Y8 Students leading cooperative games

Room 6 & 7 have got to the point where we are happy with our descriptors for 'Engaging fairly, fully and safely'

To check they could be applied outside the classroom, the Year 8 students organised cooperative games based on camp experiences from last year. It was also a good chance to see how Year 8 students might step into leadership positions for the year. 

Mr Race and I were very pleased with the way Year 6 & 7 students supported each other and used the 'Engaging fairly, fully and safely' language to modify and reflect on their actions.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XMF4xrJDvhGfFCJKwdRjWJmvePsIUPvPYREUgmEdfk4 

Open Ended Maths Questions

What do you think of this?
What do you notice?
What maths can you pull out if?
How many eggs in a tray?
How many trays in a stack?
What about the arms or the back?
How many eggs in the front stacks?
What about the total couch?
Can you count all the eggs you can see?
How many eggs aren't visible?
Would you calculate the trays and then the eggs?

These types of open ended maths discussions encourage students to question, theorise and explain their thinking. We have had a lot of heated discussion about this already and proven there are many ways to approach a problem and even more ways to view it.

Special mention must go to Hannah, Thomas and Max R for their fervent belief in their methods.

We are all looking forward to the next open ended question.

Fairly, Fully & Safely

We have spent much of our first week back at school considering what it looks like to engage in our learning fairly, fully and safely. The students have brainstormed what this will look like, sound like and feel like in different situations.

Engaging fairly is making sure everyone is participating and getting a turn.
Engaging fully is giving things your best shot and trying to get the most out of learning sessions.
Engaging safely is thinking before we act to make thoughtful decisions about keeping ourselves and our gear in good condition.

Of course we couldn't just talk about it! We have created freeze frames, posters and presentations. We have worked collaboratively during cooperative games and we also participated in a pikau challenge with Ruma Ono.

The aim of all this is to have a common language for talking about our behaviour and learning so we can celebrate success and guide ourselves back on track when we need to.