Action Project in Elementary Schools
Written by Alana Cayabyab, 6th Grade Teacher, Tsai Hsing School
In BGL’s 6th grade classes at Tsai Hsing School, we have been studying consumption issues. 6th graders surveyed one another to see which issues were the most important- such as overconsumption, climate change, overusing plastic products, overfishing, etc. Climate change and the overuse of plastic products were the top two major concerns for students.
In our curriculum Global Scholars, our final unit is to complete an action project. This inquiry-based project is purely driven by students’ interests. Students decided they wanted to focus on reducing plastic waste in our seas and helping to solve the issue of overfishing.
To understand more about the plastic problem in the ocean, students watched the documentary A Plastic Wave. This documentary is about a surf photographer and business owner who continues to see more and more plastic wash ashore on his home beach in the UK. He undergoes a journey to understand this issue better.
Along his journey, he learns how plastic takes centuries to break down and discusses with a scientist what a microplastic is and how microplastics end up in the marine food chain.
After watching this inspiring documentary, students had the opportunity to interview the filmmaker, James Roberts. Putting their strong speaking skills to use, students ask thought-provoking questions like, “what inspired you to make this film?” Impressed by their questions, James stated that the questions 601 students asked were much more profound than what most adults ask him.
This experience helped students further understand the behind the scenes of making a documentary.
Deepening students learning about the ocean and the issue of overfishing, 601 students also had a special visitor to class, Professor Trujillo. Alan Trujillo wrote the leading oceanography textbook and was an oceanography professor for 30 years in San Diego, California. He also works as a naturalist for Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions guiding through Antarctica, Alaska, and more.
Students were able to take the lead in asking questions directly to Professor Trujillo. He shared a Taiwan-based resource, much like the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch List, of which seafood is sustainable and unsustainable to eat. Students further learned how important it is that we protect fish habitats, coral reefs, and create marine protected areas. Professor Trujillo explained that currently only 4% of all the world’s ocean is protected.
In the end, 601 students have really been inspiring with taking the lead on their learning in this Action Project. It is amazing to see them embrace more sustainable lifestyle choices, such as using reusable cutlery and tupperware with them to restaurants to bringing reusable grocery bags to the store. The more awareness 601 students cultivate about some of the issues we face on our planet, the more they spread awareness to their families and communities.
May we continue to foster students’ critical thinking so that education serves to have students participate in the transformation of our world.
Life Cycle of a Lesson: Applying the Pre-Mortem Strategy to Lesson Planning
Written by Donald Joyce, Elementary Teacher, Tsai Hsing School
No matter how long you’ve been teaching, we’ve all had lessons that went completely off the rails. We thought the lesson was going to be awesome, we were really excited to teach it, but it just didn’t click with our students. We scrambled to get the lesson back on track, but frustrations took over and disaster ensued.
After the lesson, we spent some time reflecting about what went wrong. (That’s what good teachers do!) After a little while, we were able to get over it, and promised ourselves that we wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. (Hey, there’s always next time, right?)
What if we spent some time before teaching our lessons, thinking of all the ways our lessons were going to fail?
This is the idea behind a pre-mortem.
Essentially, a pre-mortem is a deliberate attempt to envision all the ways a product could fail before it’s launch into the marketplace. If one could effectively see the factors that would inhibit the success of a product, one could take specific steps to prevent them…thus increasing the likelihood of that product’s success.
When we as teachers teach a lesson or a unit of study, and things don’t seem to go right, we reflect on that lesson…this is a post-mortem.
Over the past few years, after learning about how businesses use pre-mortems to help them plan and launch successful products, I’ve tried to adapt this strategy to my teaching practices. When I have planned out my lesson or unit of study, and I feel it’s ready to go, I don’t stop there. I go through my lesson plan or my slides with a different mindset. I try to envision all the ways my lesson was going to fail.
Pre-mortem Guiding Questions:
1. How will I handle potential classroom management issues?
This is often the main cause of a failed lesson.
2. How will I manage the lesson if we finish early or later than expected?
You will want to be flexible with timing so students don’t feel bored or rushed.
