Lunch @ Cafe FableVision!

Making my mark at CUE in Palm Springs with Peter is sparkly and brilliant with color and inspiration.

Lunch was yummy, dessert was delicious, and my "name tag" is glowing.  ;)  I'm eager to begin painting!

We were asked to paint "a tea cup"!  Here's my work in progress... ;)  It's a Green Tea cup.  (notice the green "t")  It's signed and framed now!

Thank you, Peter (and Team!) for a wonderful and inspirational afternoon!  I already treasure the experience!

The Process (in a Nutshell)

Our North Star-ish Learning Program is based on having a set of "rules" with which to begin. Students assess their mastery of the 7th grade Language Arts standards and create lists of "know it" and "need to learn" concepts. The next step is to spend time in a reflection process to understand their own learning styles and areas of passion and persistence (what topics do they enjoy, want to know more about, never give up on). Using their "practice" list, learning styles profile, and passion and persistence topics, students outline a "course of study" for the trimester, much like a syllabus for a higher-education course. The final piece to our program is to find and secure mentors to support the student's individual course syllabus and/or action plan for the year and specific trimester. Students should have more than one mentor - one for guidance throughout the year and subject or task specific depending on the task, project, plan or interest.


As the teacher, I see my responsibilities as: modeling this style of learning by engaging in the same process along with the students with my own studies thereby demonstrating the practice life-long learning; providing necessary tools for the self-assessment and planning stages; guiding students through the process of assessing and planning; providing possibilities for project ideas; providing several models of syllabi to assist in the creation of personal action plans; modeling and facilitating seeking out mentors and the process of building relationships with mentors and most importantly, providing inspiration and encouragement and guidance along the journey!


It is also my responsibility to provide Language Arts and Reading content resources and guidance for the students. I am making a shift in the materials used in class toward non-fiction (to promote self-discovery and goal-setting) and contemporary teen fiction (to provide engaging literature for grammar and mechanics study). Please check our book shelf at Shelfari to see our LIterature choices.


I see this Learning Program as a combination of self-directed learning, student interest projects, project based learning, guided instruction, action plan research, mentoring, application of interest to real world training, technology infused learning, knowledge construction, social networking training and use, collaboration, language arts, reading, development of communication skills, student exploration and highly engaging learning.

Watercolor-ish

Today, we concluded our watercolor sessions with -ish, The Dot, and The North Star. I LOVED that students wanted to send their creations to friends!

With -ish, we spent time learning about how things don't have to be perfect and that we shouldn't give up the things that bring us the most joy because our version doesn't fit someone else's criteria. With The Dot, we pondered the art of trying - just making your mark no matter what or how you do it. The point is to make it and own it and be proud of it and celebrate it!

The North Star, brought larger concepts together that at first, the students struggled with. It 's difficult for them to break out of their trained habits (give me the information and I'll do something with it and then give it back to you on a test or some other form of assessment, no matter how cleverly disguised - ie. "Book in a Bag" project) The idea that someone is telling them to break free of that form of education and to stop for a moment and consider the possibility of identifying where they really want to be, what they really want to do, what they want to explore is nothing short of ridiculous. And how often has a teacher really challenged them to be in charge of their own learning path? Stay tuned... the kids on this path are being challenged!