What is Opal School Online?
The Center for Learning is pleased to announce a new way to connect and interact with the research and documentation of Opal School's PK - 5th grade programs. We hear so often from the educators and caregivers that attend our professional development programs how disheartening it can be to feel isolated from potential collaborators. For the first time, we will make available online a collection of articles, videos, suggestions for reflections, and hosted interaction amongst participants. These weekly learning modules will cover a variety of topics for self-study, supporting educators around the world to engage in conversation about playful inquiry and creating environments for learning that honor the creative capacities of our youngest citizens.
How does it work?
Each Monday in April, 2013, registered participants will receive login information giving access to a new set of materials. All materials will be formatted for download so participants may collect the set into a binder to inspire further study and reflection. An online discussion forum will be moderated during the week so that participants can share questions, inspiration, and additional resources from every corner of the world. We look forward to inspiring many new relationships!
Week One: Supporting the Social and Emotional Intelligences of Children
- What does it mean to create a learning community? What strategies support children to learn to make choices that develop a strong sense of identity and responsibility to the group? How can adults use language to support the development of a healthy worldview and habits of heart and mind that create citizens for a sustainable Democracy? Suggested pre-reading: There's Only One Way to Stop a Bully
Week Two: The Power of Playful Inquiry
- How do we harness the power of play in effective, rigorous learning environments that support 21st century skills and allow creativity to thrive? Suggested preview: What About Play? Suggested pre-reading: Download Response to State Standards
Week Three: Organizing for Playful Inquiry
- How do we create systems of organization that support playful inquiry? How do we present materials and support children with the skills to use them most effectively? What guiding principles support the creation of the environment? How do we manage the flow of ideas? How do adults make decisions that lead to engaging and authentic work with children? Suggested preview: Opal School classroom for 5 - 7 year olds
Week Four: Making Thinking and Learning Visible
- What does it mean to take a stance as a researcher in our work with children? What does it mean to actively connect our thought and action on behalf of children? How do we know that our values are upheld by our practice, and what happens when we discover they are not? How can documentation support our inquiry, our theories, and our continued practice? How can documentation make children and the image we hold of them, visible to the children themselves? How can documentation help us learn to think about our thinking? How can the practice of observing children influence the decisions we make in our efforts to support them? Suggested pre-reading: The Pedagogy of Listening
Week Five: The Arts as Languages for Learning
- How do we make room for the 100 Languages? What is the role of the arts and abundant access to materials in the development of understanding? What are the connections between the arts, literacy, creativity and sustainability? Suggested pre-reading: What Can Education Learn from the Arts About the Practice of Education? OR 10 Lessons the Arts Teach
How do I sign up?
To join the conversation, click here!