Think Aloud

When I think about inquiry learning I think about students asking questions to find out more information on the current topic the teacher is explaining.  But inquiry based learning is so much more.  I’ve added my own words in the tagxedo below to give you a glimpse into what I’m thinking inquiry based learning is all about.  

 

In the article this week by Neil Stephenson, we read about inquiry based learning and the eight principles that guide teachers as they introduce inquiry based learning into their classroom.  Those eight principles are:  authenticity, deep understanding, performances of learning, assessment, technology, expertise, success, ethical citizenship.

When I think about the upcoming mini-lesson assignment I  think I want to do a 3^rd grade social studies theme.  I have been working on a lot of resources based on the following third grade social studies standards.

 

SS3H2 The student will discuss the lives of Americans who expanded people’s rights and freedoms in a democracy.

As I look at the eight principles of inquiry learning my thoughts are as follows: 1.        Authenticity -  In thinking about this concept I have to relate the historical figures  to names in today’s world by asking the following questions. a.        Do you know anyone that served in the military?  Remember the veteran’s day program we had at school last November?  Did any of your grandparents attend?  Do you know who Martin Luther King is?  2.        Deep Understanding -  I just don’t want my students to learn the information I share with them I want to provide other resources that they can learn from. 3.       Performances of learning – I want my students to share the information they have learned with their peers this can be done through classroom group discussion or with the use of technology. 4.       Assessment – I want students to tell me something they learned by using both formative and summative assessments. 5.       Technology – I want my students to be able to use technology to share what they have learned.  This can be done with a blog and online presentation. 6.       Expertise – In the Benton community we have a local historian that visits our school regularly.  She shares stories from her childhood and stories that her parents have passed down to her.  She can provide some expertise on all the topic included in my third grade standard. 7.       Success – Goals set by 3rd graders might not be what I would want them to be.  But with my guidance I think the 3rd graders could set some goals about assignments and expectations. 8.       Ethical Citizenship – This past year I have been involved in introducing students to digital citizenship and real world citizenship.  I will continue this during this school year.

 

Revisiting My Personal Learning Goals with a Focus on Mindset, Net-savviness, and Diversity

I had no idea when I defined my goals for this class way back in week 1 that my brain would be close to exploding with NEW information.  I’ve learned everything from how to be a better internet searcher to a whole list of new and exciting tools to use with my students.   The growth mindset topic this week is informative.  Changing our mindset from fixed to continually growing and learning is so important to us as educators because education is always changing and we do need to be those lifelong learners.  Having a growth mindset toward information fluency skills is so important today.  Because tools and learning styles are constantly changing and the way we access information is continuing to change.  Without those positive information fluency skills we can be left behind because we have to be open to exploring and learning new things.

Letting Go

Are our students learning in an environment that is relevant to the world we are living in?   Doesn’t that mean letting go to a certain extent for our teachers.  It’s about allowing student to personalize their learning.  Not defining the tool they use to show what they have learned.  It is also not about removing the teachers from the classroom.  At least for me it’s not--- it’s about bringing the world into the classroom so the teacher has more resources available than ever before to teach students what they need to know to be successful.  Students today need to know how to search for the answer to the question they have.  The question might be from a teacher or it might be a question they come up with on their own.  To meet the needs of the students we have to understand how to teach students about inquiry.  Technology can help teacher do this by transforming the way we teach, present information and find the questions that teachers and students are asking.  I’d never really thought in terms of the information age and how important teaching wisdom to students really is.  But that is so true. 

 We no longer live in a memorize, take a test world.  The world is constantly changing and our students need to be prepared to search for the next “big question” and the next “big answer”.  I believe inquiry along with critical thinking skills will help our students as they prepare to meet the world and the challenges in it.