use. In my class, I try and give them the opportunity to choose their tool (I tend to have a range of logos to spark their memory). And, depending on the task my instructions are either tight or loose. For reading, the small creates are usually tighter - aiming or focusing on something in particular. However, the end create tends to be looser with the children being able to add in their own part of creativity. For inquiry or R.E the create tends to be more learner chosen and open to interpretation of showing their understanding. 

I love being able to offer these different create opportunities. My students are currently creating their own cathedrals that could be built in CHCH (as our one fell down in the earthquake). This is being done on Minecraft. The students had many options (including making a model using materials) but they chose Minecraft. As a child, I never had the opportunity for this, there was only one computer in the class that had to be shared. Nowadays, our students have access to their own devices. How crazy time has changed. 

I have added below a couple of different sites that could be used in the classroom using AI. I used these websites to create this background for the poem. 

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Day 7: Thinking

 

 It was great to finish this session knowing that the things I have been doing in class are things that have been brought up today. Something that stood out was the 4 C's for 21st-century learners. Giving these students the opportunities to think critically, communicate their understandings or their points of view, be creative in showing their understanding and enable the chance for collaboration is something that I do and will continue to do. 

When we focused on the levels of thinking, I was shown different ways that students can do this. From getting them to analyse (identify particular features that communicate or reinforce the main idea) a text to have a discussion of what the author is wanting that is beyond the lines of the text. I think it is critical that students still have the opportunities to be exposed on a literal level as this is needed to be a foundation of their understanding. 

A way that they can analyse, which I would like to try, is to get them to highlight the text using two colours (one for evidence or a point of view and then another for the opposite) and then explain their understanding or thoughts on the point of view and if they agree. This would then lead to a robust discussion. 

I also liked how we were exposed to some strategies to support synthesis as I find this one of the harder strategies to teach. I would like to see how these could be implemented in the classroom as I feel like there is so much to be learned from it. 

Something that I will continue to bring up and point out in lessons are these two key things. Where I will offer students the opportunity to discuss the authors' purpose or the position the author is placing them in. We want them to challenge what they read. 

  POINT OF VIEW

 PERSPECTIVE