Reflecting on Inquiry"School librarians have a unique opportunity to become the “go to” person in the school and help educators learn how to integrate instruction and change the culture of the school." (Coatney, 2013)
Learning Log for LLED 469 - Huge thanks to Professor Jennifer Delvecchio for sharing many of these sites through our course and fellow students for also posting their learnings and tools. |
|
When this course began, I had tried inquiry around our ecosystem. It was a year-long process, interesting but loose and too broad. I had based it off an adapted science fair template borrowed fron a colleague and combined with what I knew about inquiry from the Rocky View School's Weed Lake Project (2015). Students had significant wonder, looked at ecosystem needs and proposed ideas. A good idea, but now I see that areas of clear investigation, weak support around construction, a lack of experts, and too much optimism around completing the fairly difficult resource based projects with the skill level and funding contributed to a mediocre outcome. Thus, my curiosities lay around moving seamlessly from start to finish with the students guiding more, finding better ways to reflect, seeking out expertise, and also finding ways to work through Inquiry in the Ancient World of Socials 7, which can tend to be more instructional with the attempt to throw in "fun" activities. Fontichiaro (2015) provided the concept that reworking it all is not necessary, but moving and changing some key steps, integrating materials with a different focus may be all that is needed to get started. I tried to adopt this approach in my planning.
I was very lucky to be involved in some significant Pro-D this fall; a visit by Trevor Mackenzie, who wrote Dive into Inquiry, and InnovatEd 2018, which largely focused on Inquiry. They corresponded directly to several of the week's topics and answered questions I was seeking at the time, such as "How do you move from a vast array of OK questions, to students working out several powerful questions they can all get behind?" and "how can I incorporate all the resources students need to see in a wonder approach during my unit planning?". Support from our District #23 Instructional Leadership Team has also guided me. Our TL at the school has also been a tremendous support and we are already implementing the unit I planned in Ancient Civilizations. Since taking LLED 469, I gained the skills to fluently understand the nuances of differing approaches, the justification pedagogically behind the process, the need for multiple literacies and differentiated opportunities as well as the importance of student centered learning. Spending significant time weighing the merits of 3 differing models finally drove home the practicality of the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians' Association (BCTLA) Points of Inquiry model (2010) for me. I love to construct, and alas, this is the central section. The THINQ: 4-6 model (2016) had me for a bit, and I am still contemplating using the more complex a Spirals of Inquiry by Kaser and Halbert for the spring indigenous ecosystem inquiry as it pairs so nicely. The elements of each phase actually work with the ecosystem inquiry as well as each action will have an impact that is part of the cycle of learning. I found that much of my time was spent revisiting Module 2: The Parameters of Inquiry. My absolute favorite tool is the Pathfinder SQWORL. No longer do I have to write word documents with boring link lines. Highly visual with the ability to annotate helps me guide students easily and I can continue to add to each of these connections. I can add password and login information and steer students to appropriate reading levels. I have made 4 separate ones already this term! The vast information at first seemed very overwhelming, but as it went on, information came in smaller increments, and I was able to "tweek" my understandings. I questioned the place that Inquiry sits within the realm of student based learning, and still find it a bit grey, but if the students are at the center of the learning, that is the most important. I found my Weebly website, which you are on, to be a fantastic way to organize my thoughts and make sure that the value I have gained is accessible and continues to be of use in my teaching and planning. I have begun to share it out also and am looking forward to finding more outlets through Twitter feeds and other forums where I can learn and contribute about learning. Finally, I end where I began, back at my ecosystem, having travelled through "OTZI", Ancient Civilizations, and still some English Inquiry before the spring launch of the "Indigenous Ecosystem Inquiry". (see blog below). I feel I now have the tools to be able to create meaningful, student-centered learning that will reveal the secrets of the land and the wonderful Peoples that understood it fully. I am comfortable guiding others and suggesting ideas to the whole school. The ecosystem is becoming a place the students love and respect. It provides the "flow" that we talked about in week 3 – LLED 469, and is the "whole-school" concept from week 4, where the LC's