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Never. Stop. Learning.

Bjarke Ingels Group

1/3/2018

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Bjarke Ingels is the founder of BIG, an architectural firm based originally out of Denmark. Bjarke has interesting philosophies and ideas that could relate to education, as well. 

Pragmatic Utopia--it's really the best of both worlds; instead of choosing between a parking lot and an apartment, both can co-exist and thrive, with a kind of symbiotic relationship. It's not an either-or choice; rather an hybrid, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. "The Mountain" has both a garden and a penthouse view for all, and it sits on a cave of parking. And it's built on on block at a time. What do I find amazing? is important for the designer. 

Yes is More--the basic philosophy that greater things can be done if "yes" is the answer. How can we get to "yes," as opposed to "no" or worse, "impossible." 

Hedonistic Sustainability--linked with the environmental movement; what if sustainability could actually increase your quality of life? Maritime Youth House--it solved a lot of problems in unproblematic ways. What could have been a simple basic structure, it became completely different, with creativity and design. 

In architecture, people say it's bad when it doesn't fit in. Yet, he gives the example of the spires in Copenhagen--the differences from the norm--that actually give the city the reputation it has. 

Inclusive input becomes the driving force, making everyone happy, has to perform in so many different ways. If you're not realizing a dream, then 7 years is a really long time. 

His whole philosophy is barriers exist but they in many ways, the barriers become opportunities to create even more that could have been expected. He's also fascinated in doing things never before conceived and then making it a concrete reality. It's individuality yet blended and encased in an overarching structure and theme that gives it a unity as well. It's dreams becoming a reality in the real world. Humans have the power to impact the world in positive ways. 


Source: Netflix; Abstract: The Art of Design

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Scientific vs. Engineering Method

2/5/2017

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Scientific Experimental Method
  • Pose question
  • Research question 
  • Create hypothesis
  • Test hypothesis through experiment
  • Analyze and make conclusion
  • Share results
  • ​Repeat process
Engineering Design Method
  • Define problem
  • Research problem
  • Design prototype or solution
  • Test prototype or solution
  • Analyze and improve
  • Share results
  • Repeat process
The learning method based on questions is inquiry-based learning, and the method that uses problems and solutions is called design-based learning. 
Source: 21st Century Skills, 2009, Trilling & Fadel
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Mitch Resnick: The value of coding for kids

2/4/2017

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Mitch Resnick, a director and professor at MIT Media Lab, highlights great reasons for children to code. He is also the creator of Scratch, a coding app designed to help kids use their creativity and imagination to create their own games and other types of applications. 

In his 2012 TED Talk, Let's teach kids to code, Resnick talks about computer fluency. He argues that although young people may be "digital natives," they are only half fluent in digital literacy. In other words, they can "read" (text, browse, email, post, game), but most can't "write" (code, program). 

In the earlier days of computer science, programming was left for high schoolers or university students. Nowadays, kindergartners can get an early start in coding. Already, kids using Scratch are able to make games, animated stories, virtual construction kits, and interactive artwork, just for starters. By the time this generation becomes adults, the types of programs and software created could be mind-boggling! 

Resnick talked not only about learning to code, but, more importantly perhaps, the notion of coding to learn. He gave the example of a child using a variable to create his fish-eating game. For this coder, his understanding of a variable was much deeper because he was using it in a real-life situation. It wasn't just an abstract concept in a textbook, but a part of his computer game that he and others played. 

Other benefits from coding to learn include the following: process of design; experimenting using trial-and-error;  breaking larger ideas into manageable parts; collaborating; solving problems (errors, bugs); being persistent and persevering when hitting roadblocks. These are essential life-skills. 

Resnick acknowledges that probably most students will not end up being coders, programmers or computer scientists, but as mentioned above, there are immense benefits in coding to learn. That's probably why ADST is now a part of our BC curriculum
. 



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How rubrics harm tinkering and making

5/1/2016

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  • a rubric shows a teacher's desired end results 
  • it becomes a checklist
  • it is difficult to assess creativity, imagination, problem-solving
  • some students will work as hard as is required for a desired grade
  • serendipity or discovery cannot be found on a predetermined outcome
  • students often still translate rubric assessments (meeting expectations) to other assessments, such as letter grades or percents
(Source: Invent to Learn)
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How to teach with Iterative Design Cycles

5/1/2016

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  • Front-load teaching: try to limit teaching concepts to 2 minutes, or as minimal as possible; get kids going and let them figure things out
  • Planning: if students spend too much time planning, outlining, sketching, storyboarding, then they may lose interest; get them started!
  • Continuous improvement: if students get stuck or are "all done," then scaffolding comes into play; see how they can make it better, more beautiful, more useful; have them solve problems; give them hints to move them along
  • Reflection: students share their successes and  "failures," so they and their peers can continually improve
(Source: Invent to Learn, 2013)
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Design Models for Learning

4/30/2016

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​Creative Kindergarten Learning Spiral (Mitchel Resnick, 2007)
  1. imagine - what they want to create
  2. create - a project
  3. play - with their creations 
  4. share - their ideas with others
  5. reflect - on what happened 

TMI
  1. Think - brainstorm; talk; find materials; set goals; make plans; sketch
  2. Make - play; build; tinker; create; test; fix; question
  3. Improve - research; talk; discuss; use different materials; play; think 
​
(Source: Invent to Learn)
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    Daniel H. Lee

    This blog will be dedicated to sharing in three areas: happenings in my classroom and school; analysis and distillation of other educators' wealth of knowledge in various texts; insights from other disciplines and areas of expertise that relate and connect with educational practices.

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I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou