Stage 4 (years 7 and 8 ) have, this week, been completing their Pirozzo tasks on Ancient China & Mao’s Last Dancer. After finishing the Gardner Multiple Intelligence test, it became clear that many of our students, both boys and girls, are kinaesthetic learners – those who enjoy learning through movement, using their hands and being active.
As a teacher, I need to ask, how do I best support these learners? Well, this week I found the answer to that in lollies, baking and playdough. Now I’m already hearing people say, but that isn’t learning. Actually it is! In order to complete one task, two boys in year 7 decided to make a model of the Great Wall of China, out of cake.
Firstly, they used their maths skills to measure accurate amounts of milk, butter and flour. Then they became engineers and began to figure out the best way to put the wall together, what to use as support and what to use as glue (icing was a good choice). They researched what the wall looked like to ensure their model was accurate and a clear replica – I’ll let you judge for yourself. I was very proud of their efforts and I know both boys were equally proud of the work they put in (their peers also reaped the benefits on Friday afternoon). It may not be traditional classroom learning but that is what IFS is about, being unique and this was definitely a unique task.
Some of their peers undertook similar tasks, creating dragons out of lollies and playdough and a Chinese flag made of lollies. Some student created posters, iMovies and used role play. It was not only our kinaesthetic learners who impressed me this week but all of year 7 and 8 who embraced the opportunity to complete tasks that played to their strengths and intelligences.
What I love about teaching is not only the opportunity to teach the students but also the opportunity to learn from the students – and this week I have learned, you are never too old for lollies, cake and playdough to make college fun!
Bec
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