Looking good!

The buzz of the busy students is such a great sound to hear. One month in (and one to go), the challenges are really starting to take shape and you can see the students getting excited to present what they have learned. A new student joined our class today, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in half the time of the other students. 

I enjoyed going through their challenge proposals last week and was happy to see that students were eager to add more details to further explain their challenges when it was suggested. It's great to see the students invest themselves a little bit more into what they are doing. 

This week I will focus on looking at their timelines, which really outline both their thought process and their daily progress. I am hoping that they have added description to what they have accomplished as a way of me seeing the challenges they've chosen through their eyes. 

Here are some pics of today's class: 

Off to the races!

Now that we are in the "thick" of our challenges, I am happy with the work that has been done so far. Some students have eased into the process, while others have taken their time getting comfortable. Two students decided to switch their challenge ideas as they were struggling with the original ones they had chosen. Today, I spent some time with each student, discussing their progress and their use of the timeline document. I really enjoyed chatting with each of them and learning a little bit more about their challenges, but also a little more about them.

Students working on drawing portfolios.

Multiple devices in full use.

Building bridges! 

Getting to use some cool machines! 

Henna time! I love that he students are being supportive of each other's projects!

Poster boards will be coming in next class and I can't wait to see what creative ways the students use to present their challenges to the school and the community! 

Starting Again...

Welcome back to my ALC 9 Blog! I hope you all had a restful summer. I am looking forward to sharing a new journey with you and my new batch of ALC 9 students. 

So back in the spring, our school staff discussed the full implementation of the CTF curriculum starting this school year. We decided that offering as many CTF courses as we would like to, would need quarterly options instead of half year. As a result, my ALC 9 course will run as usual, but in half the time. I have had to adjust my timeline quite significantly, but I think the overall quality of the challenges the students choose to complete will be higher as they have to be more focused and attentive to meet the November 4th Trade Fair deadline. Yep, the trade fair is less than two months away! 

What have we done so far? Well last week, I introduced the course itself and showcased the many cool challenges that were completed last year. I surveyed the class to see how many students had an idea already of what they would like to do for their challenge, and about half had a general idea. I went around today's class and made a list of all of the awesome challenge ideas the students have; it will be exciting to see them all come to fruition. I have about 5 students who are still unsure and I have reminded them they need to be ready to start their challenge next class, which is Monday September 19th. 

Today's goal was to get the students' challenge proposals completed and their timelines started. I've decided to use the timelines as their "logbooks" where they fill in (with great detail) what they did each class and can make notes of what they need to do in the following classes to keep their challenge on track. Once created, these documents were to be shared with me via Google Docs. 

I am really excited to be offering this course again and look forward to documenting the journey over the next two months!

Here are the amazing challenges coming your way soon.... 

Another Successful Challenge Trade Fair!

Wow! Am I ever amazed at how all of my ALC 9 students' projects turned out. Each one is so unique and it was great to see them talking to other students, staff, and admin about their hard work. I loved being able to sit back and watch each of them explain their successes (and failures) over the past 5 months. ALC really is all about the students discovering more about their interests and passions... And then being able to self-reflect on their learning and see if they want to pursue more of this area in the future. Some kids discovered that they LOVED what they chose to do, while others are adamant that they NEVER want to take part in this kind of challenge again. Either way, I'd say that's some meaningful learning! 

Here are some pics of the amazing Challenges: 

The final production day is here!!!

It's amazing the sounds I hear right now in my classroom... Lots of chatter, laughter, scissors cutting, the Cricut machine running non-stop, and the odd student panicking. The end is near!! 

My ALC 9 students are quickly putting the final touches on their chosen Challenge projects that they have be working oh so ever hard on these past 5 months. Our Trade Fair is running this Friday during blocks 6 and 7 in our library and all the invitations have been sent out. 

I was a tad worried last week when I saw little work happening from a few students, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw most of them trekking into school this morning with their completed Challenges. Procrastination... you have been defeated! We will be ready to go! 

Today, I gave the students about 25 minutes to continue working on their projects. Then I divided them into groups of 3 where they were able to share their Challenge in a "safe" environment; with their peers, who are in the same boat. Each viewer was given a 2-1 formative assessment where they could jot down two things they liked and one thing the presenter needs to work on. Feedback was given directly back to the presenter. 

After this, students went back to their desks to complete their own self-evaluation. I put together 5 CTF outcome based reflection questions for them to answer about their own individual work. This is the first time trying this, so it will be interesting to see what they have to say about their own progress. I plan on using this self-reflection as a formative assessment for their final report card. 

I am really looking forward to Friday's Trade Fair... I am really proud of this group their hard work turning their unique ideas/passions into a solid presentation. 

Here are some sneak peeks at what our Challenges look like: 

Peer feedback: 

Is it already May?

It's been TOO long since my last Blog Entry! It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're nearing the end of the year... 

Students in my ALC option are quickly becoming frantic as they realize they only have 4 "fabrication" classes left! I started off today's class reminding them what the next few weeks has in store, including: 

1. Finishing their Challenges for the June 10th Trade Fair *Many gasps were heard around the room at the mention  of this date... procrastinators!! 

2. June 6th - we will have a special guest coming in! My close friend, Anne Harvey, is a project manager with the Abundant Community Initiative (ACI) and a Community Recreation Coordinator (CRC), both within The City of Edmonton. She has done some amazing work bringing neighborhoods closer together and supporting them in their efforts to build a stronger sense of connection. Anne will be presenting a talk for my ALC students, one that she often uses at conferences and for University classes. We will be using the rubric we created to assess Anne's presentation for content, but also her general presentation skills as an experienced presenter. Exciting stuff!! 

*We will create the rubric in class on May 25th

3. Challenge Trade Fair - June 10th - staff, and students will be coming by to see the completed Challenges in all their glory! Blocks 6/7 in the library ;)

Here are some snapshots of the work taking place in class today: 

Using the Cricut Machine

Presentation supplies ready to go! 

Being creative! 

Tattoo Designs coming along nicely. 

Fishing fly creation. 

Computer game design! 

Check back in soon to see some more AMAZING Challenges coming out of ELJHS ALC 9!