Going Further with Inquiry

Defining Inquiry

Found this very succinct and easy to read article on the different types of inquiry engagements we can offer our students depending on the lesson and their needs. Very interested in your comments!

http://people.uncw.edu/kubaskod/NC_Teach/Class_2_Teach_Strat/Teaching_Strategies/DefiningInquiry.pdf

Session 12: Summative Assessment

Going further...

Since coming back from the Workshop there are many ideas and thoughts spinning through my head. The essential and fundamental questions/wonderings about learning styles and their connection to the different pedagogical approaches to inquiry (structured, guided, open), EAL and learning support integration (what is effective?), as well as what we mean by language, mathematics and specialist integration within the units of inquiry vs stand alone. All questions academic staff in PYP schools ask of themselves and indeed, must ask when educating the whole child in the 21st Century.

We asked you to consider the one most important thing you have learned in the workshop and the answers we got were far beyond what we had hoped. Most of you will go back to your school with confidence and a sense of affirmation because you have been able to make connections to prior experiences and knowledge. You have been able to make sense of some of the confusions about the PYP in your mind. Your understanding grew and you experienced "light bulb" moments, which rekindled the passions you all have for education. I am delighted that you will take that passion back with you and use it to be the best that you can be.

Those of you that left with more questions and tensions than you had at the beginning are evidence of the impact personal inquiry can have on us all as we embark on a journey leading to a greater depth of understanding. If we go back to the quote from Will Durant: "Inquiry is fatal to certainty", you have proved this to be true! If we as workshop leaders can provoke thinking, leading to uncertainty and "tension" as Kathy Short calls it, then we have achieved our highest goal. Questioning and reflecting on our own practices are vital elements when aiming for excellence.

Maggie said that we have over the course of the workshop created a learning community - this is true. As this blog represents us as a learning community, I will be using this blog to further our collaborative undersanding of those fundamental questions I mentioned in the beginning. I look forward to your comments as I post my thoughts and useful links to websites or articles.

I will conclude with this quote:

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." Einstein

Maria

Reflection and action are essential elements of the learning process

Session 11: Analysing a unit of inquiry

The programme of inquiry and the subject scope and sequences are components of the curriculum, which when used together define a coherent curriculum


During this session you will be looking at the planner you have brought and analysing it with a rubric.

Session 10: Collaborative Planning

Responsibility for learning is shared within a learning community through collaborative and reflective planning


Learning and working in the collaborative age


Grade 1 - How We Organise Ourselves - the written curriculum
Grade 1 - How We Organise Ourselves - the taught curriculum
Grade 1 - How We Organise Ourselves - the assessed curriculum

Grade 2 - How the World Works - the written curriculum
Grade 2 - How the World Works - the taught curriculum
Grade 2 - How the World Works - the assessed curriculum

Kindergarten - How We Express Ourselves - the written curriculum
Kindergarten - How We Express Ourselves - the taught curriculum

Kindergarten - How We Express Ourselves - the assessed curriculum

Session 9: Assessment

Assessment is integral to planning, teaching and learning and needs to be varied and purposeful




Circle of Viewpoints Thinking Routine

This is a thinking routine for exploring different perspectives. Each person in the group has a different perspective, for example student, teacher, parent, head of school, next teacher, prospective parent.

For more about Visible Thinking routines click here.

Understanding by Design - Jay McTighe
Understanding by Design Guide - Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

Brainstorming on the differences between formative and summative assessment

Strategies and Tools

Pre-Assessment

• Checklists
• Selected responses
• Mindmaps
• Questions and discussions
• Open-ended tasks
• On a blank page, write or draw any understanding you have about ....
• Observation, anecdotal notes
• Brainstorming, alone and together
• Letter writing to teacher
• Exemplars - samples of students' work
• I see, I think, I wonder
• Reflection journals
• KWL Chart - what do I know, what do I want to know, how will I learn

