IDEAS Project Block is a learning opportunity that is unparalleled in the world. Really. Very few young people are given the authority, time, and support to determine their own course of study based on individual interests, passions, questions, and skills. Take a moment to celebrate that.
The purpose of this week is to engage in research-based practices that foster innovation and creativity. We hope that doing this collaboratively will nudge new and on-going projects beyond what we already know we can do. Our Habits of Learning will be essential to this process. Staff and students alike will need to approach tasks with an open mind, accept challenges, seek to understand when we do not understand, and use evidence to document learning. We will work together.
One pitfall of this week could be previous attachments to project ideas or topics. It is not dangerous to have them and no one is saying that they are not possible projects, however these attachments can prevent divergent thinking. They can prevent seeing new possibilities that might help you or someone else in our community. A suggestion for avoiding this pitfall is to write down the ideas or topics you have in a google doc or notebook, and literally put them aside until next week.
It will be important to capture collaborative and individual thinking this week.
OBJECTIVES THIS WEEK
- Accept the challenge of stretching projects toward greater extents of innovation and more profound creativity.
- Reflect on Habits of Learning: As part of our lifelong pursuit of learning, in the face of unprecedented technological, global, and professional changes that will require continual learning, we strive to....
- APPROACH TASKS WITH AN OPEN MIND
- ACCEPT CHALLENGES
- SEEK TO UNDERSTAND WHEN WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND
- USE EVIDENCE TO DOCUMENT LEARNING
- Apply and name Habits of Mind through the creative process.
- Analyze and select professional models related to a particular concept in academic content or creative form.
- Develop generative questions.
- Envision what has never been envisioned before.
- Making Thinking Visible in order to understand details of passions, skills, interests, etc that might seed incredible projects!
MONDAY>>
All students, regardless of year-long projects, will find their new ideation groups. These groups were selected randomly. We will use a gathering called Diversity Rounds to build connections in new, diverse groups. Groups will engage in collaborative ideation through a concept to model and promote divergent thinking. This will draw on our Habits of Learning. Thinking will be made visible and shared with the school in the Balcony Gallery. (8th grade students from Mosaic will be shadowing IDEAS Students.)TUESDAY>>
Everything is a Remix. Groups will discuss the video "Everything is a Remix" and then experiment by taking their Monday concept and remixing it with a concept from another group in order to generate original project ideas. Copy. Transform. Combine.WEDNESDAY>>
Continued exploration of collaborative concept remix. We will create interpretations to share at Town Hall. Students will start associating with specific concepts and aspects of concepts for their own projects.THURSDAY>>
Staff will provide a professional model in a related discipline that shows the concept of remix as well as meaningful aspects of the discipline. [Example Danielle Clough, who I found on Creator's Project and Colossal...good places to find professional models.) We will brainstorm project ideas, extensions through thinking routines, Beane Protocol, mind mapping, lists, and more.FRIDAY>>
Staff will provide another professional model. [Example, my cousin's project, Great Northern Knits] Continued brainstorming and project ideation.
IMPORTANT DATES [Calendar]
February 4th - Proposal Deadline 3:00pm
February 4th - Staff Proposal Review 4:00-6:00pm
February 8th - Disciplinary Groups
February 19th - Annotated Bibliographies Due
May 24th - 26th - Exhibitions of Learning!
- Students will receive some (not all) writing support within Humanities classes, meaning that both Kimberly and Addie will be setting up expectations and providing feedback for Infused Language Arts.
- Students will be documenting their projects and process through the creation of a website. This will also be facilitated through Humanities, but all staff and students will need to become familiar with the technology and resources.
