Wow! First day reflections...

What an amazing first day back in the classroom! The learners were incredible.

Even with all of the confusion of a new building, new teachers and new friends, we were able to actually get some scientific thinking in during the day.

The goal for the day was pretty simple...get everyone thinking outside the box, being creative and being collaborative.

How many things can you make with 1 paperclip per person? (You must be able to document and prove your results!)

This lesson in modelled in a constructivist approach to learning, which relies heavily on learners building from past knowledge to "construct" new knowledge.

With only these directions, learners were forced to think critically about what was being asked, think creatively about possible solutions, and work collaboratively to expand their own thoughts.

The state of Ohio has the following standards set for this type of activity which deal with scientific ways of thinking:

Develop descriptions, models, explanations and predictions;

Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations;

Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions

Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.

Learners had some great ideas after the initial phase of anxiety and confusion.

  

We also began exploring ways to document our thinking in order to archive it and use it later. We will begin looking at our results today!