Connecting Globally from a Remote School – Travelling Rhino Project

For the past fortnight we have been hosts of Lesedi, one of five travelling Rhinos sent round the world by Karen Stadler, who I have neer met, but connected with through email and twitter. Hawea Flat is a small rural school in the South Island of New Zealand and the closest Rhino to us is in a Zoo 5 hours drive away. We knew what a Rhino was and we knew who a poacher was, however we had no comprehension of how the two fitted together and what the devastating consequence of their connection was.

When Lesedi arrived in the mail we had to begin at the beginning. We read books, watched YouTube clips and researched on line. Quickly made connections to the horrific truth and the selfish reasons behind the problem. I have never seen a group of children become enraged so quickly over an issue.

So I simply asked “What can we do about it? We are to far away!” and showed them the distance between South Africa and Hawea Flat on Google Earth.

That is where the kids took over. They showed me that the skills that we have learned in class – ways to solve a problem and find a solution – were important and that when needed the kids could call upon them. In groups they thought of raising money, but then realized that money was not the problem, people were the problem and that not enough people knew about the issue (Kids came up with this – not me).

So, again I said “Ok, it is a people problem. We cant fix that!”

Then the class was off again…

“We can make a petition.”
“Put it on a Google Form.”
“Tweet it on our class Twitter and Mr Dyers Twitter.”
“Email it to all the parents.”
“Get them to like it on face book.”
“We can tell the parents at assembly too!”

…and like that the project made an impact on my class and our community. We blogged, tweeted and emailed. Posters and placards were made. Then, we received emails from the local paper asking for interviews. The class and myself have been stopped in the street and told that what we are doing is awesome.

If you have not added you name to this petition then click here to get to the form.

Through my classes participation in Karen’s Travelling Rhino Project we have learned firstly about the plight of the Rhino and raised the awareness of it to our community, but secondly that through projects such as this classrooms no longer need to have walls.

The Global Classroom is a reality and achievable for any educator and all you need is a concept or cause and a PLN to connect you with the world. You can collaborate on a blog, email, Skype, trade letters or tweet with another class, as the technology we have at our classrooms removes the barriers of distance, borders, language and timezone. This project only lasted two weeks, but it changed the way that I look at education and changed the way my class looks at the world.

Tips for Success: Global Collaborations in the Classroom

This guest post comes to us courtesy of Paige Badgett (@PTPIPaige), Director of the School & Classroom Program, at People to People International (PTPI).

The benefits of exposing your students to their counterparts in another country are endless. Each year, teachers participating in PTPI’s School & Classroom Program are matched with a partner teacher in another country and then receive a Program Manual with tips for success, global collaboration best practices, and project ideas. We are happy to share our Tips for Success with this great forum of educators today!

• Communicate.  Stay in touch with your partner teacher.  This is the key to success. Be honest and clear about your intentions and expectations.

• Contact your partner teacher in a timely manner.  When beginning a partnership, introduce yourself to your partner teacher as soon as possible.

• If you do not receive a response to an email message, resend your message.  The reason is often that the message was not received.  Often spam filters get in the way. Try again.

• Share school and holiday schedules. As a holiday nears, provide your departure and return dates.  Learn the difference between your time zone and that of your partner.

• Guarantee positive representation of you and your country.  Remember that you and your students represent your country.  Students should neatly compose letters and projects using their best spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

• Ensure language is cross-cultural.  Consider what needs explanation or description for an audience from another culture.  Slang and colloquial language needs to be used carefully and meanings should be explained as needed.

• Learn about international mail and customs policies for your partner’s country. International mail requires different postage than domestic mail.  Your post office can help you with postage rates for airmail, the preferred method to send letters and parcels.

• Ask questions. If you are unsure how to proceed on any matter, ask.  Be honest with your partner teacher when you are confused about any communication discrepancies.

• Be a responsible partner.  If for any reason you can no longer collaborate, please inform your partner so a new classroom can be assigned.  When a partnership is ended without explanation, students tend to take this personally, questioning whether their partner disliked them. Most importantly, if you plan to continue working together, stay in touch with your partner teacher during the summer or winter breaks to assure them of your continued interest.

• Record your partnership. Take pictures of your students writing letters, opening letters, and working on projects with their partner.

Join our growing community of educators from 127 countries by registering for the School & Classroom Program today! People to People International connects people of all countries and cultures because we believe that understanding one another is the best way to create peace.

For more information about this program or to register for the 2013-2014 school year, please contact me at classroom@ptpi.org or follow me on Twitter! Check out past posts from Paige here and here!

Connecting through blogging

This month the twitter chats have been about blogging with students and how to make global connections with other class bloggers. I had been asked a couple of times to write a post about the student blogging challenge which I run. So here goes!

