Year 5 has been working in the kitchen garden, growing peas and beans in the classroom and inquiring into the biological and environmental considerations to be taken into account when growing plants. Some of their questions were answered this morning over Skype by Laurel who’s a plant expert and happens to live in the UK!
Laurel is used to advising middle aged people and enjoyed the opportunity to engage with kids. The kids were lucky to have an expert 
right there in the room to answer their questions in person.
When I blogged last year about the visitor from India, it was our first experience of this kind of interaction. We are becoming more used to the idea of flattening the classroom walls. It’s so easy! We need to do more of this kind of thing 🙂
What Ed Said 
Isn’t it amazing how technology has made it possible for students to interact with experts on everything? Your students are so lucky to have a teacher who will help them make these learning connections.
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What a great experience! 🙂
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I really love the idea of bringing an expert into the classroom via Skype as my students have loved using Skype to talk to our blogging buddies overseas (and I have too!).
The question is, where do you find the experts? Where did you find your garden expert? Is the best way just to take a chance at emailing random “experts”? I’d love to flatten the classroom walls even more in my Grade Two class!
I am loving your blog. Such valid and refreshing thoughts.
Keep it up!
Kathleen
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Wow, Kathleen, thanks so much!
Re the experts. I think once you are open to the idea, it gets easier… we were talking about the unit in the staffroom and the teachers said the kids had asked great questions, but books and websites on the topic were at too high a level. We thought using primary sources would work best and started thinking about who we could bring in, when our ICT teacher suddenly said’ My sister works in this field. Let’s get her on skype’ ! It just doesn’t matter where in the world people are any more!! I did think I would try and create a register of interested experts (see an earlier blogpost) but have put it on hold for the moment for a number of reasons. The more I develop a PLN worldwide, the wider my connections will be. Let’s keep exploring ways to find experts and then share!!
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I think you’re right, the best idea is to just rely on a broad PLN. I look forward to scoping out more experts this year and will let you know how I get on! Flattening those classroom walls is so rewarding in so many ways!
Kathleen
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