vision of a participatory culture has a project everyone can get behind. I look forward to the adventures ahead, have decided to do a Professional Growth Plan around Inquiry this year and will continue to grow and post in this site. One final metaphor. Thanks Jennifer Delvecchio for captaining the ship, taking such good care of your cargo, and all my shipmates, we have sailed well. As we all dive off this boat into the welcoming seas of Inquiry, I wish you well! You are all deeply valued. Sources Cited British Columbia Teacher-Librarians' Association (BCTLA). (2010) Points of Inquiry and Appendix 2 "The Inquiry Cycle" PDF Fontichiaro, K. (2015). Nudging toward inquiry: “What’s inquiry? Well, I’ll know it when I see it.” School Library Monthly 31(4): 49-51. Instructional Leadership Team. (2018) SD23. Conversations, website - https://www.instructionalleadershipteam.com/ile. Accessed 21 Nov. 2018. and Infographic. InnovateEd2018. (Oct. 19, 2018). Mt. Boucherie HS, West Kelowna. https://www.innovate-ed.ca/schedule Mackenzie, T. (2016). Dive into Inquiry. Irvine, California: EdTech Team Press. Mackenzie, Trevor. (2018). KLO Inquiry Workshop. bit.ly/KLOInquiry Rocky View Schools. (June 25, 2015). RVS Learning Story: The Weed Lake Project. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCy_2-AGqM
0 Comments
In the spring, I will fully embrace the Indigenous teaching principles with Indigenous "curriculum". Our BC Socials 7 curriculum specifically includes the need to teach about the Indigenous culture as part of ancient civilizations. With the helpful interactions with our local ecosystem, local indigenous teachers will come to assist students with inquiry around carving and art, plants and medicine, tools, baskets, implements, storytelling, blanket ceremonies, food, and many other things. We have the opportunity, in partnership with our aboriginal ed room to build a truly indigenous garden in our ecosystem. My desire is to immerse them into the culture, and have them grow a deep respect for the way of life, and a desire to honour and protect it. As a community, we will grow our learning and share it with others. Perhaps not the easiest to assess, but I will find a way, and communicate a lot to parents. My expectation is that students that are often "lower" will soar along with the others. Also, I have taken an approach towards reconciliation that we do not create understanding or empathy by sharing stories of sadness and loss alone, but first celebrating the beauty of the indigenous way of life, resurrecting it, embracing it and in that, the inherent idea of loss and tragedy through all the European "progress", can be understood. As an elder said in the Healing Gardens video from St. Albert, reconciliation occurs when we we stop saying "we" and "they" and start saying "us".
In order to effect strong inquiry, I have compiled a briefly annotated bibliography through SQWORL that students can use to learn about the local Syilx culture through language, nature, tools, art and interaction. Students will form their own inquiry questions as a way to explore and share a portion of the culture. Questions may include:
- How can we build a garden that honours our local Syilx population? - How can we promote the knowledge our ecosystem and the Syilx people possess? - Why are certain plants so important to the Indigenous culture? - How can we preserve the beauty of our ecosystem, while still allowing for enjoyment from others? And many more questions can be determined by the students as they learn what stewardship means.
Inherent parts of the process are assessing through the steps, and communication with others as the process unfolds. The underlying dispositions are Curiosity, Criticality, Hopefulness and Open-mindedness, all necessary to foster a "sustainable culture of inquiry-based learning" (Coyler and Watt, 2016).
EVALUATION Wonder and Questioning – Question is given "How can we connect and contribute to our environment?" It is not a student driven question, yet. Discovery journals are given to help the wonder process. Allows for freedom and multiple intelligences learning. A field trip increases wonder, and they build questions on their own that further develop into their inquiries. Revisiting the area later creates more wonder and questions, as the season brings new creatures, look, changes, etc. Investigating and Exploring – Many experts come and share about the environment, students are gathering information about the history, purpose and importance of the area while building the connection to it. Revisiting the site develops a deeper understanding. At this point, students are developing a project that would allow them to "contribute to Weed Lake". They researched on plants, animals and bugs that were found there. It is another way for some students to explore the traditional "Bird Unit". Kids are making sense about how the ecological processes work. Making Sense They researched on plants, animals and bugs that were found there. Reflections and Sharing - The development of a QR code helped to share out the information they compiled on Wikipedia. A final trip to Weed Lake, students reflect through