The highlight of the day was a visit to Stonefields School. What an amazing school!! There were so many interesting things to see and learn from...
- MLE - open, collaborative learning environments that have obviously been thought through carefully and with a clear puspose in mind.
- Collaborative planning between the teachers in each hub amongst three teachers using Google Docs. Some teachers are using Google Docs in our school but not collaboratively. I think this is a fabulous way to do planning. It makes sense to draw on people's strengths and share ideas etc.
- The furniture in the school is minimal yet functional and practical. The spaces weren't cluttered with "stuff" and provided areas for the children to find their own space for learning.
- The "Breakthrough" idea is a fabulous way for the children to pursue their own interests and make their learning purposeful. I love this approach to learning. It makes sense and anables the children to learn in a way that suits them and not be restricted to one learning or teaching style.
- I liked the idea of having a plasma screen instead of an data projector or interactive whiteboard. The pictures are very clear and they are much more practical for children to use.
- The school has a clear vision of where they are going and how they are going to achieve this.
- There was not a lot of book work, most of the learning/recording is done in Google docs and other applications. Each child has their own Google doc account in which to record their learning.
I am looking forward to building a relationship with Bridget's class through our blogs. We are both Year 4 classes and it will be interesting to see what they are doing and sharing ideas.
Can't wait till our next session...:)
