Irving 9/30-10/2

On Monday, Mr. Dreske's class had the chance to complete our Project Lead the Way coding activity, "Rosie the Robotic Dog". Students used coding cards to design a "program" that would allow their dog (a team member) to navigate the dot course without stepping in the mud piles as well as collecting two bones. Students discovered the importance of ordering code cards in order to create a successful program. Next week they will use the coding program, Scratch Jr. to create program on their iPads. We will incorporate the coordinate grid, whole number operations, and even integers (a 6th grade standard).

Students in Ms. Miller and Ms. McConnohie's class continued work on their Project Lead the Way task, "Moving with Math". Part of their job today was to participate in Pair Programming.

Pair programming is an agile software development technique in which two programmers work together at one workstation. One, the driver, writes code while the other, the observer or navigator, reviews each line of code as it is typed in. The two programmers switch roles frequently.

This procedure is used in on the job software development and computer programming. It is meant to ensure quality control, best practice, and optimum product creation. We felt that utilizing this system allows for students to develop communication and collaboration skills that will help them not only in higher education but also in their careers. These tasks build authenticity and real world application into our students' learning.

On Wednesday we used the coding app Scratch Jr combined with our Project Lead the Way Curriculum. One student had directions pulled up on their iPad, while the other student was coding. Student 1 read the directions while student 2 build the program using coding blocks. Student 1 was then able to test the program and the pair made adjustments and edited the program as needed. Today we completed two coding tasks so both students in each team had a chance to direct, code, and test. While collaboration skills are not 100% yet, we plan to keep working with all students to develop these. We'll get there!

Mr. Thompson and I also tied in above grade level math content to enrich this Project Lead the Way activity. Because students were working on a grid and given column/row locations for placing objects we felt it would be natural to tie in the coordinate grid, ordered pairs, and integers. I introduced the coordinate grid, labeled the quadrants, labeled origin/x-axis/y-axis, discussed how positive and negative numbers are positioned in each quadrant, and what ordered pairs look like as well as how we interpret them. This was a brief introductory lesson but now these 4th and 5th grade students have been exposed to some of the vocabulary and concepts they will encounter as they advance through the math standards.

I just returned from the annual WATG (Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted) where myself and Mr. Pollard (Franklin), had the opportunity to present how Project Based Learning can foster Deeper Learning Competencies. It was a great experience and I loved sharing how West Allis is developing innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Project Lead the Way is going great so far, maybe we can present on that at next year's conference!

Have a great weekend everyone!