questioning about the importance of the area and the importance of their research. They also understand how they connect to the space. They also reflect on their learning. They even deal with some management issues in comments. Students were able to verbalize each of these things. Other Elements In making learning visible, the teacher created a board of all the steps, using wonder, photos, student work, flow elements, questions asked and outcomes. "Each day students would walk by this board and wonder what would happen next." This fostered a strong curiosity throughout. REFLECTIONS ON THE WEED LAKE PROJECT The level of these students was Grades 2 and 3. What they were able to accomplish was remarkable. The teachers fostered curiosity with the use of a posting system, giving validation to students throughout. Hopefulness occurred when students realized they were helping to educate people, which could help in preservation of the space. They also felt they could bring their kids there one day and show them. Open-mindedness was fostered with the use of many experts offering varied education, many wonder visits, inquiry journals which allowed their minds to simply explore on their own terms and lots of communication among the students as they explored the area and ideas. Criticality in the Making Sense phase was perhaps the one area that was lacking. Though this was a wonderful process, and the outcomes for a grade 2/3 class need to be manageable for the abilities, I failed to see how all the wonders and personal questions translated into their work. The final product, was an adaptation of the bird unit (or bugs, or plants or animals). The information they gathered was readily available and easily plagiarized. Fontichiaro (2009) notes that “when instructional design is reduced to word-moving or copying disconnected facts, students are learning to copy, not learning to learn” (p. 18). Many students wondered about garbage, or processes, but the ultimate outcome was easily researched facts, which required very little critical thought regarding solutions. Though "synthesis" may have occurred in compiling several resources together and efforts to avoid plagiarism instructed on (unsure), there was no element of interpretation, real investigation, or even a real question that drove their research beyond "contributing" to a database. This is the hardest part of inquiry, where students have big questions, with sometimes open ended, or unfound answers that they must develop answers for based on what they learn. Perhaps though, given the process that was already undertaken, where they did this inherently throughout, it may have hindered their overall success and created a frustration level that would be hard to overcome. Perhaps the manageable, if not very critical, final task was a necessary tradeoff in this specific project. Also, it may be a part of a building process where students the following year tackle bigger issues. Weekly reflections: This week, I had the fortune to participate in the "InnovateEd2018" (links to all workshops and resources). I was impressed by the level of inquiry and the tools to work with. I attended "Unplanning the Inquiry Cycle", where I learned how a student driven approach to collaborating on several key questions could work. It was the main question I had going into the day, so wonderfully helpful. For my ecosystem, I attended a workshop called "Place Based Learning" where I was able to take away lessons involving connecting to our ecosystem in a meaningful way by personal interaction and inquiry into what the space means to you. A great way to start a unit on the elements of the creek for ecosystem function, human usefulness, management, story, and poetry. Makey Makey also clicked a few thoughts around involving technology to reinforce learning while allowing for play and open inquiry and problem solving around the technology. I have been looking for ways to differentiate my skill set, thus part of the LC training purpose, and I was the sole attender in a Canvas workshop. I have always been impressed with the framework we learn on and find it great for differentiated and self-directed learning. It also lends well to inquiry, where students can collaborate in contained groups, allowing for accountability, and also on the whole Google Suite within the framework. They have created a "sandbox" for me and I am excited to see how it could be used for school-wide literacy REFERENCES Coyler, Jill and Watt, Jennifer (2016). Ch. 1. Getting Started: Inquiry-based learning with junior learners (THINQ 4-6: Inquiry-Based Learning in the Junior Classroom). Wave Learning Solutions Inc. Publication Fontichiaro, K. (2009). Nudging toward inquiry – Re-envisioning existing research projects. School Library Monthly 26(1): 17-19 InnovateEd2018. (Oct. 19, 2018). Mt. Boucherie HS, West Kelowna. https://www.innovate-ed.ca/schedule Rocky View Schools. (June 25, 2015). RVS Learning Story: The Weed Lake Project. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCy_2-AGqM Note that many principles from this blog are based in Ekdahl's presentation (~ 2014) from week 4's reading in - Collaboration presentation.
