During my EDUC 491 practicum, I had plenty of fun! One of my favorite memories is from a special day: 100’s Day! For this special day, I planned an ADST activity with five different stations. For three of the stations, the students were building. The builder stations included building towers with 100 cups, building anything using 100 pieces of Lego, and setting up 100 dominos. I also included two “cool down” activities where the students did something a bit less hands-on to ensure they were given appropriate breaks, and that the class remained balanced between exciting activities and something more relaxing. This lesson was a huge success! The students were engaged, and the volume remained at the target level. It was exciting to see the students collaborating to build different structures. The students even practiced their own problem-solving skills, only requiring that I moderate one conversation. They were still able to solve the problem between themselves, and I sat with them to check for fair conversations and kind word use.
The reason I chose this as my favourite memory is because of how great this lesson felt! The learners were all engaged in the lesson and had fun building their structures. Watching the students solve problems, collaborate, and develop pride in their work was a wonderful experience. They demonstrated a strong classroom community! I loved how well everyone worked together, and the compromises they were willing to make to be kind friends amongst each other.