Routines, Responsibilities and Relevance

Off to a great start with the 3Rs: Routines, Responsibilities and Relevance

Routines: Students were so excited to have their first day back in the Maker Studio. As we found ourselves ready to enter, I was so excited to see the number of students that remembered the routines that were established last year. Routines, that students can follow from year to year, impact instruction time by affording efficiency in getting on task. All grades, second through fourth, demonstrated and shared the importance of having routines in place. Not only did they follow routines for entering and exiting the space, they also worked on the visible thinking routine to share their background knowledge. Students responded to, “What is a Tool?” by expressing their thinking on the thinking wall.

Responsibilities: As students began discussing the responsibilities that they would demonstrate in the Maker Studio, they were very quick to share the “why” behind the responsibility. It was not a set of rules but a personal expectation of responsibility for being safe and mindful. Student developed responsibilities provide ownership for both positive and negative experiences.

Relevance: Behind every engaging lesson there is relevance. Teaching and learning that “looks” like play supports learning for all students. When the learning is relevant and purposeful, useful and applied students bring everything they have to the experience. “What is a tool?” was the launch of our 2016-2017 learning year. Students eagerly shared their thinking about tools and built their own excitement towards using the tools in the Studio. The literature link we used was, “Monkey with a Tool Belt” by Chris Monroe. This one book has set the stage for relevant activities for students in grades 2-4. Students have already made connections with the main character and are looking forward to the BreakOut session that stems from the story line.

Next Week: “CHICO is MISSING” breakout activity