Formative Assessment

• Reflection journals
• Video, record, scribe, photos, booklets, mindmaps, writing/drawing
• Discussions
• Continuums - stages of learning, progression
• Letter writing to teacher
• Rubrics for the unit - create with pupils (self/peer/teacher assessment)
• Get children to create checklists/success criteria for task before, and they assess each other.
• Self assessment
• Observations
• Checklists
• Quizzes
• Anecdotal records
• Drawings
• Two stars and a wish - self and peer (and teacher) assessment
• KWL
• Traffic lights in jotters/ on pieces of work
• Design and construction
• WALK (learning intention)/WILF (success criteria)
• Continuums
• Child-led feedback
• Venn Diagrams

Summative Assessment

• Reflection journals
• Creating mindmaps of what they have learned
• Video - creating film
• Recording
• Scribing
• Photos
• Observations
• Writing
• Drawings
• Role play
• Checklists
• Posters
• Performance
• Rubrics
• Presentations
• Anecdotal notes
• Quizzes
• Visuals
• Individual peer and teacher assessment
• Selected responses
• Exemplars and portfolios
• Open-ended tasks
• KWL chart
• Graphs

Session 8: Inquiry

An inquiry process allows students to revisit and revise prior knowledge in the light of new experiences in order to extend their learning

What is the connection between questions and inquiry?
The PYP recognises many different forms of inquiry based on children's genuine curiosity and on their needing and wanting to know about the world.  It is most successful when the questions are honest and have real significance in moving them to new levels of knowledge and understanding.  The most penetrating questions, ones most likely to move the child's understanding further, arise from existing knowledge.  (From A Basis for Practice)

During this session we will be defining what inquiry is.  We will look at different models of inquiry, go through some different inquiry cycles and observe two lessons.  This will be followed by a pair-share session where you will draw up different inquiry actions that you can do in your classes to promote inquiry.

Think, Puzzle, Explore
This Visible Thinking routine helps you to connect to prior knowledge, stimulates curiosity and lays the groundwork for independent inquiry.

Use this Visible Thinking Routine as you read the article Motivating Through Good Questioning Techniques and Response Behavior.

You can find out more about Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking Routines here.

Session 7: Concepts

The PYP curriculum is concept-driven and transdisciplinary

Graphic by H. Lynn Erickson

Transdisciplinary skills are those things that students need to be able to do to succeed in a changing, challenging world.

In grade levels we brainstormed how research skills (one of the trans-disciplinary skills) might be seen in learners of that age group.  We looked at formulating questions, recording data and presenting research findings.  Then we created a joint continuum and posted it on the wall.

Session 6: Transdisciplinary Themes

The PYP curriculum is concept-driven and transdisciplinary

Knowledge is reflected in the Transdisciplinary Themes and Scope and Sequences. Knowledge is the significant, relevant subject matter we wish the students to explore and know about. The construction of knowledge requires skills.

We will investigate how the individual disciplines support the transdisciplinary themes using a Carousel activity.

Our Transdisciplinary Themes and how the are supported by the subjects

We will discuss the issue of balance between transdisciplinary and stand-alone teaching and how this applies to classroom teachers and specialists.

We will look at our own programme of inquiry and the concepts that are supporting student understanding.

Session 5: The Five Essential Elements

The five essential elements resonate throughout the entire curriculum


In this session we will explore the essential elements using the Jigsaw strategy.

Session 4: Learners Constructing Meaning

At the heart of the curriculum cycle is the learner constructing meaning.

Summative Assessment Task and Criteria
You will be working in your multiple intelligences groups. Show understanding of and connections between the 5 Essential Elements.

What does an environment for constructivist learning look like?
During this session you will be thinking about an effective/not effective learning experience that you had. What contributed to the success/failure of the experience. On post-its list these and display on Promotes Learning/Hinders Learning posters.