The Question: Referring to the Collaboration presentation by Ekdahl: the “systematic approach” and “10 simple strategies”, as a TL in Secondary, you have been asked by 2 members of the English department to help them plan a literature circles unit. They want the novels to delve deeper around social issues and want the students to be more engaged in the unit as well as be more accountable as a whole class. One teacher is concerned about choice and writing output and the other is striving for more open-ended tasks to represent their learning. Both want to embrace the notion of an inquiry project. The Initial Idea - First, how great that teachers have come to the TL instead of having to promote literacy at the photocopier, in the halls, staffroom, etc. One of my concerns recently over the novels we have chosen for our literature circles is tht there are very few novels that deal with topical issues, they are more for entertainment only. In some regards, I see this takes the stress off of teachers who may not be comfortable acting as the "counsellor", as these novels may trigger trauma based responses. My daughter was in an optional "Battle of the Books" in grade 6 where the teacher had 25 exceptional novels, each dealing with a different social issue. My goal is to one day replicate this when I am a TL and invested in a school. Merging the Goals - The two teachers goals are not mutually exclusive. Voice and choice and writing output as well as open ended inquiry can be scaffolded into a nice unit that engages each students' unique interests and multiple intelligences. Also, a variety of pathways can be implemented and the teacher can pick and choose which direction to go. Choice is so important. Students are more engaged and enjoy reading more when they have choice, according to Miller (2009). Miller also noted that worksheets and drills stifle the passion for reading; therefore, I would encourage the teachers to be less structured in their approach and seek out extension activities that would prove enjoyable for students. Prior to outlining some activities that may work to meet the needs of the students, scheduling and creating a team would be paramount. Team Meetings and Preparation: Before getting into the Systematic Approach, building the team will be important. The casual conversations have obviously occurred and teacher needs have been identified. The next step would be to plan a time to meet, and as the TL, it is my responsibility to intitiate this. I would come armed to the first meeting with several ideas around multiple options for product creation as a final assessment, including music, art, poetry, film, journalism, drama and writing options to allow for everyones differing talents to be showcased. I would also have a list of age appropriate and high interest novels (mainstream and district reading lists) that meet the thematic criteria of "Social Issues". Finally, some strategies around effective communication in Literature Circles (see Daniels and Steineke, 2004) and other mini activities (interactive bookmarks, plot sketching) to build knowledge and interact with the novel along the way would be important to propose. However, presenting these would be secondary to hearing and understanding the needs of both teachers and seeing where their interests intersect or can be guided. Several options exist for meeting times (in order) - common preps, Pro-D times, release time, lunch or outside the school day. Perhaps lunch can be bought from the LC budget to entice the team. Discussions, preferrably face to face with calendars in hand with all 3 parties attending would be most desireable, if not, several meeting times could be proposed over email. The implementation date would impact urgency as well as whether the teachers are long-range or short range planners. Important aspects to initially set would be: 1) The role of each, with the teacher guiding the curricullum and student coordination (communicating what kids know and what they need to learn) with the TL supporting resources, ordering and assisting with inquiry and activity ideas, as well as some preliminary guided inquiry mini-lessons perhaps. 2) How assessment will occur during and at the end of the project and what type of assessment (observation, formative, verbal, final) 3) Debriefing time set aside at the end also. Based on starting with the goal in mind, what will success look like and what challenges were faced and possible next steps. I would aim for meeting each week, time allowing, as it gives time to work on things between sessions but maintains a level of energy. At the end of each meeting, a reasonable level of work should be set out for each party in an Action Plan. If a chunk of time during a Pro-D or with TOC's could be arranged to complete the bulk of the work is always useful. Building Inquiry - With the ultimate goals to be writing and inquiry, several ideas spring to mind: 1. Perhaps during or after reading the book, students could be asked to write a new chapter, either at the end or one they think may have been missing, or could add some depth. A true understanding of plot and character and considerable insight into character would be needed. Students may have to revisit the text several times to "inquire" about character's qualities. speaking styles, reactions, mental state, etc. to get this accurate. Students could also write diaries from the protagonists point of view, being sensitive to their psyche at the time of writing. 2. Innovative output extensions as mentioned above which transverse a wide range of multiple intelligences would involve students to synthesize plot, thematic, symbolism and motif elements, and constantly question - "How do I best represent this novel in a media form that I excel in?" 3. The intentionality behind the social issues in the novel would mean the teachers, most importantly would want students to inquire more about these themes. Questions like - "What solutions do you see could exist for the problems in the novel? - be realistic and understand the implications of each action you may choose" or "How could one seek help facing the issues that they faced? What is a typical response versus what is a proactive response to the situations the character faced?" or "How would you go about running a campaign to raise awareness for this social issue? What barriers would you foresee and how might they be overcome" or "You are chosen to give a speech on this social issue at a global mmock U.N for teens. What speech would you write? What approach would be most effective to garner support for this issue? (Week 3 discussions reflected on ideas like this) Reflections on this week: I loved the topic this week. I have always taken on BIG projects and enjoy the balancing act of many activities. At home, there are usually no less than 5 renovation prjects on the go (though we do not live in chaos, I have to be quick), and as a teacher, I took on Grad and Leadership, where I was often in 3 places at once during the breaks. It makes the day go fast, keeps the mind moving and creates a vibrant culture in the school and a positive buzz in the kids. Now I manage the creek, the school wide project that demands inquiry; at least that is my role to create. The LC as the hub of the school, the TL as the facilitator of great learning - from start to finish- is where I think I will thrive. I particularly enjoyed when others shared practical tools and ideas. Barriers exist for everyone, and some more than others, but I feel there is always a way around. Just like the magic trick I show kids, about how to get the ring off the string...seems impossible, but just a few shifts and voila. Life is the same. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SH7umD5m40 Works Cited Daniels, H., & Steineke, N. (2004). Mini-lessons for Literature Circles. Portsmouth, Nh Heinemann. Miller, Donalynn. (2009). The Book Whisperer. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Francisco. What model speaks to you? Why?