3. How will I connect the lessons material to my student’s prior knowledge?
If connections aren’t made to prior knowledge, students may feel lost from the onset.
4. How will I support my students with the specific language demands in the lesson?
Students may need to be pre-taught vocabulary, be given word banks, or provided with sentence frames to help them be successful.
5. Will the lesson be engaging for my students and allow them to share their ‘voice’?
Am I aware of my students’ interests and did I provide opportunities for self-expression?
6. How clear are my learning goals?
Will the students understand why we were learning this material and what we were trying to accomplish?
*Remember, you should be asking these questions before your lesson.
Award for Outstanding Live Virtual Programs
For the second year in a row, BGL is proud to receive the Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Programs from CILC. We received the award when our live virtual field trips received 100% positive reviews for the entire year.
Outstanding Live Virtual Programs
Glenn Morris, CILC Executive Director, lauds the coveted Pinnacle Award as “representing a consistent recognition by the CILC community for engaging learners across the globe. An honorable feat, the program evaluations by teachers for teachers helps to build a culture of collaboration and criticism, empowering teachers and inspiring learning.”
Live virtual field trips challenge students to think critically while creating authentic connections with unique people and places. Outstanding educators – including Jacquelin Fink, Courtney Dayhuff, Travis Moyer, Fifi Huang and Lauren Estella – curate content that is so captivating it’s easy to forget we’re learning remotely. Especially rewarding this year were our series of programs on digital citizenship and social and emotional learning which directly address the challenges of our time. The staff at Banyan are so very proud of the work we’ve done across America and around the globe. We are excited to add new field trips this year to Colombia and China!
CILC is the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration. Their mission is to support, advance and enhance lifelong learning through the use of collaborative technologies and innovations.
“CILC places great value on its Content Providers, nearly 200 of the very best cultural organizations and talent from around the world. They make it all possible by connecting students to unique subject matter, artifacts, and experiences. Representing museums, science centers, art galleries, zoos, aquariums, musicians, authors, and more, many of our providers play important roles in collecting and preserving histories and cultures and in helping to advance critical scientific research and innovation.”
SEL Newsletter: Halloween Doesn’t Have to Be Scary
Written by veteran online educator, Jackie Fink
Halloween is nothing to be afraid of.
The holiday season kicks off with Halloween. This time of year is one of great joy – time with family and friends, celebrations of traditions, and good food.
As mindful educators, we think about the perspectives of all of our learners, so we know that holidays are not as joyous for some. Halloween in particular can be an emotional trigger, and can make it downright unpleasant.
Halloween SEL Showcase
With this in mind, in October of 2020 I asked some colleagues to be silly on camera to bring some fun and laughter to the holiday for learners all over the world. What a showcase of our collective talents!
The outcome was everything we could have wanted and more.
New Take on Classic Traditions
The Halloween showcase was family-friendly, with a non-spooky take on classic Halloween traditions. It allowed everyone to express their individuality and learn something fun from each of our talented teachers.
A few other ways to keep Halloween fun and safe for everyone:
2. Look to the moon.
The harvest moon is celebrated around the world, like in Taiwan with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Research the moon, create fantasy stories it, or even grill delicious moon inspired foods. Building traditions around the moon can help us process the changes that happen around the moon (no werewolves included).
1. Costume contest!
Costumes don’t have to be scary. Encourage funny, creative and inspiring costumes, by creating awards for things like: best irony, most realistic, or even most original!
3. Limit sugar intake.
You are what you eat! Adults included, a sugar splurge may be tempting. Have you considered how it will effect your mood? Decide early how much candy you should have.
Halloween: Laughter is the Best Medicine
Let your laughter loose
with Banyan’s holiday-themed
wellness extravaganza!
SEL Meets Halloween
This month’s free event packs a whole lot of fun into this 45 minute program. We’ll explore ways to manage emotions through science, art, music and costumes.
LAUGHTER
Did you know:
– relaxes muscles in the body
– boosts the immune system
– burns calories
– releases endorphins,
creating a sense of well-besting
All are welcome to join the Banyan family
in laughter and celebration!
Our Vision
Our vision is for education to be rooted in personal passions that create positive change.