Balloon Madness

Based on reflection and discussion, we decided to alter the day’s schedule and end the program today with a team/class builder.  This was especially helpful after today.  Many of the project teams are feeling the pressure of student-centered learning and a deadline.  In this activity, the students join hands and work as a team to keep balloons adrift.  The teams start with one balloon and then we add more and more until it is just madness.  We were fortunate enough for some just-graduated alumni (2013) to stop by and participate.

 

 

For those looking for the progress that the students made, see the slideshow below.  Today, we took the reigns off of the teams a bit.  In the morning, we pulled the student leaders out and let the teams work on their own.  Although these rising freshmen and sophomores experienced a little anxiety at first, they rose to the occasion and were able to make really great progress.  For the teams that were more autonomous, we removed all of the scaffolding and set them to work on their own.  The student leaders that were assigned to the groups were transitioned into special projects.  One student became an overall project manager that worked with students to set goals to complete their projects.  Another pair of students were charged with helping the teams develop their public presentations.  Groups that continued to struggle received either the same supports or more support depending on their need.

 

 

CRELI “Get to Know You” Bingo

Using a bingo card featuring get to know you questions, the scholars, student leaders, and educators spent some time in the shade getting to know one another. With prompts such as “Has been to a foreign country” and “Has a pet,” participants asked each other questions, engaged in conversation and learned something about each other. Listening and getting to know people from various backgrounds is one way to honor diversity.