I have been participating in a class for first graders of Affiliated Showa Elementary School to create bug robots.
As you can see in the photo, it is always very impressive to see students working actively and collaboratively to create their own projects in the class.
I wrote down the students’ activities to see what the students are doing.
The students are engaged in many more activities than can be described here, even in the space of a few minutes.
Create
Talking
Seeing
Show
Listen
Find
Try
Call
Imitate
Pick it up
Panic a bit
Touch
Concentrate
Think
Play
Laugh
Splash
Walk
Brag
Write
Ask for help
Help
Cry
Worry
Research
Apply
Fix
Break
Exhaust
Discuss
praise
look at it
ask for help
Be God (said by a student)
Clean up
Be inspired
Be thankful
Get angry
Apologize
Look back
Give up
Fail
Succeed
Follow directions
Mess around
Mess around too much
Filming
Each student is combining these activities to create his or her own project.
The variety of activities may encourage students to create their own projects, resulting in a variety of learning from their projects.
How can we create diverse activities among students in the limited space of a classroom and within the limited time of a class meeting?
There is no doubt that a classroom that has been carefully created by homeroom teachers with students over the course of a year is the best place to do this.
In Creative Learning (learning through making), we tend to think only of making activities, but we are reminded once again that various activities generated through making activities are expanding learning through making.
I am grateful to the students and teachers of Affiliated Showa Elementary School for giving me this precious opportunity.