By Tara Scott (LiD teacher/facilitator)
Mar Jok Elementary school recently celebrated its 4thyear of wondering, exploring and learning through LiD with an annual school community showcase.
Ryan and Kaydn ~ Electricity and Oceans
Questions surrounding how students are going to communicate their learning begin to surface at this time and students have, in the past, been provided ample lead time to reflect on their thinking and decide how to communicate their growing expertise with their peers and parent community. This approach to our LiD ‘open house’ has been well-received and has often led to more formal presentations and creations engineered solely for this showcase. In the spirit of inquiry and the ongoing evolution of our own approach to learning, we decided this year to keep it simple, providing students with one week’s notice of our community LiD celebration. Students were encouraged to reflect on their year of self-directed learning and focus on a way their thinking had changed/grown, something that sparked their imagination and made them wonder, or something they had created or collaborated on along the way that made them proud.
Cole ~Storms
Students undertook the task of communicating their learning in a variety of ways, with some examples embedded below. Of note this year were some 3D printed pieces that Grade 6 students created to solve a problem/support their deepened understanding about their topic. Students who chose to pursue this challenge worked through the design thinking cycle to create, prototype and refine their designs.
Lyla ~ Arctic/Antarctic
Feedback from our parent community has been delightful! Parents are recognizing the deep sense of ownership students have for their topics and the increasing depth with which they are able to share their expertise.
Darius ~ Solar System
