Badge Flowers, Gelato, Apprenticeships and More! : Year 5 - Week 7 In Review
Week two has flown by!
What have our learners discovered this week? Read on for details!
spark studio
“The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.” – Dr. Maria Montessori
One of the things that distinguishes the way in which we approach education in the Spark studio is encouraging heroes to learn through materials by touching, feeling and doing. In traditional learning environments, learners sit at desks and listen to a teacher. In contrast, learners are shown initially by the guides and encouraged to move around the Studio and engage with the wide variety of activities available. Once shown, they are free to choose the activity they would like to work on, bring it to a table or mat, explore the materials and make discoveries for themselves. This is what we call “practice”.
Do you find it easier to remember the steps if you have the opportunity to try it yourself?
Similarly when heroes work with their hands, they gain a very concrete understanding of the materials. When we can show them and let them touch and explore, they will make many more neural connections. And later, more abstract learning will naturally evolve from the concrete experiences they have had. This leads to mastery. Imagine a hero reaching mastery and sharing that mastery with another hero as opposed to the guide. Is it magic, motivation, or something else that feeds our souls?
Our walls are blooming with knowledge and power (“badge flowers”) as we continue on our journey and discovery. As heroes reach a level of mastery they each receive a petal to add to a flower on the wall (sounds, numbers to 10, continents, leadership, patience, just to name a few). What better way to know whom to ask should you need help reaching mastery. Let’s grow together and celebrate the many accomplishments along the way. Bravo Heroes!!!
We also celebrated the International Day of Peace on Wednesday by visiting each Studio to share a special song and give a peace offering. We are so grateful for this community and it was so much fun experiencing other studios. What brings you peace and how do you share it with others?
elementary studio
This week, our Elementary heroes experimented with several methods of making ice cream, gelato, and custard. Perfecting their recipe for vanilla, they had the opportunity to mix by hand, use an old fashioned ice cream crank, and of course, the modern electric ice cream maker. After researching different milk bases and their fat contents, heroes were able to record their findings on how it affected their final products. Heroes even designed their own ice cream machines in order to simplify and streamline the process, after experiencing the hard work it takes to churn ice cream.
Still covering the vast cultures found within Africa, heroes practiced becoming griots of their own lives. After learning about the value and roles of griots in West African cultures, heroes also told the Studios about some of their most memorable, life-changing moments thus far. We also covered the importance of trade and maintaining excellent communication with neighboring countries.
Our letter writing skills are progressing rapidly in Storytelling this session. The heroes have even drafted letters to send to local community helpers to invite them to our upcoming Exhibition. We look forward to offering them our thanks and appreciation! Finally, if this week has shown us anything, its that good things (like ice cream!) take time.
middle school studio
What a busy week!
Learners started off the week continuing their Apprenticeship search. Heroes were responsible for researching what they want to do and drafting emails for their desired Apprenticeship. During Running Partners learners continued to set new weekly goals as they prepare to grind out their badge plans. Furthermore, we have less than 30 days before our first Deep Book is due. Reminder, the first Deep Book is due October 28, 2022. Throughout the week learners continued to tackle Core Skills with Khan and NoRedInk. Quest is going well with the Machine Learning Challenges. Heroes are excited and challenged by the coding process that they are learning through Python. Next week they will meet with the Trilith Township team to determine the long term needs and how machine learning can solve for those needs, then they will begin building their machines as soon as possible.
On Wednesday we wrapped the first Story Arts challenge where learners grasped the concept of User Experiences (UX). During this Storytelling experience they mastered the task of interviewing and solving problems with different products. Heroes will wrap up the week with Circles and Town Hall where learners will gather together and discuss any issues, questions and concerns they have in the studio. Guides will facilitate this process to ensure that all voices are heard as we continue to build a community of well rounded, self-directed learners.
high school studio
Monday, our heroes accomplished a ton of progress on their Core Skills! We also took some time to care for our studio. Every learner worked together to clean the studio like never before, we spruced up our work environment, and it gave the heroes so much motivation to get work done, one hero went from having just 20% in Khan academy math done to 85% completed! Tuesday, and Thursday consisted of check-in's all day long. Guides went over each heroes Badge Plan from top to bottom with a fine tooth comb in Journey Tracker, so any questions you may have Parents, your hero will be able to answer them fully. Many are set to graduate early and that's exciting! Wednesday, we focused on badge approvals, learners met with their running partners and discussed their goals for the week. Thursday heroes focused on college essays during Story Arts. For those going to college it gave them a great head start, and for those who are not going, they now have a college essay in their back pocket just in case they have a change of mind. Friday we completed our week with clarity from an expert on our current Quest. Our experts were not scheduled to come in until next week, but with a stroke of luck, we were able to get an expert to meet with us early! Each group was able to ask questions, show what they have achieved so far, and make necessary corrections ahead of schedule, what a relief! Yet there's still much work to be done!
Looking forward to the exhibition!
Onward!