A Dream School?

Do you think this Sweeden school is ideal?

(click this for the article!)

At first glance, I love the design of this school!

I really like that students are not stuck in one classroom or different classrooms that all look the same throughout the day. The seats in regular schools are hard and uncomfortable, but with these seats students are free to strech out and become comfortable. This can help them focus more on their work instead of moving around to trying to find the best place to sit. I also like the idea of not giving students traditonal grades, because that can cause pressure on students. This way they can be assessed more on how much they know without taking tests that can sometimes be a misrepresentation. Having students placed in groups based on their level instead of their age, I feel is a step in the right direction. Too many students are held back in their classrooms because they are able to learn faster, but are forced to stay with the speed of their grade. Other students are not able to learn as fast and in turn fall behind their grade. Having students together based on level puts all of the students on an even playing field where they are all able to learn at the same speed.

But....I still have some reservations....

The biggest problem I have with this school is how to keep the students in line. Students do not have assigned seats or even desks to sit at, so how do you keep track of all of them wandering around? Also, I notice that all of the students are working on laptops. How can the teacher monitor what the students are looking at on their computers? How do they know they aren't browsing the web and playing games instead of paying attention?

Overall, I feel this school is a step in the right direction!

Artifact Bag

What is an artifact bag?

An artifact bag, is a hands on lesson for students that enables them to become a historian for a day! The bag is filled with at least 3 'artifacts' that are all related in some way. These are specific and important items that can be linked to a certain event or person in history. Students must figure out what each artifact is and its significance to the rest of the items.

Here's an example I created for Abe Lincoln!

Top hat

Lincoln Log

Penny

 



Tips for using an artifact bag:

 

1. Model 
 - Demonstrate for the students what it is you expect them to do!

2. Get students thinking
- Questions! Ask students to think what time period they think the artifact is from, what it is used for, where it is from, etc.

3. Group work
- Have students work in groups! This will help them to communicate their ideas while also listening to what their classmates have to say. Working in a group helps the students combine their knowledge and creative minds.

4. Provide resources
- Give students different resources that tie in with the artifacts so that they are able to learn all about them through research. Books and the internet are two great resources.

5. Be careful!
- Remind students that these are artifacts, so they are not always in the best condition. Some might be very old and fragile! You can make the students feel important by explaining to them that they are handling items that made history!

6. Record ideas
- Have students write down their ideas for what they think each artifact is and how it relates to everything else in the bag. This will help students keep track of their thoughts and remember ideas they had. Then, students can collaborate on their writings and make a final sheet for the conclusion they had come to as a group.