When True Learning Happens

Me: Some rocket quest teams are finding flow and making progress while others are getting stuck. How would you rate your Rocket Team’s collaboration this week, and what is or is not working for you?

Hero 1: Not good-I think that I was relying too much on my group.

Hero 2: We worked really well together. We stuck to our roles but still helped each other. We also looked at our experiments before we did them and decided what we would need.

During one of our Socratic Discussions this week, our heroes were open and honest with each other about their teamwork. We noticed that certain heroes were working really well together while others were arguing and wasting project time. After discussing matters, our heroes came up with a list of items that were either helping or hurting their teams.

While everyone had great ideas to improve their teamwork, we continued to see the same patterns during project time. Some groups continued to do work well while others were disagreeing and wasting more project time.

During our next discussion, our heroes discussed the culture they were creating in the studio. Everyone agreed that in order for Journey Academy to have a culture where everyone could learn and have fun, project time needed to improve. The matter of “How” was the question. “How” could the heroes cultivate a culture where people listened to one another, cooperated, and participated in making a great rocket? How could they make sure they created an environment where everyone treated each other with warm-hardheartedness (kindness and compassion) while still being tough-minded (holding each other to high standards). The answer was simple: they needed to own the process.

Over the next couple of discussions, our heroes revisited the culture they were aiming to cultivate at Journey Academy: A culture of kindness, excellence, one where people cooperated, showed respect, and held each other to their promises. They recognized the tools they had (conflict resolution, hero bucks, the peace table..) and how they could use them to take full ownership.

We have been witnessing higher levels of ownership since these discussions, and yes, teamwork is improving. This reminds me that on the journey, there will be times  where teamwork is difficult, the task seems impossible, and the community is challenged…BUT this is when true growth happens. Our heroes will learn how to help each other, resolve conflict, persevere, find joy, and do great things because of it!

Other Highlights:

• Emma Dizon was able to join us for the day on Monday. Our heroes enjoyed having an older hero in the studio!
• The field trip to the Air Zoo was a great learning experience! Our heroes got the chance to explore planes, learn more about aerodynamics, and learn about the history of rocket science!
• We have now built a total of  4 different kinds of rockets for the Rocket Science Quest!

• How would you describe the culture of Acton Academy based on the following clip (A Day in The Life)? How would you describe the culture of your community at Journey Academy? What ideas did you gain from Acton that could add value to the culture here at Journey Academy? In what ways is our culture unique and special?
•  What process is the MOST important to the flow of our studio at Journey Academy (Socratic Discussions, conflict resolution, hero bucks, core skills, project time, the hero’s journey, project time, badges, or character call-outs)?
• Is it better to show warm-heartedness (compassion), tough-mindedness (sticking to the rules), or a mixture of both? How can you apply this to your relationships with other heroes?
• How have you managed your group’s money throughout the Rocket Science Quest? How can you ensure that your group will have enough money to “buy” supplies throughout the quest?
• Is it better to confront someone when you feel he/she is not acting with kindness, or avoid that person?
• Which experiments have you tried this week that produced a chemical reaction? How could you tell it was a chemical reaction?