History of the challenge

In January 2008 I somehow began reading a blog written by Sue Waters. Deciding blogging was something  I could use with students, I began my own personal blog. Within a couple of weeks, I had contacted Sue often by email and skype and she had tweeted out about this new blogger – me. So this was also my introduction to Twitter.

By March 2008, my class blog was going well – students were learning about being internet safe and how good digital citizens behaved on the net. While teaching the students, I was still learning from Sue Waters about widgets to use, tools for audio, how to add videos and what is creative commons. By the end of May, most students in the class had their own blogs and my personal blog was not being used very much at all. My time was now spent moderating posts and comments written by my students on their blogs.

But by the end of June 2008, I realised the students were only communicating with each other – one of my purposes for having a blog was to get the students thinking in a global perspective. So more discussion with Sue Waters and suddenly I saw the value of Twitter. I tweeted out if there were a few classes who would like to leave comments on my student blogs. Back came Jan Smith (Canada), Paul Bogush (USA) and Ines Pinto (Portugal). Thus began the first student blogging challenge. By the end of December 2008 we had about 500 students from 9 countries taking part.

Since that first challenge numbers have increased to over 1500 students and over 100 classes from 20+ countries. I can no longer visit each student blog a minimum of three times over the ten week period, so we also have mentors who are in charge of about 30 students. The challenge now has its own blog.

Challenge starting in March 2013

There are March 2013 registration forms for students and for classes and mentors leave a short bio on their post. We even have some students who have taken part in at least two challenges signing up to be mentors. The challenge runs from March to May and again September to December each year.

Each week, I set about ten activities – some relating to blogging such as creating avatars, adding a blogroll, tags and categories – but many relating to different subject areas in the curriculum. Hopefully students and classes write posts and include links which create a trackback for me to follow. I often visit their blogs to leave a comment. I also have some posts which are about visiting blogs I have found interesting, so students and classes also get trackbacks.

There is a page in the header which is a list of all the student blogs with their mentors and another list for class blogs grouped in grade areas. This allows both students and classes to visit similar bloggers either gradewise or in the case of students, those with similar interests. One activity each week is to visit other blogs and leave comments – this allows students to start creating their own connections. Classes are expected to visit and leave comments on the blogs on either side of their name in the participation list. This includes visiting the student blogs that might be on the sidebars of those class blogs they visit.

There are many links on the challenge sidebar which relate to help pages as we have students and classes using Edublogs, kidblog, blogger, wordpress and other blogging platforms.

In the last set of activities during September 2012, I made every second week a freedom to choose set of activities – this was a way for classes to catch up if there had been holidays or testing happening at their school, but it was also a chance for students to write about their passions.

The future of the challenge

As long as I am able I will be running the challenge, but with numbers increasing each year, it is great to see a lot of other educators prepared to help as mentors.

I also get a lot of help from Edublogs especially Sue Waters and Ronnie Burt. They create the themes for me to use and also the participation badges for students, classes and mentors. With this challenge being the 10th, a different theme is being organized and will be up and running soon.

This year we will be showing off the challenge as part of the Sunday evening sessions at ISTE2013 in San Antonio Texas. Please come and visit us as part of the global collaboration poster session.

If any of you would like to take part in the challenge as either a mentor or with a class or set of student blogs, then rush over and register as the first set of activities will be posted on Sunday March 3rd Australian time.

New Project: Travelling Rhinos Project – Save Our Rhinos!

Photo taken by K. Stadler – July 2012

In November last year I launched a new Global Classroom Project at school and it went national and global on 7 December.

Inspired by this photo that I took of five rhinos drinking in unison at a waterhole in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, in July, I had five small rhino soft toys made out of genuine African fabric (one side shweshwe and the other an African print). Each rhino was given a truly African name (through a competition amongst our students). These rhinos are on their way to classrooms far and wide – one to South African Schools and then into Africa, one to Australia and New Zealand, one to Canada and America, one to America and South America and one to Europe and Asia. Through global connections I have made in the Global Classroom Project and via Twitter, I have sourced schools to send the rhinos to and currently have 35 classes signed up for the project which will run until December this year, or longer. (It is similar to a Flat Stanley project, but this time with Travelling Rhinos).

Each class will host the rhinos for a week or two and in that time the teacher is asked to educate the students about the rhino situation (in the world, but especially SA), they are asked to dispel the myth that rhino horn is medicine and then they are asked to get their children to contribute to a class page in a wiki that I have created (I have put together information they can use and provided websites for more information). They can write letters of appeal/make videos/do art work – anything which gives the children a voice in the fight against rhino poaching. They are then asked to send the rhino on to another class in their country. Of course they must also document the visit with photos and we will track each rhino’s journey on a Google map. The rhinos will travel for the whole year (or more).

