'I am a Thinker'

Our 'Survivor' adventure has continued into Term 3 with a fresh focus on creative, original and outside-the-box thinking. This aligns with our Term Three Learner Attribute: 'I am a thinker'.

The Learner Attribute 'I am a thinker' encompasses several important qualities. It means our tamariki use critical and creative thinking to solve problems and make decisions, analysing situations and coming up with various solutions. They show curiosity about the world, ask questions, and seek to understand how things work, demonstrating an eagerness to learn more. 

Reflecting on their learning and thinking processes, they consider which strategies work best for them and how they can improve. Open-mindedness is also a key aspect, as they respect others' viewpoints and are willing to consider alternative approaches. Independence in thinking is evident as they can work on tasks without constant guidance, forming their own opinions and conclusions. Additionally, they make connections between ideas and use logical reasoning to understand concepts and solve problems.

 

Creativity is another crucial element, as they use their imagination to come up with original ideas and see things from different angles. Altogether, these attributes help children develop a strong foundation for lifelong learning and adaptability in different situations.

The Week Two 'Survivor' activity involved students working in their groups to build the longest paper chain possible with the materials provided. At the end of the allocated time, the chains were compared side by side to determine which group made the longest one.

In this activity, the attribute 'I am a thinker' played a crucial role. Students used their problem-solving skills to figure out the most efficient way to cut and assemble the paper strips, considering how to maximise length with the given resources. Their curiosity and inquiry drove them to ask questions about the best techniques and strategies for constructing the chain. Reflection was key as they continuously assessed their progress and thought about adjustments they could make to improve their chain's length. Open-mindedness allowed them to consider and integrate various ideas from group members, fostering collaboration and innovation. Independence in thinking helped each student contribute unique ideas and solutions, while logical reasoning enabled them to understand the cause and effect of their actions in the chain-building process.

Creativity shone as they brainstormed and implemented original methods to connect the paper strips effectively. 

We are looking forward to more exploration of this Learner Attribute in Term Three!

Blankets to Kākahu: Developing ideas for our blankets as artworks project.

We have hit the ground running in the Māhutonga Matariki Whānau, ready to push on and deepen our learning. One of the big projects which you are no doubt familiar with by now is the intention to develop balnkets as artworks for aution later in the year. Below are some of the blankets we will be using.

This 'wraps up' our learning connected to the history of wool in Aotearoa New Zealand but now introduces new elements including the obvious concept design processes which we concluded the last term with (see the mood boards inlast blog post. Perhaps most importantly of all, this project is an opportunity for our students to engage with a meaningful action which will benefit others. This is the Positive Purpose domain of our Flourish model.

It is well known that having a sense of Positive Purpose is beneficial for wellbeing. We feel it is worthwhile giving our students opportunities to experience making positive contributions to others. We have engaged in conversations with the Wellington City Mission about the idea of an online auction of the works later in the year. It would be great to get a few of our parents/grandparents involved also so the work is collaborative and benefitting the wider community. A Mayo Clinic article(March 15 2023) discusses the benefits of Positive Purpose, supporting our thinking.

Mood Boards:

One of our big plans going forward this year is to develop blankets as artworks for auction, a fundraiser for The Wellington City Mission. The designing an artwork involves many facets; choosing the colour palette, developing symbols and images which 'tell the story', finding key words and relevant quotes and looking at artists models for further inspiration. All of this planning goes together on a Mood Board. We are basing our designs on relevant stories, stories which are connected to us here at Whetūkairangi Pā or to our whenua. Soime of these include, Mauī fishing up Te Ika a Mauī, Kupe chasing to Wheke o Muturangi, Tane te Wananga seeking and retrieving the Kete of Matauranga or knowledge as well as stories connecting to our more recent history.

We have been collecting balnkets from op-shops. The next job will be making selections of designs, getting teams together and seeking artist mentors to help guide the work. If you know of anyone, an artist or textile artist; a weaver, knitter or stitcher who might be interested in supporting us, please let either Rose or John know.

Wool: Sharing our Learning

We have wrapped up our Inquiry about wool with students sharing their learning. Questions included; What is the history of wool and sheep farming in Aotearoa New Zealand? What are the properties of wool? How is wool processed? Has wool been improved and can it be improved further? Interesting questions team. It was our first large research project this year and there was some really rich learning about the research process itself. We asked everyone to evaluate themselves after the Inquiry including whether or not they had fully answered their question. Some realised that they hadn't! Keeping the big research question front of mind while working is quite challenging but so important!

Students can be seen moving around the room, learning from each other.

Which wool is the best? Comparing sheep's wool to others.