Session Two: November 8, 2013

We gathered the two classes together one more time to work through the first task. We wanted to connect their growing understanding of Habits of Mind to an actual task. The goal of the session was: "What Habits of Mind are in use during the project?

Students worked in groups of four. They had a budget of 20.00 to purchase their supplies. They could only visit the store twice.

It was busy, chaotic and fun! The kids were highly engaged throughout the activity - especially some of our most vulnerable, disengaged students. Strategies varied, but everyone completed the task in the allotted time. Conflict within groups was minimal.

At the end, we did a quick whole group reflection. Students reported out that they were using a variety of Habits of Mind. They agreed that their awareness of the use of Habits of Mind because clear when engaged in a task. The Habits of Mind they reported using were: Understand Others, Be Adventurous and Open-Minded, Strive to Be Accurate and Precise, Persevere, Contribute Positively to the Group and Inspire Teamwork.

Moving forward:

Each class will be working separately for Session Three. We will introduce the Opening Circle, as outlined in the Knodt (2008) resource. The lesson is titled: "The Adventure of a New Project". Instead of moving into the individual bins, we are doing one more group project to solidify the routines and expectation in Think Tank. Our goal is to have students focus on asking an inquiry question. This needs to be done through modeling and guided practice, hence out reasoning for doing one more group activity (albeit in separate classes).

Stay tuned!