Making and doing...

These third graders are building a marble maze. They're doing some
great observing and problem solving and tinkering while also learning
to work together and negotiate social dynamics.

How do we share the materials? Which way will the marble go? Are
there areas the marble won't go to? Are there places where it gets
stuck? How do we make the marble keep moving until it gets to the end
of the track? How do we fix the dead spots?

In time, the students will see patterns in their observations. "oh,
the marble always gets stuck when it goes down a straight away that's
too long." Theyll gain skill and confidence and be inspired by one
another's ideas (solutions, observations and questions) and they'll
begin to pose new and greater challenges for themselves.

We'll have to check in again in a month or so.