What an experience! I definitely took away more than I brought to UCC. The evidence is right here below. Norval will forever hold this sweet and spicy spot within me, if you know what I mean ;) This blog may be a tiny bit longer because I just have to report on my amazing experiences these past 2 days! Welcome to Norval! This gorgeous week (18 degree weather in mid-November!) concluded with a day trip to Norval where students got to try the low-ropes course, which I will refer to as Trolls Traverse. I learned recently that the staff had to adapt the activities at Norval to suit the environment at the UCC campus, and honestly I couldn't tell the difference! The staff were so adept at being creative with their resources that I'm getting more and more confident about translating these techniques into a math or science classroom. Jónsdóttir (2017) mentioned that being a creative teacher and teaching creativity (which is one of the 6 global competencies along with critical thinking, learning to learn, collaboration, communication, and citizenship) are different matters. It was nothing short but mesmerizing as I saw students strength spotting (naming each classmate's strengths) to rely on each during during Trolls Traverse, support each other while spotting as students crossed the ropes course, taking turns with different roles (crossing ropes, spotting, solving puzzles, coaching etc.) and of course reflecting on what worked and how to improve from here. Some focused on giving direction to the other boys, others focused on supporting others through spotting, and some even focused on getting further along the ropes course than they did previously. Everyone was working towards the greater good, and improving themselves. Although there were arguments with regards to who goes next, I was impressed when the boys grouped together as a community after the task and went along with their day afterwards. Similar to Kate's lesson with the Y4's, Brent and Katie made it clear that school gives you lots of chances to improve and this one experience is not the be-all and end-all. Everyone is here to learn and no one is stagnant in their learning process. The task is the key to bring about these goals; something interesting to the boys, and something that involves multiple roles so everyone can contribute and rely on each other's strengths to move forward. T&T Am I referring to that overpriced Asian supermarket with green letters? Nope! Something much more exciting! Trappers & Traders was definitely one of the highlights of this week; something that ALL students enjoyed participating in. In a nutshell, T&T was a simulation on the First Nations fur trade (which was all started because of a fashion trend with the beaver hat! :O) in which students had to search around the campus looking for traps and punches for each of the animals on their tracking sheet. They would then sell the furs to Wild Willy's depending on what condition card they chose (which determined the condition of their fur) and the value rolled on a die as a multiplier. They would then use their money to buy food, equipment, and clothing as necessities for them to survive the winter. Large animals can only be bought using rifles (which was quite expensive), and the more traps hunters bought, the more fur pelts they could trade in. One student even described it as "real-life" Catan! I had the pleasure of running the Hudson's Bay Company as Mrs. Hudson. I had many groups bargaining with me and even selling items back as the needed the money for something else. One student even asked if their money gained interest while being held in a "bank account!" I can't even begin to list all the skills that this simulation taught, but I was most impressed by the alliances formed between groups and the teamwork that had to happen for groups to survive. Indigenous tribes are naturally collectivistic and shared resources rather than adopt the mindset of survival of the fittest. This can often be a challenge to teach in a class of IB students who are often under lots of pressure to succeed and stand out in class. A lesson on force - my turn to get creative I was extremely lucky to get a chance to teach with Kate and her Y4s with a lesson on force via tug-of-war. Although I was new to this age group and this group of students for that matter (literally just met them at the start of my lesson), I told myself to just remember that all kids love to have fun! Opposite and equal forces was something I could bring into the lesson, but I wanted something more; something that the kids will remember and understand as concepts, and not just applicable to this fun game. Although bright students, I did not want to focus on Newton's laws of motion, nor did I want to get technical and math-ical (even though the math side of me was just dying to be let out!). So what could I do? Searching around free-play forest, I found 2 objects with very distinct shapes, but similar masses; the giant Jenga block, and the foam tipped arrow (see blog #2). Remembering that even adults have trouble remembering whether it was volume or mass that had