Lawrenceville Elementary experienced our first Day of Code this year with a lot of inspiration and organization from several of our wonderful educators at LES. Each of our students took part in developmentally appropriate, online coding. They programmed Angry Birds, Frozen characters, and little BeeBots. The importance of this skill has become more prevalent in recent years. Coding has been likened to learning a foreign language and the jobs of the future will require this skill, even those jobs traditionally unrelated to programming such as jobs in medicine, banking and journalism. The students and teachers had a wonderful, new experience on this special day and the feedback was positive.
What I didn't realize when we had our first Day of Code, is that it would spark a desire to have more "Day of ____" experiences at LES. One of our passionate educators recently approached me about something called Global School Play Day. This movement has been sparked by educators who have come to the realization that the very important work of childhood, play, has been given less time in schools than ever before. Therefore, at LES, we have decided to have our first Day of Play. On February 3, each grade level will take part in at least one full hour of authentic play. The students will be permitted to bring their own toys to school (with minor restrictions-no electronics, battery operated toys, or toy weapons) and will play without interruption. Students and teachers will reflect on this experience.
These experiences have sparked a "Day of ___" series at LES that we will continue to take part in this year. My hope is that the dedicated, well versed educators at LES approach me with topics of interest and excitement for our students so that we can expand these special day events in the future. In addition, our goal is to have students continue these exciting activities in our school and at home once the Day is over, practicing academic skills and life skills that will benefit them in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment