The school I am at has a giant (and I mean GIANT) project called Village. It is fantastic, and would be a wonderful problem-based learning opportunity for the kids. For us, and I mean student teachers, it is a little bit of treading water. This is a project that has been going on for years, and it just runs with teachers talking via phrases and sentences unknown to the uninitiated. The process of learning the information is very much like knowing a second language and then stepping into a conversation with 10 native speakers. You tread water and try to keep up!
Well today we had an afternoon of Village workday stuff. Kids were making the envelopes for the seeds we are selling (as part of a Plant in a Box product), they were creating Lavender sachets (think potpourri), as well as shucking so much Lavender that the whole school smelled like Lavender (and it is a big school).
High expectations, and giving them enough instructions that they can succeed, coupled with asking them to solve their own problems works. For some that meant actually talking respectfully to each other and taking turns. When I heard "Mr Hanson, we are taking turns" just after another kid said "Jennie, its your turn" I knew it was working out well. You'd think it is common to treat each other respectfully, but sometimes it gets lost in just trying to be a kid (and having needs you need met!).
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