Tag: Inquiry

Liked Tight yet loose: questions and resolutions for the year ahead … (kathmurdoch.com.au)
One of the keys to resisting calcification of our thinking is, of course, to question. To regularly question ourselves and bring questions to our team that invite reflection, dialogue and perhaps, new resolutions.  Here are some of my favourite questions to loosen thinking …

  • Why am I an educator?  What brings me to this work? Has my ‘why’ changed over the years?
  • How do I see this work? Is it a job? A career? A vocation?
  • How do I ‘see’ children?  What is my image of the child?  How does this image influence the way I teach
  • How do I see myself as a teacher?  What metaphors do I currently hold for myself as a teacher?
  • How do I see the curriculum? Friend or foe?
  • What is learning? How do people learn? How would I explain what learning is to others?
  • What is the role of the environment in learning?
  • What does this classroom space – and the way it is curated – say about teaching and learning?  What might it say about what I value?
  • How have I changed as an educator over the years?  What might I want to change in the year to come?
  • What am I most curious about right now? What am I hungry to learn more about or learn to do or be?
  • What do I consider to be the main purposes of schools?

Source: Tight yet loose – questions and resolutions for the year ahead … by Kath Murdoch

Bookmarked I come in peace … (more) thoughts on navigating the extremes (kathmurdoch.com.au)
Kath Murdoch provides some thoughts on navigating between the worlds of inquiry and direct instruction. She highlights that there are many different definitions as to what constitutes inquiry (and direct instruction), there is quality teaching across many different pedagogical approaches, inquiry is not the answer for every situation (neither is DI?), inquiry does include elements of instruction, there is evidence for both sides, inquiry values knowledge, and is curriculum is inside out.
Bookmarked https://danmeyer.substack.com/p/how-to-not-waste-your-only-life-debating (danmeyer.substack.com)

From partisans of Inquiry-Based Learning™, I can take ideas for inviting student knowledge. I can take activity designs that draw out of students what they already know, activity designs that activate inert knowledge and yield mental resources a teacher can use in their direct instruction.

From proponents of Direct Instruction™, I an take ideas for developing student knowledge. I can take designs for teacher instruction that respect the cognitive architecture of the brain, principles for using multimedia in learning, and the ways all of the above can help students productively re-organize their existing ideas.

See? That was easy! You can change your life right now by starting with broad, sturdy premises about learning that cut across these branded, self-limiting ideas.

Source: How to Not Waste Your Only Life Debating Direct Instruction and Inquiry-Based Learning by Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer pushes back on the debate between Direct Instruction™ or Inquiry Based Learning™ instead calling for a middle ground where you borrow the best of both worlds. This reminds me of my idea of a ‘pedagogical cocktail‘. I think that the real challenge is actually knowing what you are drinking.

Replied to TB872: Differences between project management and systemic inquiry by Doug Belshaw (dougbelshaw.com)

Using Agile software development as a touchstone for linking systemic inquiry and project management.

Doug, I have really enjoyed your current learning out loud with your Masters in Systems Thinking. This piece really stuck with me. I have been grappling a bit with project management and the agile methodology since been asked to complete a course as a part of my change of roles where I work. I think I had thought that I was being agile (maybe little a agile), but was left struck by the rigidity required in actually sticking to the process. (I am guess this is where your focus on being deliberate fits in?) The thing that has struck me is the conflicted nature of the push and pull. I agree with the intent, but unless everyone is onboard and clear about expectations, it all becomes a bit of agile-washing.

The other thing that has really struct me is the world of project management and the lived reality. It feels like a lot of people want to do project management, without actually doing the hard work.  Lines are drawn, positions set, but when the game starts and chaos ensues, they are lost at sea. I have been left wondering if project management really exists and if so, what does it look like? I hear the successes and achievements, this pie chart and that bar graph, but the reality feels like something different. I am therefore intrigued by your discussion of system inquiry. It reminded me of Dave Cormier’s discussion of ‘complex’ versus ‘complicated’:

We are confronted by the complicated/complex division everyday in education. Do I want to know if a medical students has remembered the nine steps of a process of inquiry to work with a patient or do I want to know if they built a good raport? How often do we choose the thing that is easier to measure… simply because we can verify that our grading is ‘fair’. How often do we get caught in conversations around how ‘rigourous’ an assessment is when what we really mean is ‘how easy is it to defend to a parent who’s going to complain about a child’s grade’.