The premise of the THINQ 4-6 model is that "Inquiry is deeply rooted in an essential question that invites the learner to wonder, think deeply and explore" (Coyler and Watt, 2016) When one is looking at an ecosystem with virtually unending questions, the ability to wonder and think critically is so important. THINK 4-6 allows for that initial play, and even the openness to wonder without a question. It speaks to me because it truly understands the differences in disciplines and tries to combine them into 1 usable approach that speaks to many disciplines. In Figures 1.6-1.8 in particular (Coyler and Watt, p. 9). the scientific, math and design and build inquiry models would work well for ecosystem inquiry and intervention. The inherent nature of these models is incorporated into the THINQ 4-6. It is important when doing a school-wide project, as Coatney, 2015, notes that common goals in a school are important for what should be the meat and potatoes of the curriculum. THINQ 4-6 is univeral, simple and adaptable enough in a middle school setting to do this. What project/exemplar can you see yourself adapting for your students? The best example of pure inquiry that I enjoy that gets students interacting with nature is the Weed Lake Project. It offers a great wonder exercise and students develop voice and choice. The end result speaks to me as well with the posting to Wikipedia. I could see a lot more opportunities such as hyperdocs, website development, video creation, photo storage and much more that could expand beyond just cataloguing what was learned. What type of inquiry would you be more apt to suggest to different members of your staff versus your personal preference? Science is one area that would definitely be interested in doing the inquiry. I believe that the scientific model presented in Coyler and Watt (p.9), would appeal most to them. Given the focus on socio-emotional learning in BC's new curriculum (BC Ministry of Education, 2018), even Science may want to add some of the connection pieces in the model, understanding the emotions behind the learning. We also have a strong Indigenous population and in the framework of the BC's curriculum development (BC Ministry of Education, 2015), there is the responsibility to teach these core principles. The Spirals of Inquiry offer this. It may be of interest to form a collaborative team to find ways to incorporate socio-emotional linkages and Indigenous perspectives extensions into a core model for the school. And any other thoughts, ideas, comparisons that you can detail that crafts new understandings about inquiry? If the Learning commons is no longer the "hub" but the "brain" of the school (Asselin and Doiron, 2008) and technical tools are a key part of advancing knowledge (Todd, 2009), then educators must be versed in the options that facilitate quality and relevant inquiry. I have begun compiling list of tools in the Ideas and Resources page that may prove useful in the pursuit of engagement through inquiry. Reflection: Personally, I love gamification and fun in the class, but now understand that thought this can be a pathway to inquiry, it is often surficial and promotes simple answer seeking, but not true inquiry. Last year, I developed a wonderful document around the ecosystem and Inquiry, and the introductory lessons went very well, but with the level I had for students (and most made it to an adequate solution), we did not get to the project write-up, just presentations. This is teaching me much about how to pace and develop the whole plan. Next Steps: Play with tools for reflection and deepening learning to present a different learning log format that is more connected with ideas and uses technology I may use in the class. References (without links above) Asselin, M. & Doiron, R. (2008). Towards a transformative pedagogy for school libraries 2.0. School Libraries Worldwide 14(2): 1-18. BC Ministry of Education. (2015). Curriculum Framework Document – Phase 2. Retrieved from http://www.ndta.ca/uploads/1/0/0/4/10045221/curriculum_framework_stage_2.pdf BC Ministry of Education. (2018). BC's New Curriculum. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/ Coatney, S. (2015). Essential questions and answers for implementing inquiry. School Library Monthly 31(5): 11-13 Kuhlthau, C. C. (2009). Guided inquiry: Strategies for teaching in the 21st century. IASL 2009 Pre-Conference Presentation: School Libraries in the Picture: Preparing Pupils for the Future. Padua and Abano Terme, Italy: International Association of School Librarians (IASL). |
About MeFuture Teacher Librarian out of Kelowna. Loves track, soccer, renovating and the outdoors. Archives
November 2018
Categories |