The motivation behind my project is to educate and to use the children’s voices to highlight the gravity of the problem to other countries. After all, it is their children and grandchildren etc. that we want to save the rhinos for, and we rely heavily on tourism in South Africa, so I believe we can make a difference in this way.

Ultimately, once we have many classes participating and contributing, I would like to bring the project to the attention of the powers that be in government. I’m not sure how or who yet, but I have time to work that out!

Currently we have three rhinos in classrooms around the world: Siyanda is in Surrey, Canada; Zindzi is in Ballycurrin, Ireland and Lilitha is in Fish Hoek, Cape Town. Makulu is on his way to New York, but he is running very late and we are concerned about his safe arrival and lastly, Lesedi is on her way to Australia and should arrive within the next week.

Take a look at this lovely video put together by Mrs Thiessen from Green Timbers Elementary in Surrey, BC, Canada (Click on the image):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To find out more about this project visit the wiki: http://saveourrhinos.wikispaces.com

Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheTravellingRhinosProject

Follow us on Twitter: @travellingrhino

This is a cross-post from

http://karenstadler.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/travelling-rhinos-project-save-our-rhinos/

The Power of a PLN

Hi I’m Shaileigh and I teach at Flinders University in South Australia. I have been teaching since 2007 and am primary / elementary trained although have been lecturing and researching at the uni in most recent years.  I am passionate about mathematics education, education philosophy and most recently I have found a passion for ICT.  Next year I am heading back into the classroom and will be teaching in Whyalla – very exciting times ahead for 2013.

This post was published on my personal blog back in July and I hope it encourages you and inspires you to continue to grow your PLN and get connected!!

Thanks to The Global Classroom for the opportunity to post on their site – keep up the good work!!

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Today I’m writing about an awesome experience I had recently thanks to Twitter which has not only grown my professional learning network (PLN) but has also enriched my life and the lives of the pre-service teachers I work with in Adelaide, South Australia .

So, let’s go back in time about 3 weeks…. I had just joined Twitter and felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” there was to read, YouTube clips to watch and teaching practices to investigate. Although I felt overwhelmed, there was also a sense of feeling inspired and sudden motivation to experiment as tools like Weebly, Moodle, Google Docs, Edmodo, Wikkis and blogging jumped off the page and into my grand visions for my preferred classroom and ideal student learning. I then found myself spending a great deal of time reading blogs and asking questions on Twitter to find out more.

In amongst the jumble of all these new ideas, one idea caught my attention, stopped me in my tracks and compelled me to take action. The following tweet signified the beginning of an amazing learning journey, a journey that I believe will never end and for the sake of my students it MUST never end:

“Have you signed your classroom up? Doing #mysteryskype is a great way to engage ALL students in your classroom! http://mysteryskypes1213.weebly.com/”

Craig Badura (@MrBadura) 1^st August 2012

I was immediately interested in the idea of a Mystery Skype but hadn’t actually used Skype before so…..I felt scared BUT I didn’t hesitate in tweeting Craig (@Mr Badura) to find out more:

@mrbadura … what is the process of setting one up? I’m interested in doing this with my preservice teachers at Flinders University

Craig was very generous, replied promptly and offered to Skype my class to explain what Mystery Skype is all about! I was SO excited that I had the opportunity to connect with an educator overseas AND share this with my students. I also felt very nervous leading up to the big event but had the wonderful support of Selena (@Teachertechnol teachertechnologies.com) who calmed my nerves greatly and after we had a test run with Craig and discovered all of the technology was working – I was ready to introduce my Master of Teaching students to my new friend Craig and the world of Skype and Mystery Skype as a pedagogical tool!

If you haven’t heard about Mystery Skype – head to Craig Badura’s blog: http://comfortably20.blogspot.com.au/  and his Mystery Skype website.  Very simply put, it is where two classes Skype and they use problem solving skills and closed ended questions to investigate, gather clues and find out where the other class is located.

Here is a list of jobs, compiled by Silvia Tolisano (Twitter - @langwitches) that need filling for Mystery Skype to work effectively in your classroom. Every student has a role and is responsible for something – each role seems to have links to other curriculum areas!! See if you can spot them!

Mystery Skype is a fun, fast paced activity that is jam packed full of cross curricular perspectives. For example (this is not an extensive list but explores only a few of the curriculum areas): Geography- mapping skills, locations; English communication, closed ended questioning, effective questioning techniques; Maths- problem solving, lateral thinking, data collecting and analysing; Social Studies- finding out how others live by following up on any similarities and differences between the locations of both classes; and of course Technology and ICT- use of Google Earth, Google Maps, IPads, blogging, capturing movie clips of the Skype session and using digital cameras to capture moments of learning and the connection between the classes. It also seems that the seven thinking hats are covered nicely.