an effect on force, I used this visual when I dropped the 2 objects at the same time and to the students' surprise, both landed on the ground at the same time. Objects with the same mass, will fall with the same force, since we live on planet Earth (and F=ma - I couldn't resist adding a formula in there for my own reference!). When it came time to playing tug-of-war, of course I couldn't just have the kids play the traditional game. What about 4 way tug-of-war? I had only tied the two ropes together in the center before this lesson and not having 3 other tuggers to try this out before hand, I decided to try this idea anyways after making sure that this contraption was safe. As a teacher, being vulnerable and honest with your students is important so they in turn, can own up to their mistakes, keep an open mind, make mistakes, and thus grow. I'm glad it was a success in the end though as it was something memorable and fun that the kids enjoyed. With the 9-square (yes I remembered to get a picture this time!), I had this fancy explanation about the Medieval legal system which completely went down the drain as the kids were really good listeners for the first part of the lesson that I just let them have fun for the second half. As a total control freak, I surprised myself this week at how adaptable I was to the lack of control and spontaneity of outdoor lessons. I love the authenticity behind "free-planning" and how it encourages student-driven learning to develop leadership, creativity, and risk-taking skills (Jónsdóttir, 2017). These were traits I've spotted all week with these students; something that can often go amiss in the classroom where students are heavily focused on marks and could be afraid to take risks that could jeopardize their grades. Research even suggests that sensitivity to the environment and self-awareness (Lugg, 2007), as well as motivation and social skills are taught through outdoor education, and are noteworthy even among high-achieving students (Skaugen & Fiskum, 2015) such as the students at UCC. A moment of reflection For a lesson in which I had no idea about the group dynamics or individual student needs, I believe it was fairly successful. My favourite part was when the students shouted "THANK YOU Ms. Feng! We had so much fun!" It is very rewarding when your ideas come to life (like you had planned) and the students enjoyed it just as much. Moving forward, I think I would be clearer with the instructions (as I had expected many students to be familiar with how heavy the Jenga block was already from years in the free-play forest and 9-square since 4-square is a highly enjoyed game by UCC boys) and learn to better manage the class. Although it is expected for 8-year-old boys to be rowdy right after lunch, I found myself constantly projecting my voice to be heard amongst the chattering and the hustling noises of the city. I believe this will come with practice and experience, and especially knowing my group and giving the time for students to settle down on their own. I am not in control of every situation, and I really shouldn't be for authentic learning to happen. Final thoughts I consider myself super lucky to have been able to get out of the classroom this November and immerse myself with these bright-minded individuals surrounded by Mother Nature. I like to think I learned much more than the students did, as I can take my experiences into my own classrooms and influence many more students (and maybe even teachers). I feel confident that the next generation of students will be cognizant thinkers, engaging in the pursuit of enacting broader social, environmental, and global values. Teach kids, not curriculum. The curriculum police is not going to arrest me because I didn't teach the nomenclature topic in all of its entirety. However, the police might arrest me because I didn't teach my students important values and to love and protect the environment that they live in. Gone is the excuse that there is no time to adopt an inquiry-based approach to education, and in comes the mindset that there are connections to be made everywhere and of course, spontaneity is always welcomed. Thank you team Norval and UCC for this incredible experience. 2teachis2learn4ever and I'm just starting to learn how to effectively teach students so that they will become inquisitive thinkers and positive contributors of society. It's not goodbye, but just see you soon! PS. Check out my digital story below for my complete journey! References Jónsdóttir, S.R. (2017). Narratives of creativity: How either teachers on four school levels integrate creativity into teaching and learning. Thinking Skills and Creativity. 24. 127-139. Lugg, A. (2007). Developing sustainability-literate citizens through outdoor learning: possibilities for outdoor education in Higher Education. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 7(2). 97-112. Skaugen, R. & Fiskum, T.A. (2015). How schools with good academic results justify their use of outdoor education. International Education Research, 3(4). 16-31.
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