My teaching group shared our second day at Double Helix with a second teaching group, which meant there were 7 student teachers working with only 7 Double Helix students. Before class started, we worried it would be crowded and chaotic, but honestly, it was one of the best parts of the experience! We could all provide one-on-one attention to each student. Each group got to observe and participate in the other’s lesson. I think my favorite moment was getting to sit next to a student I had never seen talk before and getting to hold a whole conversation with her about her work!
A student sketches in a cereal box journal
I think the challenges that came up were somewhat negated by the splitting of the class time. My group quickly realized the lesson we had planned would not have taken the entire hour, and the half hour we had was almost a little too long. I think we underestimated how quickly the students would be able to follow along with our instructions to bind the cereal box sketchbooks, and how quickly we’d be able to convey those instructions. Next time, I’d like to take time to rehearse the instructions to see how long it took to give them, and maybe complete the project ourselves to see how it felt for us.
I think the students were excited for both lessons! Even those students who seemed withdrawn or quiet engaged in both activities and created something before class ended. This may have been because of the abundance of student teachers able to support each student closely, but I did see kids talking excitedly about their work, or getting creative with the activities.
My Spot Robot and a student’s Mushroom Snail
I wish I could share the feeling of fun I had when the other group was teaching and I sat down at the table with the kids and worked alongside them. We were making little robots or creatures out of modeling clay, the fancy foam kind that air dries and comes in bright colors. I made a little version of my favorite robot, Boston Dynamics’ Spot. I listened and chatted as students quickly began to experiment with the clay. One student discovered the clay could be mixed to create new colors. Another student worked on the same little mushroom snail creature the whole time, adding and removing features thoughtfully as we worked. I was fascinated to see the student sitting next to me choose to cut the clay into manageable pieces with scissors instead of tearing or pinching it—the thought had never even occurred to me!
A student’s Fish Creatures
I mentioned earlier getting to talk with a student I’d never seen talk before. She narrated to me her whole creative process. She decided to make fish-like creatures, deciding to make a smaller one after the larger one was completed so that there would be two. She carefully pressed short lengths of wire into the blue fins of the creature to create deep delicate depressions in the clay, only removing the wire after the whole creature was assembled. While looking through a bag of beads, I found a blue fish-shaped bead and handed it to her, saying it reminded me of her blue fishes. At first, she put it aside, and I figured she wasn’t interested. Then, a few minutes later, she explained to me the fish bead would be food for her clay fish, and she placed it nearby her work. I was overjoyed! She used my suggestion to come up with something new to add to her story. I’m so glad I got to experience that moment of collaboration with her!