Video: From Principles to Practice: Making Drinking Bowls for Pollinators
In this video, a Foundation-Year 1 teacher is working with a group of students to make drinking bowls for pollinators in the school kitchen garden. The learning area is Science. The lesson follows on from activities to learn about organisms and their needs, namely air, water, food, shelter and sunlight. As a class they have already discussed, made notes about, and jointly constructed texts about the needs of living things. Now they are learning about how humans can help other living things, particularly pollinators, to survive and thrive. (See the video How humans can help pollinators.)
This lesson is followed by a shared writing activity that consolidates this learning. (See the video Shared Pen.)
Key Takeaways
- Notice how the teacher revises prior learning, spending considerable time making sure that students understand the principles behind this activity. She encourages long turns from students, demonstrating that they understand the needs of living things and how humans can help.
- Notice how the talk shifts from principle, i.e. why they are making water bowls, to process, i.e. how to plant flowers. These are different purposes for pedagogic talk, both important.
- Notice that it takes effort to shift student attention from the novelty of being outside to paying attention to the science. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not important, and this teacher perseveres, maintaining positive affect as she does so.