OK! Another orienteering field trip!
Biking was to school, to Fresh Pond, around Fresh Pond to place controls, then to school, then work, and (eventually) home.
A beautiful day, sunny and cool, sandwiched between rainy days. It almost seems more than luck.
This was a good size outing for me. It was relatively sane: I got more than 4 hours of sleep last night, and didn't feel rushed. Dave helped with various preparations as usual.
Notes to self:
* Make instructions for chaperones - teacher Kristina did this without me suggesting it. Review them with the chaperones (review everything with everyone a lot more).
* Training on Friday took from 1:00 to 2:15. Not sure whether that included Izzy's presentation; probably. The outside groups and the flash card people (Feature Readers) took longer. The Planners had the issue that they were "take charge" people and so needed more emphasis on listening as opposed to directing. Maybe they should be called Listeners.
* Be more generous with the time. In the hour, the kids got most of the controls, but some started fairly late.
* Plan a reflection afterward. Interview them on camera about their experience?
* With more prep time, could train more deeply, including (possibly self) assessments, homework. Could train everyone in everything. Teams could help each other learn to some basic level of competence. Flash cards for features, contours, even distance estimation. Could make movies of teams in action: what to do, what not to do; emphasize different roles. Make available via YouTube. Can David make a Scratch project with flashcards? Can Scratch incorporate video? One thing could just be turning the map until it lines up with a compass, or features, or the sun...
* I was surprised that teams chose controls that were scattered across the map instead of doing one bunched area. Found out that was because the teacher (not Kristina) had directed them that way, thinking it was more "fair". But it wasn't a competition, so would perhaps have been OK.
* Consider talking through an "end game" for getting the last few controls. Include cell phone communication. Talk through this and other strategies ahead of time with the class (come back together as a team and finalize strategy, then have class meeting to share?).