Learning by Doing
12/14/2019
I love to incorporate as many hands-on activities into the classroom as I can. It is awesome to see children applying what they are learning in real-world scenarios and problem solve with their classmates. I focused our Parent Snack this week on different design and task challenges to showcase how we work together to create within specific perimeters with limited materials. Students were challenged, along with their adult, to build a free-standing holiday tree out of nothing but pipe cleaners, or a stocking using only paper and tape, or a sleigh that would slide across the floor using nothing more than aluminum foil. It was so fun to watch how engaged each table was in their particular project! We continued the theme of learning by doing as we delved into what makes something float vs. sink. After learning about density and how it affects whether something will float or sink, students were divided into teams in the classroom and were given the challenge to design a boat that would float while carrying a small plastic animal. They were given metal wire, 5 popsicle sticks, 5 pipe cleaners, and a large sheet of aluminum foil. We had a lot of wet tables (and clothing!) but students had a blast through trial and error while building their boats. All in all, most boats were successful and, even though it was frustrating to have a boat sink, students learned a lot about teamwork and how to change up their initial ideas of what would be successful. Over the past 2 months, I have watched the older grades during their after-school Lego robotics club work together and towards the common goal of participating in the FIRST LEGO League competition. I feel excited for the opportunities PNA students have as they get older knowing that they learn these very important fundamental skills of teamwork, trial and error, vision, integrity, and to believe in themselves from the youngest grades, and then they carry that into the upper grades and are able to work in groups with a strong sense of self AND teamwork. Check out the article on WasabiLearning.com that talks about why PBL and STEM lessons belong in a modern classroom. I found it to be very inspiring! A great quote from the blog stated, "STEM develops a set of thinking, reasoning, teamwork, investigative, and creative skills that students can use in all areas of their lives. STEM isn’t a standalone class—it’s a way to intentionally incorporate different subjects across an existing curriculum."
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Hali TuomiMs. Tuomi has over five years experience in ASD, where she taught first and fifth grade classrooms. An avid skier, Ms. Tuomi is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Alaska Pacific University’s Bachelor of Arts in K-8 Education. Archives
April 2021
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