Unit 2 - Step 5a - Activity Plan (adapting a current prototype for more effective use by EFL students) (prototype)

Video 1 - Nuvu School - Supporting Creative Learning

interesting video on how a school has set up a "making" studio to promote and support student engagement in the "iterative" process .. to deal with real world problems ... to come up with their own solutions (typically given a problem that they must solve in 2 weeks - engage in design thinking to solve it) 

• What does “creative learning” mean to you? Is it a priority in your school or classroom? What ways do you allow your students to express their creativity?
• creative learning 
• definitely about conceptualizing something and then making it concrete.. and perhaps then reviewing and revising it (with a background in the visual arts .. this comes naturally to me) 
• is it a priority in my school or classroom? 
• in my school .. not so much .. pressure to cover content and curriculum ... but in my classroom, I do promote it via formative assessment strategies that invite students to work in groups to review and revise their work, submit for my review .. then resubmit it based on my feedback .. then resubmit it again (reinforce idea that education / learning is really about trial and errors... practicing .. to realize mastering )
• In your classroom, how are you like a teacher and how are you like a coach? Which role do you prefer? What might it look like/feel like/sound like to be more of a coach than a teacher?  

• how am I like a teacher? 

• when I model how something is done .. and invite students to repeat / practice it then be assessed on whether it is right or wrong (standards based)  
• I'm monitoring the student at all stages of the process to ensure the student is on track to master a given skill or concept 

• how am I like a coach?

• when I offer feedback that is more subjective.... but based on experience .. and enter into a dialogue with a student as to options / free choices that they can make .. then I'm engaged in coaching (more of the critical assessment, final judgement and ultimately decision on how to proceed rests with the student) 
• I'm on the sidelines .. giving them options.. and they then enter the playing field unencumbered by me to then make choices and learn directly from them as to whether or not they were good ones; they may come back to me to discuss their opinions and solicit my own 

Video 2 - prototyping and iteration

 Do you ask your students to critique each other? How do they feel about being critiqued or revising their work? How might you help them be more comfortable with critique? 

• I do ask my students to give reviews of each other's work but typically in a controlled sense (often with a set of guidelines and rubric) in an effort to structure and guide it because I find they don't have the ability nor the maturity to do it in a constructive manner  
• The video underscores the need to MODEL proper critquing before we can expect students to do it - using questioning  .. and typically focusing on purpose (the Why) 
• what are you doing?
• why are you doing it?
• what do you see? 
• Students can become more comfortable with critiquing when they 
• are guided / directed at first (with guided questions) 
• are focused on purpose (vision, mission) 
• are instructed how important it is to the iterative process (by sharing real life examples - space program, importance of failure to learn, process is often more important that product) 
• a learning process (need to be specific about what they have done; close observation)