Étude Project Block

The Week of March 23-26th | Creating

[Tech Update: This blog should now work on all browsers, including Chrome on Chromebooks. We are still working to re-curate the resources needed for the rest of the semester. Everything needed for envisioning a process for creating project should be listed and linked in this post. If something is missing, please email kjohnson@etudegroup.org]

It's time to move forward with disciplinary group planning and personal project planning for the rest of the semester. There will no longer be uber-plans for the school, but weekly posts (like this one) and reminder posts with updates and some requests.

INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS

Self-Check and manage the following:

Language Arts evidence in your shared folder
Research Paper & Thematic Statement
Project Calendar hard copy
Each person will have a hard copy calendar (provided by advisor) to plan and track project progress each day. Start by mapping out a plan, using the Project Block and IDEAS School calendars as a starting place. Each calendar square will have two parts 1) An intention 2) Actual progress/activity for that day.
Exhibition of Learning vision
On April 9th, Molly will be requesting your Exhibition of Learning vision - Including your project 1) Title 2) Driving Question 3) Short Description 4) Exhibition Format/Venue

DISCIPLINARY GROUPS

Establish and use daily routines for the following:

Sharing out intentions and clarifying steps
(Example: Any period of studio time will begin with the group physically circled up, and intentions will be documented on students' personal planning tools as well as a public whiteboard.)
Documenting and reflecting on progress
(Example: Engineers use physical notebooks - every engineer has an engineering notebook, where there is a page per-day that is dated, signed off, and documenting progress.)
Identifying needs, supports, experiences
(Example: Any period of studio time will conclude with the group physically circled up, and progress will be shared aloud and documented on the public whiteboard. There will be one area of the board marked "parking lot" where students will identify needs, like "looking for an example of how different artists draw eyes" or "looking for a 20 minute conference with someone who has created a production schedule before.")

Establish and use weekly routines for the following:

Analyzing professional models
(Example: Every Monday we will spend 30 minutes looking at a professional model and analyzing the choreographer, dancer, and/or audience perspective. Sometimes Molly will choose the model and facilitate, but students might also take this role - especially when the model is one they've studied as an extension of their project.)
Facilitating workshops on disciplinary skill or process
(Example: Each Wednesday we will have a 15 minute exploratory do now where in we will try something new in our or a related discipline.)
Preparing for and facilitating feedback
(Example: Each Tuesday we will have small group feedback, using the ladder of feedback to structure and document feedback. Each Friday we will have whole-group feedback, using a plan created by the project creator or group and facilitated with the assistance of an Advisor. There will be a schedule.)
Additional disciplinary needs
(Example: Schedules for using computers in editing room or dance studio.)

We will share out Disciplinary Group ritualized weeks as a staff on Wednesday. The goal is to collect and publish these, to help support students who are seeking insight from multiple disciplines. Evidence plans will be a focus when we return from break in April.

Friday, March 20th | Thematic Statement (and...)

Who are we as a community of thinkers, innovators?
What's the theme of my project?

Please use today to create thematic statements and to continue developing a ritualized week in disciplinary groups. In addition to feedback (from Thursday), consider the who, what, when, where, why, and how of workshops, professional models, exploration and play, and other weekly needs of the group. Groups will be sharing out the details of their ritualized week next Wednesday.

DO NOW: What is the generative topic within your project? Share out to the group.
(Note - This is the beginning of a thematic statement)

THEMATIC STATEMENTS: Each student should will create a Thematic Statement and include it in their Google Drive folder for Project Block and Language Arts. These statements are good fuel for the creation phase and titling your projects. Moreover, they provide a greater context for what makes your work meaningful beyond the project and for your audience.

Fill out Materials Request Form for Stuart!

As a group, determine the best use of remaining time. Do students need more time to create a library of professional models? Should there be more conversation about the expectations and commitments to feedback? It is a good time to outline that ritualized week? What will be part of that week, based on what we need for our discipline and our projects?

Advisors should plan to look at a professional model of choice on Monday.

Thursday, March 19th | Generating Norms and Routines

Who are we as a community of thinkers, innovators?

The purpose of today's conversation is to establish norms and routines for seeking and providing feedback in disciplinary groups. In the spirit of feedback, Addie and Advisors are working on feedback for research papers. Remember that revision is an option for those seeking a better understanding of how to represent their ideas in academic writing.

DO NOW: Write down a list of ten words, concepts, ideas related to feedback. Then, circle up. Each person should share one unique word, concept, idea with a short explanation.
(Each person should contribute something unique. They should build on or extend from others, not repeat what has already been said. This is a simple gathering to focus thinking around feedback and begin thinking about how varied the notion of feedback can be.)

EXPLORE: Look at what Grant Wiggins identifies as 7 Essentials to Effective Feedback, then connect, extend, envision what feedback should look like for your group.

Divide into 7 groups.
Assign each group 1 of the 7 Feedback Essentials
Each group should read their section and prepare a Connect. Extend. Envision. (below)

CONNECT - How does this connect with the brief discussion in the Do Now or other experiences you've had with feedback?
EXTEND - How does this extend your thinking about feedback? What would you add to what is written, based on your unique project or specific discipline?
ENVISION - What will you propose to your disciplinary group? What should feedback look, sound, feel like in your group?

(Example: I propose that each person keeps a file/folder of all the feedback from their peers and advisors throughout the semester. This will show who and what affected revisions.)
Each group should share out their Connect. Extend. Envision.
Discuss, clarify, and vote on the proposals for what feedback will look like for your group.
(Advisors should make sure that the proposals will fit the discipline and format of P-Block.)
Finally, generate a list of commitments, resources, procedures, and roles that will be necessary for the group to follow through on these proposals.

...

THINKING AHEAD

The next step will be to develop a weekly routine as a disciplinary group. To begin thinking about what this might look like, consider this MTW example for creative writing:

MONDAY: Each Monday we will spend time looking at a professional model or mentor text. The advisor might choose the texts to start the semester and analysis may take up to 30 minutes. We will keep track of the writer's moves that we love and want to steal and, sometimes, we will do some writing based on the model even if it is unrelated to our individual projects. The remaining time will be studio time, but the end of studio time on Mondays MUST result in a clear, detailed plan for the week.

TUESDAY: Studio day. We'll start with sharing our detailed plans for the week with a peer who will hold us accountable. Students can also sign up for individual conferences about their writing. These conferences are about 10-15 minutes long. Students end studio time with a reflection on their progress, in their studio journal

WEDNESDAY: Whole-group feedback. Students can plan ahead and sign up for this, or the Advisor will randomly call upon them to share their progress and get feedback. For whole-group feedback, we will use the ladder of feedback. The writer will facilitate, but someone else will take notes for them and give them the notes after. If the writer would like to use a different thinking routine, to get a different kind of feedback, they are welcome to plan ahead to do that.

THURSDAY...

FRIDAY...