Personalized Purple Circles

Self-sufficient Workstations for Developing Competencies

Wynanne Watts, CS Des Samarres

Frédéric Bédard, Collège Saint-Bernard

What we are trying to do...

ESL competency 2: to reinvest understanding of oral and written texts

Set up a Purple Circle

Teacher... Prepares 7 independent workstations

• on the same theme • of the same length • using clearly written instructions

7 independent workstations

Each developing... •cross-curricular competencies •accountability: individual and group •strategies •paper trail for portfolios •multiple intelligences

Students

• cooperative groups of 4 • Materials Manager • are shown why and how• become aware of the expectations

Time Frame

• 60 minutes for each station per day • 7 days + an 8th day to finish up loose

ends

What students are expected to do

•prepare •demonstrate understanding •carry out meaningful tasks

HOW?

What and HowCross-Curricular Competencies

CC - to use information – Computer Corner, Science Laboratory

CC - to exercise critical judgement – Co-op Survival

CC - to adopt effective work methods: manages his/her materials and time and adjusts actions as required – all stations

Integrated transfer

How what students learn in the Purple Circle relates to their own lives and to other aspects of academic learning: geography, history, sciences, drama, arts, use of ICTs,...

=

Concrete, long-lasting learning!

AdvantagesFor the teacher...

- Quality time to get to know and help each student / team - Pedagogically gratifying - You get to sit down and observe!

AdvantagesFor the students...

- Develop interdependence, accountability and autonomy - Explore a broad variety of intelligences - Long-lasting learning and transfer from a broad variety of academic subjects

Potential problems

- Staying on task: the road to autonomy is a long one sometimes... - Noise - We don’t understand : how to write clear instructions (vocab and layout) - Technical breakdowns - We’re finished : stations of unequal lengths

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

-Albert Einstein

Thank you !