Overall, it seems that Mystery Skype has potential to help develop numeracy, literacy and ICT skills and capabilities which are very important within an Australian context as these areas are called “General Capabilities” within our new Australian Curriculum (ACARA) document and are expected to be developed in ALL learning areas across the whole curriculum and across ALL year levels!!

To find out more about using Skype in the classroom and Mystery Skype check out the following links:

Using Skype in your classroom:

http://comfortably20.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/connect-your-classroom.html

Mystery Skype:

http://mysteryskypes1213.weebly.com/mystery-skype-jobs.html

http://mysteryskypes1213.weebly.com/resources.html

The Skype with Craig was engaging, fun, super inspiring and encouraged my students to think outside of the four walls of their classroom and to think globally! Craig gave us so much to think about and changed how we view technology in the classroom!

Mystery Skype with Craig – Thanks to Selena (@teachertechnol) for taking the picture!

Never before has it been this easy to gain a global perspective on learning or to connect with educators in other countries and to hear about their teaching practice! Twitter empowers us as teachers to develop a PLN where the extent of our personal learning and the new ideas are endless!

This amazing experience is all thanks to Twitter….. if you’re not part of the Twitterverse yet – sign up today www.twitter.com and develop your own PLN. Many of my students have joined Twitter since this event and they too are amazed the at the power of a PLN through twitter! Make sure you follow Craig (@MrBadura) George Couros (@gcouros) and Selena Woodward (@teachertechnol) just to name a few!

Keep an eye out for future blogs and for the launch of Mystery Skype in Australia! Exciting times ahead!!

I would love to hear from you and connect with you…… you can find me using:

email: shaileigh.page@gmail.com

about.me: about.me/shaileighpage

Twitter @DrShaileighPage

Instagram: shaileighpage

Join the Living Maths Mathletics Olympiad 2012!

This guest post comes to us courtesy of Steve Sherman (@mathsiscool aka “livingmaths”), from Cape Town, South Africa. 

Living Maths is an innovative mathematically based enrichment programme run by a dynamic collection of post-graduate students, with supportive partners, forward-thinking schools and enthusiastic learners that have a thirst for knowledge. Together we have all formed a strong relationship. 

We are currently inspiring over 4500 learners each week at over 30 schools in Cape Town, South Africa – With over 17 years of experience, we provide content for TV programmes (Hip2b² TV Show, HecticNine9 Show) magazines and websites, run workshops for various schools and organisations, run successful outreach projects, create materials, run various events, provide content for various publications, run public workshops at the national Scifest and National Science weeks, etc.

Visit our website www.livingmaths.com for more information. We are now also teaching classes around the country and the world – using the Internet!

The Olympiad

Every year we run an International Maths Olympiad for K-9.  We believe it is the only Olympiad in the world to cater for this entire age-range. Last year’s event was extremely successful with just over 170 000 learners taking part, with 7000 International learners from the UK, USA and Australia joining in. This year, we anticipate many more schools taking part.

The Living Maths Mathletics Olympiad is an INNOVATIVE event on the INTERNATIONAL Maths Calendar.

Its’ primary focus is to empower teachers and learners to find creative and concrete ways to help improve the standard of Maths globally.

We realise the importance of encouraging as many learners as possible to have a positive experience with maths so that they continue to make maths a subject choice at High School. We feel that there is a great need to provide quality resources and materials to maths teachers around the world.

This Olympiad is one of several projects we have undertaken to continue making a significant impact on maths education in this country.  If you visit our website you will discover fantastic resources offered to teachers FREE!

Get involved!

If you are a teacher and would like your students to take part – the International section of the Olympiad ends on 7 December 2012 – then email steve@livingmaths.com .

Mention which school, grades your work with, contacts details (including country) and I will gladly email you a link to our Olympiad Dropbox folder.  You will then have access to ALL our maths papers from 2000-2012 with worked solutions and loads of other additional resources.

 Thanks!

Steve Sherman

Interested in Global Pen-Pal Exchanges? (PTPI)

This guest post comes to us courtesy of Paige Badgett (@PTPIPaige), Director of theSchool & Classroom Program at People to People International.

The school year has begun, and you are settling into your classroom … Why not go beyond the curriculum to give your students a first-hand experience in their global education?

PTPI’s School & Classroom Program links classes in different countries for pen-pal exchanges and projects that improve cultural understanding and encourage friendship.  Since it was created, this free program has served more than 3,000 teachers with 200,000 students in 126 countries – and we want you to join now!

When two groups are matched, contact details are exchanged between the teachers so that they may communicate directly. Each teacher receives a Program Manual with suggested projects and tips for success. We encourage teachers to modify or incorporate additional concepts or technology to best suit their needs, goals and resources.

Successful partnerships start with consistent communication.  Remember, you are a representative of your country, as are your students. This allows for conversations with your students about letter writing etiquette, punctuation, grammar and spelling. How better can you introduce these important topics while motivating and engaging your students?

Find out more by reading my last guest post, or register today.

Registration is easy! Visit our website and fill out the online registration form: http://bit.ly/PTPISCP. We will be matching partner classes through October.

Social and cultural values

A high school class in Oslo Norway is working on the following curriculum goal:

1. Discuss social and cultural conditions and values from a number of English-speaking countries

The countries they have chosen to write about are:

1. Usa Amalie   Ewa
   

   Globe (Photo credit: stevecadman)

2. Australia: Alida, Hanne  Katinka
3. India David Rohit
4. England Haakon
5. Scotland Silje  Victor. Parmida
6. Singapore, Julia Marie  Tobias
7. Lesotho, Kasper
8. South Africa Christina Ingeborg
9. Jamaica, Karoline  Ulrik

Look at the links next to the countries and please take time to comment on their blogs!

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Starting Out with iEARN Global Projects

iEARN is the world’s largest global education community, providing a range of projects, and fantastic professional learning opportunities for K-12 teachers.

For more information, please visit http://www.iearn.org/, or tweet @iEARNUSA or @iEARNAustralia.

This post originally appeared on the iEARN USA blog under the title “Global Projects to Start the School Year“.

If you haven’t already visited our brand new Collaboration Centre here’s a video (with a catchy song) to get you in the mood for the new school year!

Following the video are some recommended projects that are active throughout the school year, but our members find successful for engaging their students in global collaborative project work at the start of the year.

My Name Around the world: On-going for a few years now, the My Name Project is a popular project for introducing students to global collaboration. The theme motivates them to use their creativity in writing by posting an acrostic poem of their name and sharing it with their peers around the world.

Side by Side: The visual impact of this project is moving – and fun, but it also creates a space to learn about other cultures. We launched ourAugust Campaign around it’s theme.

Learning Circles: Registration is open now. Circles start in September and run through December. If you’re interested in working with a select grouping  of teachers and students from around the world committed to a specific timeframe and working on assigned weekly activities, this is the place to start.

Public Art: Art in this form is one of the most powerful ways to engage a community in reflection and dialogue. By researching, sharing and discussing local public artwork using Web 2.0 tools, your students will have a greater appreciation for the messages conveyed and their impact.

Teddy Bear: Don’t we love to send and receive a package in the mail! This visiting bear allows your students to learn about life in another country with a partner class and share your culture in a hands-on exciting way.

Holiday Card Exchange: Your students will learn about holidays and dates observed around the world by creating cards to send to their peers through postal mailings.

All iEARN global projects correlate to the Common Core State Standards. Visit our Professional Development page for sample project lesson plans by iEARN educators who have aligned their collaborations and curriculum to the standards.

For the full listing of projects in the coming year, visit the Collaboration Centre.

Also, remember to check into the iEARN Teacher’s Lounge to find partners, get updates on classroom activities across all projects, ask questions, share your learning and feel part of a global family of learners.

We’re looking forward to seeing the ways you bring the world into your classroom this year! 

Why You Should Join the Global Read Aloud

Have you heard of the The Global Read Aloud?  The premise is simple; we pick a book to read aloud to our students during a set 4-week period and during that time we try to make as many global connections as possible.  Each teacher decides how much time they would like to dedicate and how involved they would like to be.  Some people choose to connect with just one class, while others go for as many as possible.  The scope and depth of the project is up to you.  In the past we have used Twitter, Skype, Edmodo, our wiki, email, regular mail, Kidblog, and any other tools we can think of to make these connections.  Teachers get a community of other educators to do a global project with, hopefully inspiring them to continue these connections through the year.

So why should you join, well, let me count the ways:

1. It is free.  There is nothing to buy besides the book, there is nothing you have to pay to be a part of it, and for free you get access to educators all over the world.
2. It brings the world in.  Every year, educators who participate in it cannot believe how many connections they make, whether just in the US or around the world.  Having a common project provides you with a platform to start collaborating with others that you can then use the rest of the school year.
3. You decide.  This project is great because of its simplicity, I don’t tell you how to connect or what tools to use, just which book you should be discussing.  Different teachers have different time to dedicate so this fits in with any curriculum anywhere.
4. Students get it.  The reason I keep doing this is because my students cannot wait to hear what others think of the book we are reading.  They cannot wait to connect, they cannot wait to share, they cannot wait to reach out and learn with others.
5. It is only 4 weeks.  We keep it short because we know how busy we all get.  4 weeks is just the right amount of time to discuss, elaborate and dissect a great book without getting overwhelmed by all of the to do’s.
6. There is a book for your level.  Last year we expanded into two separate books, one for younger grades and one for upper grades.  This year we will continue to do that so you get to pick which book you feel the most comfortable with for your students.  There is even aFrench version of the project for those who would rather do it in French.
7. It provides a way to introduce tech tools.  I use the project to introduce students to Skype, KidBlog, Animoto and other tools.  This way I am not trying to reinvent the wheel but get to use the tools in a meaningful way with my students for their intended purposes.
8. You get a voice.  I invite others to make it their own and share their ideas.  This is not just “my” project, it is for everyone to make their own.  I love all of the sharing and great ideas that come from being part of this project, it really sets me up for great collaboration and idea creation for the the rest of the year.
9. You don’t have to be a techie to do it.  Sometimes technology is really overwhelming and the great thing with this project is that you don’t have to use a lot of it if you don’t want to.  You can email one other class, or even use regular mail to share observations and discussions.  However, if you are feeling adventurous, this is a great project to get your tech feet wet because there is a whole group of participants that would love to help you!
10. It’s fun!  The biggest reason for why you should join, it is a great project!  Many teachers have embraced this project and made it their own, using it receive grants and propel their own teaching. The students love it, the books are always thought provoking and who doesn’t love a great read aloud.  So why not take something you probably already do and make it even better.

I could keep going, but I hope some of these reasons have at least sparked your curiosity.  So to get more information head over to the Global Read Aloud blog.  To sign up go right here, or to even be a part of the planning committee, go here.

 

Related articles

• So I Joined, Now What? (globalreadaloud.com)
• The Official Tools We Use #GLRead12 (globalreadaloud.com)
• What is the Global Read Aloud? (globalreadaloud.com)
• Reading Globally, the Global Read Aloud Project! (globalreadaloud.com)

Inquiry Teapots

Originally posted at Teaching Paradox

This is an absolutely wonderful project that is screaming out for international collaboration.  Think of it like a chain letter, but math related.

@Namastececi send out a call on Twitter to see if anybody would like to be the recipient of a teapot project.  I said Yes.  Over the next few weeks we exchanged a couple of emails about progress and addresses and such.  All the while, I had no idea what a teapot project was.  I was hoping that she would explain it to me, but I kept my mouth shut and played it cool, like I knew what was going on and I had done tons of teapot projects.  Truth, I had no idea what was coming in the mail, and I kind of liked it that way.  It made me very curious, and I shared it with my students, and they were curious.  Did they make their own teapot?  Was it like a time capsule, only inside a teapot?  Why teapots?  Maybe the teacher was English?  Maybe, there was actually tea inside of it?

It turns out, the teapot is irrelevant to the project.  The project was the box that the teapot was delivered in.  The kids planned it, designed it, created it out of raw materials, and then shipped it.  The teapot was merely an abstract object that was testing the durability of the box.  It could have been anything.  A plate.  A cup.  A figurine.  Anything made of glass that may have broken if the box was poorly constructed, or the packing was inadequate.  When I received the package and took off the bubble wrap, it all clicked.  I got it.  My first thought, without even opening the box and seeing the teapot which I know knew was inside, was ‘what an awesome math lesson, I have to do this.’

Unfortunately, it is a little late in the year to start, so first thing next year we will do this.  This will be our big kick-off for our year of Inquiry Math.  I sent out word on twitter that I would be doing this, and already we have a home for the teapots.  @terSonya in Idaho is going to receive our box.  But, we have two.  So, I was thinking I would bifurcate them and send them to different places.  I need one more taker.  First come, first served.

NOTE: While writing this post, the second teapot was taken by @mkurashige in Hawaii!!

Inquiry Math Project

This project was done by @Namastececi.  It was an original project which came out of a workshop led by Chris Betcher and it was initiated by two teachers from the China school and @Namastececi and @aleaf .  The original post can be seen here with full explanation of the steps involved.  I will follow a very similar path, but there will be a few changes as my unique collective interprets evens in their own unique way.  I will blog about it when is complete, because I have no idea what it will look like.  All I can say, is that @Namastececi‘s original lesson progression was absolutely beautiful.  Here is a brief summary of what she did.

• Trip to a local supermarket to investigate shapes and language of packages
• Design an idea for a box on paper, and then Google Sketch
• Sketch out ideas on 2D cardboard
• Construct 3D model
• Pack teapot in newly created box
• Work out shipping options
• Wait for reflection from friends

Looking over this project, which took her about 3 weeks, I am struck by a couple of things.  First, this is real mathematics.  Problem solving at its best.  There is a connection to the real world, there is a noticeable problem that has a solution that can be accomplished in a variety of ways.  It requires critical thinking, creativity, and thinking from different perspectives.

