I recently finished Making Learning Whole by David Perkins. I am going to share my notes about how to apply it to what we are doing in video conferencing. I am looking at this book through the lens of “What can we do to increase the learning and interactions in our video conferencing student projects?’

The structure for the book is an extended game metaphor.

1. Play the whole game.
2. Make the game worth playing.
3. Work on the hard parts.
4. Play out of town.
5. Uncover the hidden game.
6. Learn from the team and from others.
7. Learn the game of learning.

Problem-solving vs. Problem-finding

This is the first thing that caught my eye because we hear “Our students need more opportunities to practice problem-solving”. Think about how your students or children behave when the problem is not clearly defined.

• Solving: The art and craft of dealing well with problems that are reasonably clear using explanation, argument, evidence, strategy, skill or craft.
• Finding: First, one must determine what or where the problems are. The problem must be formulated well and will probably need redefining before you can solve it.

Reframing JAZZ Small Group Projects as Whole Games

What if we added these questions to the preparation materials in JAZZ?

1. What would this topic be like if learners were trying to get better at DOING something?
2. What would they get better at DOING?
3. What would the topic be like if it were not just routine, if it required thinking with what you know and pushing it further?
4. If there were some problem-finding involved, where would it figure into the project plan?

I think it is important to continue to focus on what students are doing and learning. We can use the video conferencing technology to enhance projects and we need to think about how to do it in a smart and relevant way.