Today each and every one of the 3rd graders struggled... in a good way! We were practicing navigating the Learning Pit. The Learning Pit is a figurative way for people to identify where they are in the learning process and if they are experiencing deep learning. Since the theme of our year is Transformation, we are starting with learning about the transformation of a blank piece of paper into an origami creation.

Our day started with an activity to help us continue to get to know each other called All My Friends and Neighbors. After that fun game, the students learned about the Mood Meter and Zones. This is an aid for people of all ages to help identify where they are emotionally. We talked about how all of the zones are important, but that some zones make it easier to learn. 

We then refreshed ourselves on the idea of The Learning Pit. I let the students know that the goal of school is for students to experience the learning pit and come out the other side. When surveyed, most of the 3rd graders said that they don't feel like they work through The Learning Pit very often in their regular classroom. This made many of them excited that they were going to get to navigate The Learning Pit in GATE today! They later found out what that really looks and feels like...

After learning about the history of origami, the students self-assessed their origami experience and chose a leveled origami challenge based on which directions they thought would be the best challenge for them... not too easy, not too hard, but just right. Then we got to work. Every student said that they felt like they struggled at one point or another. Every student also felt like they experienced some successes. They practiced working through their struggle for slightly longer than felt natural and celebrating the fact that they get to challenge themselves!

After struggling through the origami challenge, the students documented their outcomes and experience on their Book Creator portfolios. (psst! Click the link to keep an eye on your student's portfolio progress.) The portfolio post should include a title, the date, photos or videos of their origami successes AND failures, and a written, video, or audio description of their experience in The Learning Pit today. Some students didn't quite have time to finish documenting their experience, so they will need to finish that work next week. We will continue to work on origami and document the growth process throughout this year.