Source: Making Change in Education II – Complexity vs. Lean Six Sigma (learning isn’t like money)

Might be something I need to dive into further.

Bookmarked Teachers use many teaching approaches to impart knowledge. Pitting one against another harms education (theconversation.com)

There’s a variety of useful teaching models — and this includes explicit instruction — which have been designed for different purposes. It is the educator’s task to select the most appropriate given the context.

Creating simplistic binaries in a field as complex and nuanced as education impoverishes the debate.

Alan Reid raises three flaws with the argument that inquiry-based approaches harm student learning. He argues that teachers regularly move up and down the teacher-centred and student-centred continuum, that not all inquiry is the same and that the data used to form the position is problematic.

David Price touched upon the issues raised through the PISA report a few years ago:

The extreme polarisation we’re currently witnessing between ‘Traditionalists’ and Progressives’, is incredibly damaging and not representative of the teaching profession as a whole. Because the PISA hysteria that has politicians all around the world spouting nonsense, arguing for the end of inquiry-based approaches, and a return to direct-explicit instruction, sees the world in black-and-white. This polarisation ignores the reality of what goes on in the leading nations, and assumes that getting to the top of PISA is the end goal, in itself, of a successful education system.

While Peter Skillen and Brenda Sherry capture the flux in this visual:

Continua

I am also reminded of a piece I wrote a few years ago about ‘pedagogical cocktails‘:

I think that the problem is that sometimes we think that we feel that we can only partake of a particular cocktail, that someone else always knows better, therefore we should listen to them. However, this denial of choice often results in teachers who have little engagement and ownership over their curriculum and classrooms, while it also restricts many potentials and possibilities. Instead, teachers maintain a status-quo that often no longer accounts for the world that will come tomorrow, let alone we live in today.

My fear is that in restricting the debate has the risk of stunting the growth and development of teachers. Instead of taking the time to appreciate the nuance, there is a danger of teaching based on the default.

Liked To Theme or Not to Theme: That is the Question (Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research)

The difference between a theme method and a curriculum with an emerging focus is that that what children actually know about the subject or topic is as relevant as their interest in that content. The message being communicated through the use of themes is that there is a great deal of information to be consumed by children through a transmission model of learning. Themes related to the seasons, alphabet, numbers and geometric shapes are accepted as important concepts for children. What is missing is the empowering possibilities of co-constructing learning with children. Moving beyond themes to experiences that encourage deep thinking while making learning visible will give voice to children.

Bookmarked The Wonder of Writing.: what writing a children’s book taught me about teaching writing. (kathmurdoch.com.au)

Creating a narrative for children has been such another deep inquiry into the process and craft of writing. I feel as if I have been travelling on parallel tracks – one as a writer and the other as a teacher. As I have been writing, I have also thought a lot about the way we ‘teach’ writing to our young learners. In this post, I want to share some of the lessons I have learned. They are not new ones, by any means, but I hope they are worth being reminded of…

Kath Murdoch reflects upon the experience of writing a children’s book and provides a list of lessons learnt along the way:

  • Writing can be hard work
  • We compose even when we are not writing
  • Writing and grammar are inquiries themselves
  • Desire is enhanced through choice and care
  • Writing is a team effort
  • Feedback is not easy to receive
  • Brevity can be a benefit
  • Words and images relate
  • Having an audience makes a difference
Liked Getting personal with teacher inquiry: one school’s approach. (kathmurdoch.com.au)

I have been fortunate to have partnered with Bonython School in Canberra for several years now. It has been wonderful to watch the careful and thoughtful way the leadership team and the staff as a whole have worked on growing a culture of Inquiry from the ground up. As is the case for several schools I work with, one feature of their work is the expectation that educators will engage in their own inquiry journeys throughout the year. I invited deputies Marc Warwick and Amanda Hawkins to chat to me about their approach, late last year and share some key moments from our conversation including some teacher reflections here.

