The Spaghetti-Marshmallow Construction Challenge 8.27

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

The Great Spaghetti-Marshmallow Challenge.

The task: construct the tallest possible structure using 20 pieces of dry spaghetti, a meter of tape, a meter of string, and a single large marshmallow, which was to be placed at the top of the structure.

Consistent with research, no group in either homeroom was able to complete the task. Sad. Why? As with adults, our students initially focused on building tall, and only at the last minute considered placing the marshmallow. Their tall towers then collapsed, the designers having underestimated the weight of the marshmallow.

Among the best at this task are Kindergarteners, who tend to BEGIN with the marshmallows, and prototype along the way. The lesson: prototyping matters!

For an overview of this activity, see the TED Conference presentation by Tom Wujec.

Underwater Camera Test At Plage Ouakam 8.28

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Sam is our new school counselor, a Floridian, the spouse of my teaching partner Stephanie, and a master diver.

Sam and I went snorkeling on a Saturday at Plage Ouakam. While the visibility was poor, it was a chance to get wet, and begin to work with my new camera and underwater housing.

Much more to come.

First Week of School4: Mask-Making, Part 2

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Note mask-making for comments.

First Week of School3: Mask-Making, Part 1

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

It's nothing short of extraordinary that we -- Stephanie, the students and I -- are spending the next 10 months together. The forty-two of us are from all over the world, and the reality is that we will be here, in Senegal, for a relatively short time. It is therefore very important that we become friends, get to know each other, and care about each other. There is no time for the negatives.

We opened the school year with a weeklong mask-construction activity, requiring a high level of collaboration and trust. Students worked in groups of three to mold masks across the faces of their teammates using plaster-impregnated gauze. The kids were then assigned to express five aspects of themselves in the decoration of their masks: their personality; how they're smart (word, science/math, musically, spatially/art, movement/sports, nature/pattern, intrapersonal/self, or interpersonal/friend); special interests/talents; their home country and culture; and their family.

The activity was assessed across the following five areas on a 5+1 point scale: care/craft in the handling of the plaster gauze; care/attention to detail in the decoration of their mask; depth of connection between the student and their decoration; creative use of materials in the decoration of the mask; and serious attitude/detail of their oral presentation.

The 5+1 scale refers to levels of quality: a score of 5 indicates work that is excellent, or clearly to expectations; 4 indicates work that is very good, with minor room for improvement; 3 indicates clear room for improvement; 1 and 2 is reserved for work that is well-below expectations, or incomplete. In accord with assessment in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, a score of 5+ is assigned to work that is well-above expectations, is of exceptional depth and quality, and/or which derives new knowledge or new connections.

Generally speaking, a score of 5 is equivalent to a North American grade of A; a score of 4 is equivalent to a score of B, and so on. Scores of 1 and 2 are considered below-expectations, unacceptable, and indicate a need for intervention. Interestingly, the 5+ does not have an equivalent in the letter grading scheme; it is not the same as an A+. The 5+ goes beyond what was assigned. It encompasses a landscape that is vast, and is crossed only occasionally, requiring significant student probity and engagement. As I've explained to the kids, we are in the presence of a 5+ when the class responds with a collective gasp and whooooooaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The completed masks now adorn the walls of our classrooms, symbolically expressing the feeling-idea that we are one team this year, all of us, sharing the space together.

First Week of School2: Line-Up & Mask-Making Demo

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9