A quick reflection from the week on concept mapping: of the numerous thinking routines I gleaned from Harvard Project Zero (See, Think, Wonder, etc.) the concept map may be my favorite. The format mirrors the way our brains work, with thought bubbles resembling neurons and the connections between thought bubbles resembling firing synapses. Students connect the “electricity” bubble with a “solar energy” bubble, for example, and explain the connection as “solar cells (photovoltaic) convert the sun’s electromagnetic energy into electrical energy.”
The students received their partners for the exciting gizmo project yesterday, and they began working on those concept maps. The academic conversations, thought bubbles and connections, and the noise level all suggested that we had reached a new place as a learning community, that we had achieved that sweet place I have learned to recognize like an old friend. It lasted for perhaps twenty minutes, then I rung a bell and announced: “that’s what it feels like, that is thinking and learning, that is what we can do as a community.” Kudos, Cerriteños, and have a great weekend.
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