Bookmarked The art of inquiry teaching…from a distance: Part #1 (kathmurdoch.com.au)

Someone described it to me as the ‘moment when the clouds parted and the sun shone through’. That is what it felt like way back in June (remember June?) when, for a few precious weeks, I was able to go into schools and work with kids and teachers face to face. It was definitely NOT the same expe…

Kath Murdoch shares two posts (one and two) unpacking strategies for incorporating inquiry into the remote context:

  • Cultivate curiosity by provoking, modelling and valuing it
  • Ask more questions than tell
  • Release control and let learners do the heavy lifting
  • Notice, reflect and respond
  • Be personal by helping students find and pursue their passion
  • Harness real contexts, such as virtual field trips
  • Allow for humour and play
  • Encourage collaboration
  • Focus on concepts over busy work
  • Celebrate the skills within the learning

Emily Fintelman provides her own take on incorporating inquiry into the online classroom, as well as an excellent reflection in the DLTV Journal.

Bookmarked Staying awake to the world: taking time to inquire into and build our own (kathmurdoch.com.au)

I have always been wary of the glib phrase: “Inquiry teachers can learn alongside the children”. While there is certainly truth in that (I have learned SO much simply being part of an inquiry journey with groups and individuals) it doesn’t mean we are ‘off the hook’. Our ignorance can prevent us from asking better questions, helping learners make connections or pointing the way to critical information that can help struggling learners make meaning. In fact I have often observed in my own teaching that the deeper my understanding of something is, the better I am at listening, waiting, questioning and holding back to support the learner. Even when we might be assisting learners in a personal inquiry that goes well beyond our own field of interest and expertise, we need to know enough about how to connect to and locate others with the expertise … and that, in itself, requires us to stay awake to the world around us.

Kath Murdoch responds to the prime ministers mistake in claiming that we have never had slavery in Australia by providing a list of ways we can stay more awake. Whether it be sharing podcasts or connecting with an expert, the intent of this time is to spur our sense of curiosity.

We need to have hungry minds that stay relentlessly curious about the way the world works and the way we understand the world. We need to keep pushing ourselves out of our “comfortable knowledge bubbles” and be prepared to be the geographers, historians, scientists, authors, mathematicians and artists we hope our students will be.

I remember trying to push the sharing of ideas and resources a few years ago through social bookmarking. I think the biggest challenge is legitimising the time. Too often in the busyness of planning things can quickly become about getting it done.

Bookmarked 7 Lessons from deep in the inquiry trenches… (kathmurdoch.com.au)

Who else is flexing their inquiry muscles right now? As we all rapidly transition to teaching online or trying to support our learners at a distance (not all kids around the world have access to internet and devices #justsaying) teachers everywhere are immersed in personal inquiry. I am no exception…

Kath Murdoch reflects on her personal inquiry into online learning. She structures her thoughts around seven things that she has noticed:

  1. I have a real need to inquire
  2. My learning journey is messy
  3. Skills and dispositions are my most important asset right now
  4. I don’t know what I don’t know
  5. I really wrestle with feeling incompetent and uncertain
  6. I don’t want to be talked at for too long
  7. I have welcomed being able to manage my time and learning at my own pace

One of the messages that stood out to me was the impact having skin in the game had on her learning:

Would I have a sustained interest and desire to learn about online facilitation had there been no real purpose for me? Probably not. Would I have fully engaged with this inquiry if some well-meaning ‘teacher’ told me I had to?  I doubt it. I am doing this because I can see the value and purpose in it.

I think that this is a great post to consider when working with staff or students as they grapple with the changing learning landscape. It is also interesting to consider this alongside David White’s wondering about engagement and learning narratives.

Bookmarked Can we still do Project Based Learning at home? Yes we can! (Bianca Hewes)

I’m confident that collaborative learning will be able to continue effectively even if all students are isolated at home due to school closures. Why? Well, if schools are serious about project work, they will have created a culture in our schools where students and teachers value the work as reflecting that which is done in the non-school world (in industry projects, and in our personal lives like planning birthday parties). Despite many businesses already moving to working from home, many projects continue to move forward. I have no doubt that the project work already started at my school will continue when schools are finally closed.

Bianca Hewes explains how even with the disruptions of moving learning online that Project Based Learning can still continue. She provides some strategies that are already in place in her school which will support this:

  1. We have established and will maintain a structured approach to all projects.
  2. Online resources are organised according to our discover, create, share model.
  3. Our students care about the work they are doing, so they’ll keep doing it.
  4. Allocation of individual responsibilities within teams.
  5. Following the learning calendar already established at the beginning of the project.

