Crocheting

What a great afternoon we had learning the art of crocheting yesterday with Amira.  Almost all of Nikau students and two from Rata took up the chance to do hand work.  The students did a great job!  I even heard a couple of students remind others of the N.E.D assembly we had last week.  To remember to Never give up, Encourage others and always Do your best.  Perfect for when learning a new skill.  All the students did an amazing job and I know eager ones took theirs home to continue working on. 

Music in Rm15 the Week

Community Building in Rm15

Here's a snapshot of what's being going on in Rm15 this week with the older students supporting younger ones. 

This work came about after interest was sparked from looking at the Animal, Plant and Fungi Kingdoms. 

  I overheard these students making plans to organise a fundraiser to help endangered native NZ birds.   

The students were given a measuring task to complete. 

Interesting things happen when there aren't enough materials to use.  Students learn how to share and work co-operatively while practicing the virtue of patience.  It also gives the students the opportunity to problem solve.  This is exactly what you see here.  Geometry sticks where joined together to measure the area of the classroom.

A meeting was called by the students to discuss how morning tea should be run.

Some wonderful discussion and follow up work came from looking at the Timeline of Human Beings.  The discovering of fire, all the students agreed, was an amazing one which we are all grateful for.

Quote from John Lennon

Beyond Academics: What a Holistic Approach to Learning Could Look Like

I saw this article on Facebook the other day and thought it sounded very like Montessori.
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/07/06/beyond-academics-what-a-holistic-approach-to-learning-could-look-like/

This article is great reading but if you don't have the chance to read it all I have copied sections from it for you to read and ponder on. 

Academics aren’t everything: Teachers often see themselves as responsible for specific academic content, but schools will never see the success they desire without accounting for some of the non-cognitive factors that play a role in development. The report points out that adults must act with a holistic approach to learning: “Cognition, emotion, affect, and behavior are reflexive, mutually reinforcing, and inextricably associated with one another as a part of development and learning. Adults will make little headway if they target only one particular component or subcomponent in isolation.”

The focus on testing and accountability in school undermines educators’ ability to provide developmental experiences. “Testing has started to define what matters in schools and that’s how we think about what is successful,” Nagaoka said. This way of thinking creates incentives for school leaders, teachers and parents to focus on only on the academic content, while neglecting the many other factors that lead to success. In many cases schools have lost sight of what they want their students to become in favor of high test scores, which might not get them anything in the real world.

Learning happens throughout life, not just at school. 

Ken Robinson - Creativity Expert

You won't regret taking the time to listen to Ken Robinson.

"Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence."

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms

"Why you should listen

Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His 2009 book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, is a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 21 languages. A 10th anniversary edition of his classic work on creativity and innovation, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, was published in 2011. His latest book, Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life, will be published by Viking in May 2013. "

Kiwi Kids News

Even though homework is not part of a Montessori environment most weeks Nikau students are handed a Kiwi Kids Quizz which they are invited to share with family members with the idea to stimulate discussion and debate at home.

Kiwi Kids News is a New Zealand website that aims to bring the latest news and current events in an educational, safe and entertaining way.  If you've been wondering how to entice your children to become more aware of current events on national and international levels then I hope by sharing this website it helps. 

http://www.kiwikidsnews.co.nz/