After two surprise Snow Days (last Thursday and Friday), we're back again, rebooting our second semester. Today students reviewed the S.M.A.R.T. goals they learned about last Wednesday and practiced revising poorly-conceived goal statements to make them "SMART-er" and more attainable/relevant/specific/actionable/etc. Next we practiced creative problem-solving and collaborative group work by challenging students with a digital "Breakout" puzzle, an exercise in critical thinking not unlike the Scientific Method's reiterative Observation-Hypothesis-Experiment cycle. Tomorrow students will make explicit comparisons between the two. But beyond that, today's "Breakout" game also presented students with the unique, but supremely real-world-relevant circumstances of not having any directions or instructions. Students were forced to think creatively to brainstorm possible solutions, keep track of failed attempts and rely on cooperative partners to assist in slowly, incrementally chipping away at the puzzle. Students seemed to enjoy the exercise quite a bit, and those who solved the riddle earlier were encouraged to begin developing their own "Breakout" challenge. We will periodically return to these exercises throughout the remainder of the year as they sharpen critical and creative processing skills while simultaneously building classroom community and effective group dynamics.
Students should submit the "badge" they were awarded upon completion of the puzzle to Google Classroom as evidence of their completion.
Students should submit the "badge" they were awarded upon completion of the puzzle to Google Classroom as evidence of their completion.