Spotlight on HOM 

Thinking Interdependently

Already this term in Year 2 we have had many opportunities to learn about what ‘Thinking Interdependently’ means and practise using this Habit in real life scenarios.

We began the term by unpacking what ‘interdependent’ means. Students and teachers discussed that ‘inter’ means together and that ‘interdependently’ means working together. We have connected this with our understanding of group work and that we work in many different types of groups during our school and extracurricular activities: pairs, small groups, large groups and teams. For example, in Year 2 we have writing partners and writing groups which require us to work interdependently, we also represent teams during PE lessons and at our sporting clubs, while others work in groups to solve problems during Cubs and Guides activities to name just a few!

In class groups we have talked about and been reminded of what behaviours are needed for groups to work successfully and that our role within a group may change at different times. We know that group work involves listening to each other, discussing ideas, learning from each other, encouraging one another, knowing that there can be a variety of ways to solve a task or problem and, of course, trying again when we're unsuccessful the first time.

In the photos and short videos presented, you can see many examples of Year 2 students ‘Thinking Interdependently’ in a variety of situations so far this term. Teachers have particularly planned sessions involving small group work so that students have many opportunities to build their group work skills. These have included construction with cards, Lego, cups and blocks, group measurement tasks in maths and sharing time in writing.

On our excursion to Rippon Lea Estate, students faced many activities where they needed to ‘Think Interdependently.’ Old-fashioned games such as skipping involved many discussions and attempts before being successful!

As we shine the spotlight on the Habit ‘Thinking Interdependently’ this term, we continue to look forward to providing many challenges and opportunities for our students to develop their skills for working collaboratively in a variety of group situations.

The Year Two Team