In late August I was tasked with creating virtual learning kits for my class. I knew that I wanted my students to have some items to use to give them a screen break. When my teaching partner and I threw play doh into their bags at the last minute I had no idea it would be as successful as it was.
This little tub of play doh brought our community together. It was a low stakes way for us all to do something together and have something in common. We had a creation time on of the first days of school. Students were admiring others’ work, asking for tutorials, and playing guessing games. Students responded by posting tutorials, hanging on zoom during breaks to build together, and just socialize.
I was able to leverage our common play doh to get to know each other and then build a safe environment. Then I leveraged the play doh a second time, I used it to model and teach feedback. I created something and the students gave me warm and cool feedback. Through the play doh feedback I was able to establish common expectations for feedback/critique. We know that it is specific and about the object not the person and it is all to help us grow! We then tried giving each other warm and cool feedback. More tutorials and attempted sculptures were born.
Since the first weeks of school we have practiced warm and cool feedback in writing circles and now moved to a more specific Praise, Question, Polish protocol. (More on this to come!)
AND… I just sent home LEGOS, stay tuned for what Team Imagine builds next!