One of my concerns with moving online is the fear that students will not have meaningful opportunities to engage with each other. I therefore wonder if team based learning is even more important in times of isolation.

In addition to Bianca and Lee’s work, Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy have shared a step-by-step guide to project based learning in a virtual world.

Replied to Praxis iii – starting a new course with Dungeons and Dragons (Bianca Hewes)

The game essentially involves storytelling and decision-making. It’s a bit like choose your own adventure, maybe? The dungeon master tells the story, and sometimes rolls a dice to decide on things (e.g. level of damage an action has), and everyone else listens to the narrative and then calls out actions they want to make if possible. We are playing the beginner campaign, so we are trying to get a wagon full of stuff from one location to another – we’re gonna get paid 10 gold pieces each if we make it. I’m a human fighter, I can’t remember my name, oops. I do know that I am wearing heavy chainmail which makes me the least stealthy of the group. We only got about 15 minutes into the campaign before the bell went, but we decided to continue again today. Already playing D&D has helped me to learn a lot about my students, and how they work as a team. I can clearly see the leaders, and those who would like to be leaders. I can see the patient ones who have interesting ideas, and the ones who need to work on their impulse control and collaborative turn-taking. I can also tell that they are going to love this course, and so am I.

I am really enjoying return to blogging Bianca (although I am assuming that you were still sharing, just elsewhere). I am also looking forward to reading your current praxis journey.
Liked Grapple Session: An Inquiry into AI and Ethics by Kevin’s Meandering Mind | Author | dogtrax (dogtrax.edublogs.org)

How do we teach students about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on our lives with the urgency of NOW, the present, as opposed to some futuristic notion of the Rise of Machines of science fiction?

Bookmarked Inquiry in the mist – and midst – of troubling times. (kathmurdoch.com.au)

In returning to our classrooms in the coming weeks we will need, in part, to trust that the learners will lead us – if we take time to listen. Of course we will need to make some plans, and think ahead about what and how to manage the opportunity and the challenge but if we plan too tightly (even with the best of intentions) we may miss out on the most important element in the inquiry process – tuning in to the thinking and feeling of the learners themselves in order to get gradual clarity about the best ways forward. So ask your kids – ask them for permission to have the conversation in the first place, ask them how they feel about talking about it and – if they want to – ask them to share their wonderings and allow yourself to ask “What does this reveal to me? Where might we need to go next?”

Kath Murdoch reflects on the Australian bushfires and the challenge of grief work. She provides a number of suggestions to support teachers, including staying open to possibilities, inviting students rather than assuming a position, think conceptually and take action associated with the situation.

Many of us feel more positive about challenging situations when we feel we are taking action – when we have some agency to make a difference.  Your students may wish to explore some of the many ‘actions’ being carried out by people within communities all around the world and be part of these,  This is a great time to make real connections with individuals, community groups, and organisations and empower your students through involvement in real projects.

This builds on Jackie French’s discussion of learning in the midst of tragedy.

Bookmarked Making spaces to create: environments for collaborative planning (kathmurdoch.com.au)

Now of course, great inquiry teachers can plan anytime, anywhere. No one really NEEDS an inspiring environment to design for powerful learning. BUT I wonder what would happen if we did indeed pay a little more attention to the spaces in which we ask teachers to do this important work? How might it contribute to our wellbeing? Our creative process?

Kath Murdoch questions the space we cultivate for teachers and the impact that this might have on learning. To support this, Murdoch provides a number of strategies, such as access to resources, professional reading on display, objects and light to inspire and an active ‘wonderwall‘ for staff. Personally, I think that the space where teachers plan can often provide an intriguing insight into the wider school culture as it is often the last space considered because it does not directly involve students.
Replied to #rawthought: What’s the Big Idea? A Thematic, Inter-disciplinary Approach by amyburvallamyburvall (AmusED)

Why not center the entire school-wide curriculum around umbrella concepts that spur big (and little) questions? I’m talking total multi-generational and interdisciplinary. I’ve previously pondered a curriculum derived from the lenses of philosophy and the arts (I’m still loving that idea), but I wanted to play with what grande topics could be the anchors of study.

Love this idea Amy. Wonder how it differs from Kath Murdoch’s discussion of throughlines.