Feedback from the group:

Promotes Learning:

• Clear instructions in a safe atmosphere that allowed for trial, error, success and discussion
• My teacher related to my personal situation and gave me a safe time and place to talk, showing empathy and support
• Having fun
• Writing - making a structure of the topic/issue
• Positive learning: an atmosphere where it is OK to be wrong
• Learning connected and applicable to my life - that is relevant and meaningful
• Discussions
• Using visual aids, for example in maths using pie charts, graphs, bar charts, using pictures and films, artefacts
• Using visual, kinesthetic and audio teaching methods
• Practical - creating a drama, role play
• Collaborative - sharing ideas and working in groups
• Time for reflection
• Time to conceptualise learning
• Connection between subjects
• Inspirational personality, inspirational tutor at university, the enthusiastic manner in which the subject matter was taught
• Hands on, trying and experiencing, learning by doing
• I learned English on a job. I worked in a shop and learned with the experience only, bu talking every day with clients. I never had any English lessons at school. Great way of learning
• Experiments and exploration
• Seeing examples
• Meeting like minded people - but also meeting people with the opposite views
• Learning to use a computer
• Field trips
• Being praised and feeling appreciated - positive encouragement, a sense of worth and price in one's own abilities/effort, a teacher pointing out my strengths
• Knowing what the expected learning outcome is
• Multiple intelligences and learning styles
• Talking

Hinders Learning:

• Unclear and confusing directions, no modelling
• Flourescent lights
• Reams of paper
• Stress, pre-expectations the teacher had of my skills and how I felt I couldn't meet them
• Low self-esteem, feeling scared and embarassed to answer incorrectly or not fit in, scary teachers, feeling humiliated for being wrong, a teacher who had awful breath and looked down girls' tops when you asked for help (you quickly learned to stop asking for help!)
• Language
• Everyone talking at once
• Being told/talked at, listening to the teacher and copying from the board, limited teaching methods
• Being forced to do what the teacher wanted (example I wanted to learn jazz, piano teacher wanted me to learn classical music)
• Exams
• Long sitting, listening, viewing sessions with no goal focus or without knowing the goal
• Boring lessons, cannot see the meaning of content, jumping from one concept to another, no relevance or connection
• Sounds and music
• Learning by rote
• Negative labelling
• Being rushed to finish difficult tasks, limited time

Connect/Extend/Challenge
This is a Visible Thinking routine for connecting new ideas to prior knowledge.

Use this Visible Thinking routine as you read Kathy Short's Inquiry, Curriculum and Standards.

Children's Literature that promotes International Mindedness

My Dad is Brilliant - Nick Butterworth

Private and Confidential - Marion Ripley

It's OK to be Different - Todd Parr

The Conquerors - David McKee

Whoever You Are - Mem Fox

Odd Velvet - Mary E. Whitcomb

Oi! Get off our Train - John Burningham

Cleversticks - Bernard Ashley

Ripeka's Carving - Jenny Hessell

My Place - Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlings

My Map Book - Sara Fanelli

Krong! - Garry Parsons

Home - Kate Petty

Testing Miss Malarkey - Judy Finchler

A Fine, Fine School - Sharon Creech

My Granny Went to Market - Stella Blackstone and Christopher Corr

Something Else - Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell

If the World Were a Village - David J. Smith and Shelagh Armstrong

W is for World - Oxfam

The Lotus Seed - Sherry Garland

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox

The Colour of Home - Mary Hoffman and Karin Littlewood

Session 3: The Learner Profile

The Learner Profile is the expression of the PYP and contributes to being an international person.





What do we want our students to be?
Diamond ranking in table groups.

Persuasive presentation with visuals on which attribute of the Learner Profile is most important to international mindedness - within a school, within a class and within a subject area.

Our Visuals

from Making the PYP Happen

What, then, is a PYP school? It is a school that, regardless of location, size or constitution, strives towards developing an internationally minded person. What is an internationally minded person? It is a person who demonstrates the attributes of the IB learner profile.

This is the kind of student we hope will graduate from a PYP school, the kind of student who, in the struggle to establish a personal set of values, will be laying the foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.

The school promotes international-mindedness on the part of the adults and the students in the school community.

The school provides students with opportunities for learning about issues that have local, national and global significance, leading to an understanding of human commonalities.

To summarize, when seeking evidence of international-mindedness in PYP schools, teachers need to look at what the students are learning, how they are demonstrating that learning, and how to nurture students within the school community. They need to consider whether students are making connections between life in school, life at home and life in the world. By helping students make these connections and see that learning is connected to life, a strong foundation for future learning is established. In striving to make it happen, and in looking for indicators of success, teachers, principals and/or heads of schools need to look everywhere, since all aspects of the school, from overarching philosophy through to policies and their ensuing practices, will reflect either the presence or the absence of a sensitivity to the special nature of PYP schools.

