Thursday, January 4th | Proposal Deadline

Please take attendance using the Spring 2016 | P-Block Ideation Attendance spreadsheet. Staff, please consider taking notes on this spreadsheet about students' project ideas and possible project advisors. (See my sheet as an example.) The more information we have about each project, the better we will be able to assemble groups. 

It is important for everyone to understand the importance of meeting today's deadline. This evening, the entire staff will look at each proposal, providing feedback and direction.  It is rare and valuable to have all of our great minds focused on you! The more information we have during that conversation, the better we can support you and your projects for the rest of the semester.  

DO NOW: Review Proposal Page [10:00 - 10:15am]
Purpose: Clarify directions and expectations. Generate suggestions

• Read Proposal Page independently
• Open your proposal document in Google Drive
• As a group, discuss the parts and purposes of the proposal. Clarifying questions? Please consider that this is a formal piece of writing. What will it take to effectively communicate your ideas, so that the proposal is approved and you end up with the advisor who has the expertise/resources you'll need?

STUDIO TIME: Write [10:15 - 11:10am]

Purpose: Complete proposals for creative and innovative projects.

• Set up norms for Studio Time writing based on your space and group. 
• Determine noise level.
• Determine location for conferencing with staff and create an order/sign up for conferences needed.
• Students should stay in their project block rooms today. Since everyone needs their own proposal, groups can share documents with one another or email if needed. Staff should keep Hangouts open, in the case that exceptions need to be made. 
• Write proposals.
• Make sure no one wants to say "so what?" when they read about your project idea. 

TICKET OUT: Share [11:10 - 11:15am]

Purpose: Submit proposal for review.

• Share proposal document with Kimberly Johnson kjohnson@etudegroup.org

Staff, please remember that we will meet at 4:00pm to review proposals. Please gather as much information about students' intentions with their projects as you can. This can be done through project block, advisory, and classes.

Wednesday, February 3rd | Questions

There have been a range of conversations this week, spanning the spectrum of our Habits of Learning from very fixed position about what does make a project (because that's what we've always done) and what could make a project (because it's never been done before). Please remember that a project "topic" (like painting the life cycles of sturgeon) needs your personal attention and affection.  So what? (Why paint life cycles if you can already google them? Who cares about sturgeon anyway?) You must defend your purpose. Keep the wheels spinning for the next 24 hours...and more.

Today's focus is questions. Questions lead to discovery as well as clarity. We would like all proposals to include open and closed questions.

Please take attendance using the Spring 2016 | P-Block Ideation Attendance spreadsheet. Staff, please consider taking notes on this spreadsheet about students' project ideas and possible project advisors. (See my sheet as an example.) The more information we have about each project, the better we will be able to assemble groups. 

The following agenda is to be used at staff discretion. It is important that students follow up on their work from earlier this week, sharing out progress or getting feedback/extensions, but it is also important to make time for developing questions.  If you haven't already shared out initial project ideas as a group, start with a gathering. If students need more time to organize and ideate, start with studio time. Please make sure that the group gets what they need.

The plan is to write proposals from beginning to end during IDEAS Project Block time tomorrow, Thursday, February 4th. 

DO: Questions [You decide]
Purpose: Create and capture questions to guide and clarify thinking about a project.

• All students should create a document in their Google Folders called Firstname Lastname | Questions | Spring 2016 and create the following table :

•  Review the questions page on the Humanities Website.
• Try to create 20 open and 20 closed questions for your project idea. 
• Begin by describing your current project idea above the table.
• Start listing questions, as many as you can.
• Ask for input using a pair share, move chairs, or conferences.
• Read questions and make sure they are in the right category of "open" or "closed"
• Highlight or bold the 5 most significant questions in each category

DO THIS, TOO: Ideation, Studio Time, & Proposals [You decide]

Purpose: Get real with yourself. Commit to a project idea. Prepare to write a proposal.

• Set studio time goals.  What will you do? Why? What evidence will you have?
• Share them with peer or advisor.
• Use studio time
• Reflect on studio time...what will you commit to doing/thinking/deciding between now and 10am tomorrow (Capture these intentions in a public/shared place.)

Please remember that GWT is a good opportunity to continue to develop these ideas. Students are also encouraged to discuss project ideas with their Humanities teachers, who will be helping with the writing of proposals and revisions.

February 2nd | Ideation

Today's focus is to continue ideation. Students should have a purpose for the ways in which they choose to interact with their own ideas and be prepared to show evidence of thinking. After some studio time we will come back together as a group to offer feedback and to push each other's ideas toward clarity and creativity.

DO NOW: Organize [10:00 - 10:10am]
Purpose: Review evidence of thinking and learning, prepare a mindset for ideation.

• Organize and review evidence of thinking and learning from where you left off yesterday. 
• Prepare one piece of evidence to share with the group. Now that you look back at your thinking from yesterday, what stands out to you and why?
• Review the lists created by your group:
• 1) Yesterday we developed a menu of different ideation strategies. Each person shared something that has worked for them. Look over this list as you decide how to spend studio time today.
• 2) On Friday we developed a list of qualities of memorable, important, creative projects. Look at that list as a reminder of what we are working towards this semester. All are challenged to go beyond the obvious, beyond the first idea, beyond what you think you know now.
• Create a studio time goal and write it down in the same place as yesterday. Be specific about who, what, where, when, why you are doing what you are doing. Name the evidence you expect to have at the end of the time.
• EXAMPLE: I intend to use today's studio time to collect news stories related to the idea of caring for elderly parents. I will create a list of bookmarks.

GATHERING: Share [10:10 - 10:20am]

Purpose: Utilize the group to make best use of time and resources today.

• Go around and share evidence of thinking and learning from yesterday as well as studio time goal for today. 
• For each person, highlight values and suggestions for their goals. 
• EXAMPLE (for the goal above): I value that you are looking for more perspectives on the topic "caring for elderly parents." I suggest you try to find about how elderly people view their lives; find out what they want. Try ideation by using the of circle of viewpoints thinking routine.

STUDIO TIME: Ideation [10:20am - 11:00am]

Purpose: Develop an understanding of ourselves and the world and transform that understanding into a project idea.

• Follow your studio time goal, intention.
• During studio time, students are encouraged to spend some time in independent ideation but may travel to other rooms to meet with staff or students. (Please do not gather in hallways.)
• Remember to collect evidence of your thinking. This includes notes from conversations with peers and staff. 

EXTENSIONS: Ideation [11:00 - 11:15am]

Purpose: Share ideation with peers who know your intention in order to get new ideas. Remix.

• At 11:00am everyone should return to their rooms and "set up" their evidence of thinking and learning from today and/or yesterday, by placing it in a spot on a table next to your manilla folder. It should be "set up" in a way that others can look at it. 
• As people return to the room, they should do a gallery walk - looking at the ideas of others and placing post-it notes with probing questions and extensions. How can this person get their ideas to really great project ideas? What might be an interesting remix?
  
  EXAMPLE: If I created a mind map for prehistoric sturgeon, I would place it on the table. Other people in my group would come over and read my mind map. They would leave post it notes with questions like "I wonder what the geography of the Wisconsin River and Mars have in common?" or "What if you designed a dress inspired by the way sturgeon look?" They might also challenge me with extensions like "How are you going to get people to care about sturgeon?" and "What are you trying to express through a project on sturgeon?"
  
• Collect all feedback and evidence.