Chalk talk

Yesterday the Year 4/5 Fostering Strengths students learnt a new thinking tool called Chalk Talk.  They had to silently and collaboratively brainstorm ideas about a simile about Space.  We found that it deepened our thinking and everyone was able to contribute.  It was hard not to talk though!

Planning for learning

Our Year 7/8 Fostering Strengths students are planning to teach games and science experiments to a group of young students in our school.  They have been researching what "good" teachers do, by observing lessons in action and interviewing a student teacher.
Here they are brainstorming their learning around some similes about teaching using the chalk talk technique - that is silent comments on their own and others thinking.

Although the students found this a challenging task they commented that it really deepened and extended their thinking.

Putting our learning into action - planting our local riparian zone

Year 6 students (together with Mr Keith and the support of the St John of God Trust) were able to put their learning into action by planting the riparian zone of our local waterway.