Think-Pair-Share with someone from your school or region:  How does the IB Mission Statement compare with your own school's mission statement?

Reflection and Action - please add comments to the blog later.
Reflect on the Learner Profile and yourself - which attributes are well developed and which are challenging for you?  What can you do to develop these during the course of the workshop?  How does your school develop international mindedness.  What will change on your return to school?

Session 2: International Mindedness

International mindedness is encompassed in the IB Learner Profile.


We will start this session with Burning Questions which you will categorize using the Key Concepts Cards.  Organizing your questions will tell us about you and teach you the power of questions.  Questions can be posted at any time during the workshop for consideration.

Key Concepts:
Form - What is it like?
Function - How does it work?
Causation - Why is it like this?
Change - How is it changing?
Connection - How it is connected to other things?
Perspective - What are the points of view?
Responsibility - What is our responsibility?
Reflection - How do we know?

Thinking Keys
Stephanie Martin - International School of Amsterdam

Who are you as a cultural being?
Save the Last Word for Me

Explore and develop understanding of internationalism




International Mindedness - What is it?
Quadrant Brainstorm with a definition at the centre that all share.

International Mindedness, the IB Mission Statement and the PYP

From the IB Mission statement

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.


To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.


These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

Our definitions of International Mindedness:
Group 1:  Being tolerant and respectful of the similarities and differences of each individual.
Group 2:  Identity, awareness, community, cultures
Group 3:  Understanding, accepting/acknowledging, empathy, collaboration, embracing
Group 4:  International mindedness is being aware and curious of how hour local community is intertwined to the world as a whole.  It is an understanding of the similarities, differences and connection of various cultures.
Group 5:  Global, open, respect, differences, value, acknowledge, understand, experiences
Group 6:  Respect, inclusive, curiosity, open-minded, communicative, connections

Session 1: Beliefs

Individual teachers' beliefs about the experiences related to teaching and learning impact on the way they teach.


Aim: Reflect on own beliefs and practices within a community of learners
No learning occurs in a vacuum We construct meaning personally and uniquely, building on our prior knowledge, feelings and engaging within the context of our current learning environment.

We will be using the Concentric Circle Model to explore our own beliefs and values and to discuss commonalities for the group.

This session will also give you a brief introduction to the IB and its history. You will be able to highlight the links between the various aspects of the PYP on the diagram as we cover them.

Finally in this session we will be establishing essential agreements for the workshop using the PYP attitudes. These are the dispositions which are expressions of fundamental values, beliefs and feelings about learning, the environment and people.

Refer to Making the PYP Happen page 24

Our Essential Agreements:
Confidence:  To be confident we will encourage questioning, clarification and openly discuss our ideas and opinions to better understand the PYP
Appreciation:  We will appreciate the the differences and the strengths that exist amongst us.
Curiosity:  We are encouraged to express/explore their learning in an open and honest community.
Enthusiasm:  Make your best attempt to positively contribute to the group as a whole.
Respect:  Value and encourage ideas, opinions and differences of your peers.
Integrity:  We stand by what we believe and live and express our beliefs while still listening with open ears to the ideas and opinions of others.

Welcome

This blog will be used to support the IB PYP Regional Workshop Making the PYP Happen in the Classroom which will be held in Paris from 24th to 26th June 2011.

We hope you will find the information in the blog posts useful and that you will join our learning community by adding your comments and reflections.

In the 3 days of this workshop we will be looking at 3 big questions:
On Day 1 we will be looking at the Why? - this is the philosophy behind the PYP
On Day 2 we will be looking at the What? - this is the theory behind the curriculum.  We will be looking at the written and the assessed curriculum.
On Day 3 we will be looking at the How? - this is our practice and how we bring the curriculum alive.  We will be looking at planning for inquiry, teaching and learning.

Transdisciplinary Theme:  How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea:  The PYP is a philosophy and curriculum framework for an international education
Lines of Inquiry:

• the essential elements of an international curriculum
• inquiry as a stance
• teaching and learning of the whole child
• planning and assessing to inform and transform teaching

Key Concepts:  form, function, causation