Inquiry-Based Learning

What does it mean to be too teacher-directed in your teaching?  I think we all know the answer to that question. Haven't we all been in classroom where the teacher talks way too much?  We've have been taught that educators are supposed to be focused on supporting and guiding students in their learning.  What does that mean exactly?  It means that students are the ones who need to get excited and curious about all aspects of their learning.  This type of student engagement begins with getting students to ask questions.  The teacher needs to create a safe environment where it's okay to explore.  A variety of resources need to be made available for discoveries to be made.  While this all seems very obvious, in today's world of teacher accountability and testing, it's can easily be forgotten.  Good teachers and administrators recognize that while exploration may look a little "messy," it is the key to being able to apply skills and information.

Why does this matter?  How does Inquiry-Based Learning help in the real world?   It is helpful in a number of ways.   We live in a world where people must be able to adapt to an ever-changing set of challenges and demands.  Inquiry-based learning is very useful in teaching students to ask questions, think critically and find solutions.   For this reason, it can be very beneficial to students and teachers.  We all know how incredibly important 21st Century skills are for workers of all ages these days.  Building this skill set should be a critical objective for any teacher.  The students of tomorrow will have to be  good problem solvers.  They'll have to be able to 'think long" about a topic.  They'll have to possess good "habits of mind".    Furthermore, students are supposed to develop a true love for learning that stems from their experiences in the classroom.    By asking questions, and focusing on the "process" of exploration and discovery, students are able to direct their own learning.  As a result, the students will be more connected to what is happening in the classroom.   If this is true, they will presumably take ownership over their learning and therefore be able to apply more of their learning and skills to new situations.

Universal Design for Learning - A Concept Map

I downloaded a 30 Day Free Trial of the Inspiration Software program and used it to create this concept map.  Inspiration is a very easy program to use.  It does not have nearly as many features as Adobe Photoshop.  Nevertheless, it is a very helpful and fun tool that can be used to organize ideas.  The concept map that you see below is one that I created to better understand the ideas related to Universal Design for Learning.

Universal Design for Learning is a very interesting concept which basically enables educators to provide more options for their students.  We all know how incredibly important it is to differentiate for all students.  The strategies and ideas presented through Universal Design, allow teachers to design lesson plans and activities that are better suited to their students' needs.  This in turn, allows them to better achieve the learning objectives and goals that they have set for their students.  If properly used, Digital Media can also be used in numerous ways to better reach students with a variety of learning styles and needs.  The possibilities for manipulating text and images are endless!!

A possible use for Adobe Photoshop

Adobe PhotoShop can be helpful to educators in many ways.  It is an extremely versatile tool!  The sample student activity above demonstrates one way Adobe PhotoShop might be used with a third grade class.  Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan is a very well written story with a lot of imagery and figurative language.  Throughout the book, Sarah, who is the main character, is experiencing an emotional struggle between returning home to the family she misses and staying and developing a relationship with her new family.  Her feelings change from chapter to chapter.  In this case, the teacher might have students manipulate an image of themselves on a continuum to represent how they think Sarah is in a story is feeling after each chapter.  The students would also be asked to explain their thinking and support their ideas with examples from the book.  This lesson plan would specifically address the CT State Content Standard #1, which relates to Reading and Responding To Texts.  This standard states that: "Students will read and respond in individual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary, informational and persuasive texts."    Some of the objectives listed under this standard include having the students:  

	a.     describe the thoughts, opinions and questions that arise as they read, view or listen to a text and use relevant information from the text to summarize the content
	b.     use what they know to identify or infer important characters, settings, themes, events, ideas, relationships or details within a work
	c.     analyze, elaborate on and respond critically to works
	d.     identify the type of text and use strategies (talking and writing, utilizing graphic organizers, drawing, listing, creating time lines, etc.) to accomplish a range of reading tasks
	e.     ask and answer their own and each other’s literal and inferential text-related questions
	f.     listen to, read and view texts, tell periodically how they think texts will turn out, then read to decide if their predictions prove accurate
	This use of Adobe PhotoShop corresponds to all of the objectives listed above.  In addition, this lesson idea could be adapted to a number of reading lessons.  For example, a teacher could present students with a persuasive essay and ask them to choose and defend a perspective of their own using the above continuum.

