Day 2: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at....
OK, here goes. Today I am going to share a brief taste of Learning through Inquiry.
BOOM.
That is my topic for you guys... I am am putting on my educator hat - grabbing a pail and am going to splash some warm and wonderful, fun, inspiration for you, whether you are a parent, a teacher, a wonderer or brilliant learner.
My job as a PYP coordinator is to support the development of an inquiry-based curriculum both at a classroom level but also as a whole school. There are many aspects of my job that I love but one big one is witnessing children become self-directed learners through our inquiry process!
As learners, children are natural investigators. Experimenting, asking questions... Exploring our world and all the while taking on new skills and understandings. There is fantastic energy and potential that is harnessed through play-based learning and inquiry opportunities. Building on meaning through exploration is really what it means to be an inquirer.
So, I hear you ask, is inquiry able to develop real skills and understanding? What about math? What about phonics and all the other important 'stuff'? I like that question. You are thinking critically. That is also is what is facilitated through this focus on learning. One important shift in paradigms with inquiry learning is that it focuses on the process not the product. We are not always looking for students to answer instructions such as, complete questions 1 - 10 by the end of the lesson. We want to encourage the question of 'How did you work that out?'
A key factor is that inquiry must be purposeful and strategic. It's not just about saying 'Hey kids, were going learn about {X} and don't forget to ask lots of questions about it!'
Inquiry should be based on provocative questions rather than the content you need to cover. When this happens momentum is built. The level you can then delve into is more deeper and critical thinking is developed, bringing the child into a more active role.
Well, I hope that sparks something for you.
Here is a mini example from my class last year:
One of our units of inquiry was on 'How We Express Ourselves' and in particular expression through poetry. The students asked about different ways of making poetry fun and interesting. They were wondering about imagery. So, rather than just filling a question sheet about learning to distinguish between similes and metaphors. Last year my students wrote their own metaphors and had a snowball fight in the classroom with them, they then had to ask themselves 'Is this a metaphor or a simile?'
OK, here goes. Today I am going to share a brief taste of Learning through Inquiry.
BOOM.
That is my topic for you guys... I am am putting on my educator hat - grabbing a pail and am going to splash some warm and wonderful, fun, inspiration for you, whether you are a parent, a teacher, a wonderer or brilliant learner.
"Be curious. Try new things. What people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity."
- Aaron Swartz
My job as a PYP coordinator is to support the development of an inquiry-based curriculum both at a classroom level but also as a whole school. There are many aspects of my job that I love but one big one is witnessing children become self-directed learners through our inquiry process!
As learners, children are natural investigators. Experimenting, asking questions... Exploring our world and all the while taking on new skills and understandings. There is fantastic energy and potential that is harnessed through play-based learning and inquiry opportunities. Building on meaning through exploration is really what it means to be an inquirer.
So, I hear you ask, is inquiry able to develop real skills and understanding? What about math? What about phonics and all the other important 'stuff'? I like that question. You are thinking critically. That is also is what is facilitated through this focus on learning. One important shift in paradigms with inquiry learning is that it focuses on the process not the product. We are not always looking for students to answer instructions such as, complete questions 1 - 10 by the end of the lesson. We want to encourage the question of 'How did you work that out?'
A key factor is that inquiry must be purposeful and strategic. It's not just about saying 'Hey kids, were going learn about {X} and don't forget to ask lots of questions about it!'
Inquiry should be based on provocative questions rather than the content you need to cover. When this happens momentum is built. The level you can then delve into is more deeper and critical thinking is developed, bringing the child into a more active role.
"The questions young people ask remind us that the search for meaning is fundamental to what it is to be human. The urge to inquire activates thinking on many levels and in many forms. When we seek to make sense of the world around us, we wonder, we plan, we analyse, we create, we reflect. At its very heart, inquiry is all about thinking – thinking in order to make meaning."
Well, I hope that sparks something for you.
Here is a mini example from my class last year:
One of our units of inquiry was on 'How We Express Ourselves' and in particular expression through poetry. The students asked about different ways of making poetry fun and interesting. They were wondering about imagery. So, rather than just filling a question sheet about learning to distinguish between similes and metaphors. Last year my students wrote their own metaphors and had a snowball fight in the classroom with them, they then had to ask themselves 'Is this a metaphor or a simile?'
We made our own similes and metaphors about the seasons and had a "snowball fight" with them!
A blurry action shot as we throw our snowballs
Duhn du du duun!! (adventure-ish music)
I hope you enjoyed this snapshot of what it means to learn through inquiry.
Let me know what you think!
Let me know what you think!
interesting stuff.
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