Team 4010 (Jenny) Update

Last week the kids came home with their Core Values assignments.  Dates for their games are:

9/12 - Fiona and Charlotte	10/17 - Hudson
9/19 - Bryce	10/31 - Mateo
10/3 - Ainsley	11/7 - Ashton
10/10 - Cashion	11/14 - Eva and WIll

Project work:  We discussed groups of learners and which ones might be interesting and accessible to use for our project.  The kids came in a lot of additional ideas for different groups of learners.  We discussed each and voted on the ones we thought would be most interesting/challenging.  In order of votes, they are:  

• People with dyslexia
• People who learn in a language other than their primary language (ESL, but also immersion programs)
• People who are physically handicapped and thus might have difficulty with things like writing or turning pages.
• People who are color blind.

From there we talked more about things we're passionate about learning.  We came up with:

• Writing
• Reading
• Music
• Math
• Teamwork and collaboration

We also talked about education research that points to "grit" (the willingness to fail and try again, stick-to-it-tiveness or perseverance might be good synonyms) and how you build that that or whether it's a big factor for any of these groups. 

So, team homework is:  Look at one of the groups above and what the current methods and best practices are for teaching one of the things we love to learn.  Come in prepared to give details, explain why it's important and any ideas it sparks for what else might be done. 

Bonus:  Drill down to a specific concept or area in the broad categories as you look at how these learners are learning.  Some examples:

• You might look at the specific challenges people with dyslexia face learning to do math problems or read music.
• You might look at alternatives to traditional text books for people who aren't able to turn pages or who are color blind and wouldn't get much from color diagrams, charts, etc.
• You might look at the challenges people who are in a school where they don't speak the primary language face in PE where they need to work directly with other kids or when doing group projects.

The more specific we are about what we would like to address, the faster we'll progress on coming up with possible solutions!  So, narrow it down in whatever way makes sense to you.   

Good sources:  A friend, relative or someone you know who represents one of these groups.  A professional or expert who works with one of these groups.  A website, article or book that covers how these learners learn (remember to write down where you got it!)