Fafe - Porto - Munique - Berlim 

The day started too early at the front door of our school, where we met to start the trip that would take us to Berlin. 

We arrived around 12 o'clock, local time.

Participants

The first session startet at 9 a.m. The teacher trainer Michela Graciotti welcomed us and we started by doing an ice-breaking activity: we had to present ourselves, using a model school. We teamed up and presented a teacher from Romania. It was a really good ice-breaking activity. The presentations can be seen  below.

After a short break, we found out that we had collegues from Romania. In total, we are nine. We got to learn about each country's educational systems as well as everyone's cities, using the Canva presentation:

https://bit.ly/berlim-presentation 

# Task 1

We initiated our wok with a game: each teacher presents himself and repeats other teachers' names, in a sequence. 

# Task 2

The next thing was an exploration of the Competences in STEAM approach:

• understand how parts of systems interact;

• attention on small details;

• understanding that problems have many solutions.

This is the sum up of our work:

Steam lesson title

Digest-a-Fabric

Class

Simple 8-10 years (grades 3-5); Complex 12-15 years (grades 6-9);

Subjects

Artistic perspective of human digest system and digestion

Activities

• to investigate the digestive system and is importance in human body;

• to draw, in a paper, the outline of human body using as a model one student;

• to cut de body shape and discuss, in pairs, the length, shape and localization of each organ;

• to discuss the textures and colours of each organ to beagle to choose a fabric to represent it;

• to create each organ using the chosen fabric and to pin it in the paper human shape;

• to label each organ.

Final outcomes

To present and explain a labeled digestive system and a “digital” folder with all the research that students made. 

# Task 4 - Enhancing Building STEAM Capacity

Focus -  selection an essential question and its relation with steam

Detail - find elements related to the problem, discover background information ance 

Discover - Research possible solutions with the teacher´s guidance

Application - creating their own solution to the problem

Present - Students share their work based on their own perspective surrounding the problem on hand. It helps learn how to give and accept feedback

Link - Reflect on feedback and revise their work or produce a different solution

# Task 5 - 30 Circles challenge

The goal is to push people to test their creativity by turning circles into recognizable objects in a very short period of time. 

Using a paper sheet with 30 blank circles on it, turn as many of the blank circles as possible into recognizable objects in three minutes. Compare results. Look for the quantity or fluency of ideas.

# Task 6 - Analysing Steam Lessons

how can we ask? What to look in STEAM lessons?

Here are some answers given by the traiees: planning, assessement, content, critical thinking, learning goals, innovation, connections.

What to look for in STEAM lessons in literature?

STEAM outcomes, intentional connection, inquiry based, integrity, 21st century skills, equitable assessments and making meaning.

Today we started talking about VTS - Visual Thinking Strategies:

1. What is happening there?

2. What makes you say that?

3. What more can you find?

# Task 2

Using the resources from the Milwaukee Art Museum (teachers resources) and choose a task from the list bellow. The aim is to look, write and share.

Writing + Art: Take a Hike  - Select an inviting landscape, seascape, or cityscape.  (http://teachers.mam.org/resource/take-a-hike/)

Writing + Art: Eyewitness - Pick a painting in which some kind of conflict, accident, or stressful incident has occurred (http://teachers.mam.org/resource/eyewitness/)

Writing + Art: Talk Bubble - Find a gallery that contains a variety of portraits (http://teachers.mam.org/resource/talk-bubble/)

Writing + Art: Pleeeze! - Convincing someone to buy something requires special skill. Pick out a three-dimensional object, such as a work of sculpture, furniture, or decorative art  (http://teachers.mam.org/resource/pleeeze/)

Writing + Art: The Sounds of Silence  - Pick an entirely abstract painting, which has no reference to figures or scenes (http://teachers.mam.org/resource/the-sounds-of-silence/)

# Task 3 - Drinving Questions

• A driving question can be presented as the frame for the project;

• It is open-ended;

• It engages high-level thinking;

• It requires students to synthesize information from multiple sources, experiences, and activities;

• Connected to a specific theme of your subject.

The trainer presented some criteria and examples of mistakes made in the construction of driving questions. (https://www.pblworks.org/blog/tricky-part-pbl-writing-driving-question )

# Task 4

We were divided into two working groups and asked to formulate our own  Driving Question taking in consideration our subjects and curriculum standards, our students age and interest. We had to formulate questions as if we were a five-year-old child: they ask a lot of interesting questions.

Today we started talking about Assessment: teacher assessment,  peer assessment , group assessment and self-assessment.

Project Based Teaching Practises - how to asses student learning?

Keys Takeaways

• Use teacher+ self, peers, experts;

• Use rubrics and clear criteria for sucess;

• Use frequent formative assessment;

• Use feedback protocols;

Project Based Teaching Practises - how to asses student learning?

https://youtu.be/rHbTF5uRF9o?list=PLPLlNkWIpLPHyO-ySAzdh0cFktgrgiJpq

Starting with Self and Peer Assessment

# Task 2: Let´s try assessment

In small groups write down all you about one of the subjects, in tree minutes. Rotate to all the subjects.

• VTS - Visual thinking strategies

• Bloom´s Taxonomy

• STEAM

• 21st Century Skills

#Task 3 - What will look like my school Markerspace?

We had a brainstorm activity about markerspaces. What do we want for our students? Markerspaces are about building a community, sharing tools, materials and talents...What kind of space do our students need? An high tech space? 

# Task 1 - Planning and Sharing our STEAM Lesson

Using STEAM Outcomes, as : Knowledge Base, Learning Goals, 21st Century Skills, Practice, Soft and Hard Skills, we planned, for two hours, a TEAM lesson applying it to ours curriculum subjects. Than we presented and shared it with our peers. 

In the morning we went to Gartenstrass for the last cultural activity. Our guide Gilles assisted us in discovering life, for two hours, in East Germany. We learned more about the set up of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and the locations where people attempt to escape to West Germany. It was a powerfull (and icy) History lesson.