Capturing Stories Through Play
Composing multimodal texts using LEGO Education Story Starter, iPads and more for K-2 teachers
Play has long been acknowledged as an important part of learning. Through play, children engage with and explore the world around them in much the same way that we encourage them to learn. Researchers and educational theorists have long stressed the importance of harnessing the spirit of curiosity, experimentation and creative expression inherent in play to support and enhance children’s learning.
Many forms of children’s play have imaginative exploration and expression at their heart, so it is no surprise that play is often considered the foundation of literacy development. By capturing stories generated through play, teachers can utilise children’s individual interests and emerging capacities to develop language and expression, and build creative and problem solving skills.
This hands-on workshop is centred on capturing stories naturally told through play, and translating these stories into multimodal texts. Participants will use LEGO Education’s Story Starter kit, a hands-on tool to help inspire collaborative storytelling through communicating stories while playing with LEGO. Creative Apps on the iPad will be used to capture these stories and compose a multimodal text.
In this course, participants will:
- engage collaboratively with research on learning through play
- gain a deeper understanding of the concept of multi-modal texts and their role in the classroom
- explore LEGO Story Starter kit in accessing and enhancing literacy skills
- examine relationships to outcomes and indicators from the Australian Curriculum to match programming objectives
- use creative iPad apps to build layers to stories generated through play using LEGO Story Starter
This course consists of two parts. A workshop day (5.5hrs) and a follow-on component to be completed in your own time after the workshop (4.5hrs). You must successfully complete both parts in order to gain the 10 professional learning hours.
Follow-on
The follow-on component for this course (4.5 hrs) is described below. This is an opportunity for you to have some time to take what you learned during the workshop and apply it to your own context and your own students. Information about due dates and instructions will be emailed to participants after the workshop day.
Create a multimodal text of at least two modes using the resources you have available at your school. Create a lesson plan including curriculum outcomes for your class/group. Participants share their text and lesson to an online community where they will get to interact with the other teachers in the course. Participants complete a personal reflection piece and a course survey.
Read more about follow-on components, and see the criteria for successful completion in the FAQ below.
Completing this course will contribute 10 hours of QTC Registered PD addressing 1.1.2, 2.1.2, 2.5.2, 3.4.2, 3.5.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
Audience: K-2 teachers.
Keywords: Creativity, New Syllabus Implementation, Digital Literacy, Multimodal.
Feedback
The learning experience was very valuable and I liked how we were given the opportunity to use concrete materials and had the freedom to use these materials however we wanted. We did a lot of hands on activities and Karolina presented information to us in many different ways which we can also use in the classroom with our own students.
It will help to transform students learning and make it relevant to them. Through the use of technology, they are able to play and create meaning through multimodal texts, engage in the production of texts, have fun, expand their use of technology, use and learn literacy skills, learn in a real life context.
Enrol
Unfortunately there are no plans to run this course again. Apologies for any inconvenience.
FAQ
How do I enrol?
How is payment taken?
How do I get there and do I need to bring anything?
What if I cancel or don't show up?
You can delete your own enrolment through MyPL, however keep in mind any cancellations made within 2 days of the event or no-shows will incur the full cost, charged to your school. Please contact us if there are any issues with your attendance.
What's a follow-on component?
Some of our courses include a follow-on component to be completed by the participant in their school context with the aim of transferring the new practice to their teaching and learning repertoire. These deliverables are included as part of the course hours and are designed to engage teachers in real ‘learning through doing’ leading to improvement in the skills and capabilities of teachers. This is an opportunity for you to have some time to take what you learned during the workshop and apply it to your own context and your own students. Details of the follow-on will be emailed out to all participants. The deliverables must meet the following Criteria:
- Product (this may refer to lesson plan, unit of work or other digital product)
- evidence of creativity;
- planning and/or design;
- incorporation of key ideas in the course;
- integration of technology; and
- a published/shared product that is appropriate to audience, purpose and context.
- Online Interaction
- peer feedback; and
- community building.
- Personal Written Reflection (200 words):
- Reflect on the learning experience gained by participating in this course, including the deliverables, OR reflect on your classroom practice (including a description of the pedagogical approach, delivery and implications for the future); AND
- Reflect on how you achieved one or more of the specified professional learning standards.
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