I could get all educational-philosophical here, but really, I just want to share an awesome lesson. You know I would love nothing more than to explore the paradox of limitations providing freedom. And, I’ll definitely be looking up the etymology of parameter, but first…
Friday, September 15, 2023, was the last day of an incredible week of transition. Due to health complications, my good friend Julia Dweck is not going to be teaching the gifted students of Willow Lane this fall. (Please consider donating to her Go Fund Me.) I will be filling in for her.
That means someone has to fill in for me. The Polite Pirates (my 3rd graders) are lucky to have Julia Lutz at the helm! She began transitioning into captain of my class on Tuesday, following Monday night’s school board approval.
While it may have felt like a roller coaster ride of a week, it definitely wasn’t one of those vintage, wooden, chiropractor-necessitating coasters that loosen your molars. I recently visited Hershey Park with my family. My daughter Scarlet and I went on every single roller coaster. Her favorite was the Jolly Rancher Remix. I think she liked the dance music and lights. I enjoyed Farenheit. It was fast, loopy, and thrilling. It also looks cool from the ground.
Handing my class over to Ms. Lutz was like watching a Hershey Park attendant safety-check my daughter’s harness and start a ride that we knew would deliver amazing thrills through scaring the wits out of us! It was clear at the onset that Ms. Lutz has better classroom management than I ever did. The Polite Pirates didn’t just obey and listen. They modeled the essence of respect when Ms. Lutz spoke to them. The cart on the track of this winding, hilly year was obviously a safe place, even if it was going to climb a very high hill and plummet toward earth at an incredible velocity.
And now for the lesson. Friday afternoon Ms. Lutz, myself, and Cassie Doemling (East Penn HS field student, basketball player, and Polite Pirate; Cassie was a student of mine a few years ago;) brought the Polite Pirates on a treasure hunt.
When I explained to the 3rd graders that, “We are going to be hunting in a place that is dangerous for humans, so we have to send in robots,” eyes understandably widened. Ms. Lutz opened the Spheros case, and everyone “Oooohed” and “Aaaaawed” at the lights. I swear a couple of Spheros shook with excitement, as well!
We had torn five large, different color rectangles of poster paper off of rollers in the hall earlier in the day. While Ms. Lutz demonstrated how to program a Sphero to a circle of students sitting on the carpet, I drew giant Xs on the other papers. One student from each of 5 groups would get their iPad and download the EduSphero App. Then go to Ms. Doemling to retrieve a robot. The groups of students were coached on how to work as teams. Then they were off!
The first hunt was pretty easy. Students had to get their robot from the center of a circle to a giant X painted on the opposite side of the paper. The Sphero had to simply touch the X. It did not have to be in the middle. It was basically a straight line.
As it turns out, the introductory coding you get when you open a new program, the very first time does exactly this. It sends the robot on a straight line away from you, and brings it back to its starting point. The Polite Pirates had to adjust the duration and direction. I told them to make the speed 30.
Once a team was successful in reaching the X that marks the spot of treasure, I introduced an obstacle. Cassie and I had made a bunch of piraty problems prior to the lesson. We had a different one for each team; There was a great white shark, a storm cloud, a mean-looking jellyfish, and a threatening pirate. Now, the obstacle was placed in the middle of the poster paper island, and here are the parameters:
- The Sphero must get from its starting circle to the X without leaving the paper.
- It cannot touch the problem.
They were simple. They were measures of success. More than limitations, the parameters were goals. “Can we do it while meeting these demands?”
As teams began to experience successes, Ms. Lutz stopped everyone to both congratulate their progress, but also share some important news: “What good is a treasure that you can’t spend? You need to get your Sphero back to the circle. The starting point is your way off the island.” Now, students had to figure out a round-trip route.
Because this was now Ms. Lutz’s “show,” I left Room 207 before the teams had completely finished their hunts. It felt like exiting an awesome roller coaster ride. I knew I could get back in line and go again, but was happy for the people who would experience it next. What a fun experience!
The Captain of Class 
2 thoughts on “Parameters Are Classy”