Second, this project is multidisciplinary.  Here are a couple of links I made, but I am sure there are many more!

Design, Aesthetics and Art - What is the functionality of packaging?  How do shapes help keep products safe?  Why do designers use so many colors and textures on their boxes?  Does how the box look make a difference to the person who receives it?

Technology - Google Sketchup is a great program, one that is difficult to get used to, but promotes resilience in technology and creative thinking.  It also lets them see their creation is real 3D, instead of just imagining it.

Teamwork - This kind of thing is best done in a group.  The filtering of ideas and compromising is essential.

Geography - Where is this package going?  What time of year is it there?  What season?  Will that impact our package and design?  How far will it go?  What route will it take?

Money vs Time - How much does it cost to send it?  What are the options?  How fast will it take for the different options?  Which one best suits our needs?  Which one will be safest for the product?  How do we decide based on these factors?  What is more important, money, time, or safety?

Democracy - The act of choosing one from the whole class is an excellent lesson in democracy and decision making.  Yes, students will be upset if theirs is not chosen, but it is a powerful look at how decisions are made.  How do we decide which one?  What is important to me?  What aspects of the package do I value?  Why am I deciding the way I am deciding?  What factors are influencing my decisions?

Connections and sharing - The global nature of sending the package to another classroom is setting up a relationship.  Ideally, we would Skype about it afterwards and have a conversation.  Friends are made, learning is shared, the world gets smaller, but it also gets larger.

Beautiful project.  So excited to try this next year!

A Whole Earth Inquiry

Cross posted from KC class blog

In our classroom area we have several different globes, a large world map and a big book atlas. We refer to these regularly during day to day discussions about story settings, current affairs, absent family and friends and, increasingly, our class on-line learning network.

Recently I have observed groups of children crowded around the globe, looking for countries to which they have a personal connection. Trenton tells a group of children that he was born in Seattle and reminds them that Ryan was moving to Seattle before he moved to Ireland. Walter moved from Denmark. Hal has visited Hawaii. So has Leander. Maya’s grandparents visited from Canada. That’s where our KinderPals are from. Daan is trying to find where his last school was, but he can’t remember the name (Qatar). Soon he is moving again to India. The children are interested in finding India to see how close it is to the equator. Nikhil is worried that Daan will be too hot. The conversation goes on and on, carrying over days.

I introduced the children to Google Earth earlier in the year as a tool for finding out more about our KinderPals in Canada. At the time we were conducting a class inquiry into how we share the limited resource of space. Through Google Earth the children were able to see how much more densely populated our school neighborhood in Yokohama, Japan is compared to KinderPals in BC, Canada. Since then the children haven’t shown a particular interest in exploring Google Earth further. However, as I listen to the reoccurring conversations over the last few weeks, it occurs to me that the app might help support and extend the children’s current, unplanned inquiry into where on the earth they are.

I wonder what provocation I can offer the children. Earlier in the year we read a book called Lulie the Iceberg written by Princess Hisako Takamodo of Japan and illustrated by Warabe Aska. The story tells of the adventures of a young iceberg that breaks off the Greenland ice sheet and follows the oceans’ currents across the equator all the way to the antarctic. (Hence Nikhil’s concern about India’s proximity to the equator.) The children were enchanted by the story which I read aloud in daily installments over two weeks. We could have finished the story more quickly but the children were fascinated by the characters and plot and had many text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world connections they wanted to share as the story unfolded.

It occurs to me that this perhaps this book, to which the children have made such strong connections, might provide a structure to the children’s spontaneous inquiry. I invite the children to see if they can find the poles on Google Earth and then trace Lulie’s journey. I hope that the poles will provide an easy reference point as the children experiment with the orientation and zoom features on the the Google Earth app. I expect that not all children will want to conduct their inquiry using the iPads and I provide a selection of globes, atlases and a large world map. Then I sit back and watch, ready to support if needed, but otherwise letting the children explore and find out by themselves.

Some children are absorbed in the landscape of our planet, noting the frozen poles, commenting on the amount of water and discovering mountainous areas.

Others are more interested in finding countries that have a personal significance. Someone discovers the street view function and the children marvel at the detail.

Yet others are absorbed in looking at an atlas.

A few children decide to record their ideas on paper. I am fascinated by their careful, intricate drawings.

The children collaborate and work together, switching between the iPad app, globes, map and atlas. They share findings, dispute ideas, test theories and co-construct their understandings, revising their schemas in the light of new information.

