Day 11: Entrepreneurial Thinking and Learning

Today we had the privilege of spending time with intermediate students (and teachers Marci Hunter and Jason Fishpool) at Ardtrea-Cumberland Beach Public School, as two classes were engaged in a range of technology-enabled activities lead by Tyler Cave.  His passion for entrepreneurial thinking and problem solving through technology was evident in every challenge he offered the students.

   

In one classroom (as well as an outdoor space), students had opportunities to experiment with a carousel of learning with Makey Makey, littleBits, Reality Goggles, Dash and Dot Robots, Sparkfun Inventor's Kits, a Roominate Building Kit, a Snap Circuits Rover, Cubelets Robot Blocks, a Vex Robotics IQ kit, an Arduino kit, a Logics Bumble Bee, among others. Students customized their own learning in a digitally rich environment.  

           

In another classroom, students were navigated through discussions that developed an understanding of role collaboration, design thinking, construction and evaluation.  They were given kits that included a wide range of materials to develop a Hovercraft.  The groups were given time to plan, design and build!  Were all groups successful on their first attempt?  No.  But they went back to the original design, assessed the model, made modifications, and tried again!
What came out of this valuable experience was a great deal of student choice and voice, meaningful discussions, and collaborative learning.  What was most inspiring was the perseverance and determination these students demonstrated.  For this group, "giving up" was not an option!  
Ardtrea students discovered, experimented, constructed and created throughout their day, with few limitations and minimal guidance.  In short, the students found constructive, fun ways to LEARN!  

Thank you to Marci Hunter and Jason Fishpool for inviting us into your amazing classrooms. Thank you to Tyler Cave for taking student engagement and innovation to a new level!

"Think left and think right and think low and think high.  Oh, the thinks you can think, if only you try!" ~ Dr. Seuss

Marci, Jill, and Paulyne