Response to " Teddy Bears go Blogging"

I really enjoyed reading this article.  This is a terrific use of technology in the classroom.  Brenda Sherry has developed a wonderful program that many teachers could easily replicate.  Blogging between classes is an exciting way to teach reading and writing.  It is also a tremendous way to build community.  I can only imagine how thrilled the students must have been to communicate in such a dynamic way.  I would love to hear about the relationships that were formed.  Can you imagine the writers meeting face to face after a lengthy series of exchanges?  Now,that would be a lot of fun!! 

Very often students who are reluctant, struggling writers feel incredibly frustrated.  This type of immediate audience, and therefore gratification, might encourage students to enjoy the process more.  This is an activity that definitely addresses some of the, "21st Century skills" that are so often referenced.   Written communication between colleagues seems to be the driving force in most workplaces.  I can't think of a school based activity that better supports the acquisition of these types of skills.

I am especially impressed by Brenda Sherry's attention to detail in the safety department. The use of the keyboard and oral messaging is also very useful for students who may need modifications in the writing department.  I believe that this kind of activity is an excellent use of instructional time.  It's also an inexpensive way to allow students to "visit" other places.  If I were to launch a unit like this I would definitely use the book, "Whoever you are" by Mem Fox!!

Content Standard 1: Reading and Responding K-4

This is the standard that I plan to focus on for the semester.  I am not yet sure how I will link activities for different learning styles to this standard.

I may create a storyboard with a variey of leveled and short texts that link up with corresponding minilesson or guided reading activities. It may be better to have them link up with independent reading activities and leave the guided reading/minilesson  piece to the teacher.  I really am not sure yet. I need to become more familiar with what storyboards are typically used for.  I also need to brush up on my Fountas and Pinnell books to come up with some ideas.  I need to make sure that I have all of the learning styles covered.  What about differentiating for students with special needs?    I plan to research this next week. 

Movies in class - What a novel concept!

Creating Lifelong Learners
by Matthew Needleman
9/6/2010

"The Right Way to Show Movies in Class"

Okay, what I like about this blog is it actually addresses/presents a suggestions on how to best implement a concrete activity (ie; showing a movie to students) that teachers can examine, consider and potentially use.  So much of the professional development training that is designed for teachers seems to fall very short in the most important area.  That is, while pedagogy and philosophies are incredibly important, many teacher instructors are unable or unwilling to suggest actual lesson plans that incorporate their ideas.  Teachers are always looking to create new lesson plans or learning based activities.  They desperately lack the time to collaborate with their peers so this blog is refreshingly simple and useful.   

 The blogger Matthew Needleman presents some very good strategies. Having worked in a few schools where movies were forbidden I think he is brave to address the topic.  I agree that if presented properly, the movie viewing will be taken seriously by the students.  Even more importantly, it can and will be extremely effective in achieving learning objectives.  Let's face it a teacher can present all the articles/readings in the world on the horrors of fossil fuels etc. but a simple film that depicts exhaust, oil spills, mining disasters etc. can have much more of an impact on students.  

One important tip that I would add would be to make sure that you preview the movie ahead of time.  As with any lesson, the objective should be clearly stated in kid language.  A teacher should definitely point out the part of the film that addresses the objective and that they want to students to pay extra attention to during the film.  As Matthew Needleman points out task to be performed during the film is a must to not only improve student focus but to also remind the students that the movie viewing is to be taken seriously.  I love the evaluation piece.  I wonder would the teacher tell the students at the beginning of the movie that they'll be expected to evaluate it at the end of the clip?     Furthermore, what about extension activities?  What might they include?  I think that there are some remaining challenges for teachers on how to differentiate for students with different learning styles and special needs.  Nevertheless, movie viewing is a definitely worth using in the classroom!

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