My time with Section Beta went like this:
|
Session
|
Time
|
Key Activities
|
|
1
|
12:30
p.m. – 1:30 p.m. on 20/4
|
Introduction with code + course expectations
|
|
2
|
9:00
a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on 22/4
|
Discussion
of course expectations + Slitherlink + Dissection + session feedback
|
|
3
|
11:30
a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on 22/4
|
Kakuro + Logical Thinking Quiz + session feedback
|
|
4
|
9:00
a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on 23/4
|
Dominoes + Logical Elimination + end course feedback
|
In Part 1, I discussed the pedagogical changes made in sessions 1 and 2 with Alpha based on feedback and logistics of the session:
|
Session
|
Time
|
Key Activities
|
|
1
|
10:00
a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on 25/4
|
Introduction with code + course expectations
|
|
2
|
11:30
a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on 25/4
|
Discussion
of course expectations + Slitherlink + Logical Thinking Quiz + session feedback
|
|
3
|
9:00
a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on 26/4
|
|
|
4
|
11:30
a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on 26/4
|
|
The third session with Alpha was a morning one so I planned to devote the class entirely to Kakuro. This was a puzzle that the children in Beta had enjoyed and requested more time for so I decided against clubbing it with any other puzzle.
Unlike Beta, the boys and girls in Alpha were not willing to mix with one another - the 5 girls sat in the vicinity of each other and kept to themselves while the 11 boys did the same. To break this rather unhealthy dynamic, one of the instructions on the board when they came into class was that they should sit with a different partner in a different part of the class (compared to the previous day) and that boys and girls should try to partner up to bring alternate perspectives to puzzle solving.
This worked surprisingly well and there were 3 boy-girl pairs that showed good teamwork and understanding through the day. 😊
I found that the Kakuro went a lot more smoothly with Alpha compared to Beta. Spacing it out over one and a half hours let the kids truly immerse themselves in the puzzle leading to more strategies and productive partner work.
When they came in after the breakfast break for the final class of the course, we discussed their feedback before I gave them the Dissection puzzle as a 15 minute warm up activity (refer this post if you need to refresh your memory about the puzzle). The children found it visually engaging and a good number of them were able to arrive at a solution AND articulate their reasoning clearly. Remember, in this course, the thought process was more important than the final answer! Here is one of my students explaining her reasoning to the class.
After Dissection, we transitioned to Dominoes - I didn't alter anything in terms of how I executed the Dominoes portion of the class because that puzzle had gone off well with Beta. Why fix something if it isn't broken?
We ended class with end course feedback and a class photo. I gave them the Logical Elimination sheets to try outside of class. In effect, by reducing the time for Dissection and eliminating Logical Elimination (pun unintended!), I had a whole hour that got redistributed to the Kakuro and Dominoes puzzles.
|
Session
|
Time
|
Key Activities
|
|
1
|
10:00
a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on 25/4
|
Introduction with code + course expectations
|
|
2
|
11:30
a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on 25/4
|
Discussion
of course expectations + Slitherlink + Logical Thinking Quiz + session feedback
|
|
3
|
9:00
a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on 26/4
|
Kakuro +
session feedback
|
|
4
|
11:30
a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on 26/4
|
Dissection + Dominoes + end course feedback
|
Both Alpha and Beta were a delight to teach and I've formed bonds and created memories in my short time with them that I shall cherish forever. 😃
In the next post, I write about my experiences with Section Gamma.
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