It’s time to pack up. As the children tidy, a snippet of conversation floats over to me:

• Trenton We did a whole earth inquiry!
• Hal Now we know everything about the earth!
• Nikhil But we can still learn more.
• Daan Yeah, we can always learn more.

PTPI: Promoting Peace through Understanding

This guest post comes to us courtesy of Paige Badgett (@PTPIPaige), Director of the School & Classroom Program at People to People International.

This is her story:

As the coordinator of a program that matches teachers in different countries for collaboration, I have spent years trying to navigate the waters of educational lingo, global collaboration best practices, and project based learning theories.

Essentially, I have attempted to virtually integrate myself into a world that is quite unlike the office I actually sit in. I tweet, I share on Facebook, I keep a list of my favorite hashtags, and I have a schedule of the most useful Twitter chats to join.

Why do I do this?

Because I believe that connecting people of different countries and cultures, so that they may learn about one another, is the best way to create peace.

And why not start with children?

Teachers who have participated in People to People International’s School & Classroom Program tell me that their students never cared about their grammar as much as they did when they were an ambassador of their country, introducing themselves to their new pen pals.

They tell me that when they held a video conference with their partner class, their students were amazed to learn that they are more similar than different.

They tell me that collaborations like this are knocking down barriers of prejudice and building strong connections between their students. Giving students an authentic audience for their work is both a motivator and a source of engagement.

How do we connect?

Teachers in the School & Classroom Program are matched with a partner classroom that has a similar number of pupils of similar age. We also consider communication and country preferences. The program is offered at no cost. Our aim is to link like-minded educators and their students.

If we can motivate youth to think about respect, peaceful relations, and global concerns when they are young, we may help them become the type of thinkers and leaders we need when they are adults.

One of our most successful projects within the program is the Global Youth Murals project. Each year we invite students to create artwork that represents their community, friendship, and their thoughts on our motto “Peace through Understanding”.

You can find galleries of the murals on PTPI’s Facebook page. Combining traditional research with art and action components helps reach different styles of learners/multiple intelligences.

Our Mission

Over the last 11 years, we are fortunate to have served over 3,000 educators with 200,000 students in 124 countries. We look forward to working with extraordinary teachers for years to come.

In the words of our founder, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, “I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so bad that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”

My wish is that each teacher has an opportunity to take learning beyond curriculum and testing – beyond the four walls of their classroom – and show their students this wide world.

And like Paige at PTPI, we’re trying to make this wish a reality.

A Family Connection

When our Year 6 kids first Skyped with Raj in Chennai, India, for an inquiry into our Asian neighbours, it was a something out of the ordinary. Raj dressed in a special shirt for the occasion and the children sat politely in their seats, venturing to the microphone when it was their turn to speak.

A couple of years later, this is nothing unusual any more. Various classes have communicated via Skype with individuals and classes in other countries. Students and teachers alike have learned a great deal about different people, countries and cultures through these personal connections.

From 4G’s room in Melbourne to the living-room in Chennai.

Today Year 4G is interacting with Raj for an inquiry into cultural beliefs and traditions. It’s completely relaxed. There are groups of Aussie kids moving around, chatting about what Raj is saying, a core group is on the floor at the front lapping up every word and some serious inquirers sit at their tables taking notes. It doesn’t matter that some kids drift in and out of out of the conversation… so does Raj. It’s a holiday and he’s talking from home, with his son Aditya chiming in from time to time. It’s not the first time Adi has joined a session, but this time Raj is in the living-room and we can see the rest of the family going about their business in the background.

This is the week of Raj’s father’s Sadhabhishekam, a Hindu commemoration of the 80th birthday. The Year 4s explored photos from the occasion, before the session, and have loads of questions about the clothing, the food, the rituals… and about the values and beliefs underlying these. They are familiar with the iceberg model of culture and know that there’s much more to explore than what you can see above the surface. They have even classified their questions in this way, and one class has a paper model of an iceberg, with sand at the bottom, where they place their ‘very deep’ questions!

The engaging thing is that Raj draws in whichever family member the question relates to. The children meet his father, in traditional Brahmin dress. He demonstrates the application of the holy ash on his forehead and shows them the thread he has worn since his coming of age. His mother brings the box of vermillion, used to apply her bindee and she opens her hands to reveal the henna patterns applied for the birthday celebration. Raj’s wife Radha, demonstrates how she draws the kolam, a welcome pattern symbolizing ‘no end no beginning’, usually drawn on the floor outside the house.

They show the children ritual items and artefacts and almost share some traditional Indian sweets… It’s a shame we’re more than 8000 Km away! I have to say… it feels as if we are in the living-room in Chennai.

Cross-posted at What Ed Said.