As we close out The Expert Effect book club, I just want to take a moment to thank all of our #CITLreads regulars who get up in the middle of the night or the crack of dawn to attend from around the world. I appreciate you so much! You make our book club what it is, so thank you for continuously returning for a new adventure. What is selective perfectionism?When learners are given the space to create, oftentimes there is a side effect of selective perfectionism. What is it? According to the Urban Dictionary, selective perfectionism is when we choose to complete random tasks to perfection, but lack the ability to perfect or even attempt the other necessary tasks in life. Where do we see this play out in real life? This past week, I had two major deadlines while battling terrible allergies. I didn’t have the energy to deal with them, so I spent a lot of time reading regency era novels, like Pride and Prejudice, to pass my time. I read with perfect ability, but I couldn’t muster up the energy to do the things I had to do. Why do we engage in selective perfectionism? Oftentimes, the tasks we are striving to achieve are uncertain or there are too many steps to them. We get lost in the volume of the process. As a selection perfectionist, we have the full potential to get it done, but we choose not to do it. In other words, we become procrastinators. How does it impact learner inquiry? Something I’ve learned through years of experience is that many times we procrastinate, because we are overwhelmed by the process or outcome. This will happen with your learners, if each step of the process is not clearly outlined. Even then, they might get bogged down, because they don’t know how to complete each step. To circumvent this situation, we need to heavily model and guide the process from whole group, small group, to individual learning situations. Think like an early years teacher who must repeat the steps over and again until independence has been achieved. As our learners age, it’s almost an expectation that they will learn it in one lesson. Why should we allow learners to connect globally?We’ve talked about ways to reach out to the local and global community. In most of this section of the book, Grayson and Zach provide ample resources where you can connect to organizations and different industry experts that can help your learners succeed. Many times, the biggest obstacle is YOU. I’m sorry to be harsh, but I speak from personal experience. I used to hold my learners' expertise in my classroom, but a learner requested permission to contact a famous marine biologist to support their understanding of healthy oceans. WIth their parent’s guidance, my learners were able to connect with the marine biologists, which expanded their understanding of human impact on the oceans far greater than any video or book. There are many networks that exist to help learners to connect with experts. You need to find the right one for your class and you. Main Takeaways from this Book StudyReaching beyond the borders of your classrooms is where true application happens. When we engage with real experts in various fields, we get a bigger picture of how the world works. We learn to question, engage in academic language, interview, reflect, and apply. These are necessary skills for thinking humans. As a fifth grade teacher, I’m seeing the connections between these experiences and preparing for the PYP Exhibition. Before the pandemic, there may have been many constraints to engaging with an expert. With Zoom, the world is literally opened to us. If it were me, I’d start small in my local area and have learners research people they would like to connect to and design what they want the conversation to look and feel like. Make them take ownership of the experience, because the person doing the work is doing the learning. The Expert ExpeditionWelcome, dear learners. We know why you’re here. You’re chasing adventure like a brave buccaneer! Sailing the high seas and surfing the web, Searching for answers From Algiers to Zagreb. No, nothing can stop you! You’re a kid on a mission, and it’s finally time for your big expedition. You’re not after riches like silver and gold… The thing that you seek can’t be bought or be sold. Yes, you’re after knowledge - There’s so much to know. it’s worth more than treasure in a ship’s cargo hold! So off you must go with your sails flown unfurled. To get the whole story, go out into the world! Our Trip around the GlobeTo my global audience, I just want to thank you again for enriching my life through social media, our #CITLreads book clubs, and so much more. Let’s stay connected, because we are stronger together. Over the next two years, I hope to continue to engage with you virtually and in-person. I plan to travel around the world meeting like-minded educators and sharing ideas. This fall, I begin the journey within Europe. I will be participating in an IB continuum math conference at the International School of Stuttgart. If your school is interested in participating in a professional development with me while I am in the area, just let me know at thinkchat2020@gmail.com. The rest of the world, I’m coming to you shortly. In the meantime, I have some reflections about the top five places with the greatest listeners. This is one point in time, but I always seem to have a personal connection with each place. Melbourne, Australia: If you’ve followed me on my podcast journey, you know how much I love this city. It’s the place that I learned that public relations was not for me and I wanted to give back to my community. Little did I know that I would become a teacher, but passing Wesley College a couple times a week must have left its impact. Mumbai, India: The people of India have always fascinated me with its rich culture, history, Bollywood films, and Thali dinners. While living in Dubai, I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful country, but only in certain regions. I didn’t have a chance to visit Mumbai, but it’s on my list! I’m grateful to have built a lasting friendship with Vidhya, whom many of you know if you are on social media and I can’t wait to visit her in Tamil Nadu. Singapore: I traveled through this lovely island country many times and I had to venture downtown on a trip. It’s amazing to see east meet west in this mighty nation and I hope to return again soon. Hanoi, Vietnam: I have yet to visit Vietnam, but I have friends who live in Ho Chi Minh City, so I know a journey to Hanoi is on my list! Brisbane, Australia: Hello Brissie, you are the one spot I didn’t get to on my Aussie adventures during uni. I plan to return back to the country that made me feel so much at home and I can’t wait to see you. I have some mates there and a catch up is long overdue. Sydney was number #6, so I’ll chuck them in too on my adventures in Oz tour. Thank you for joining the journey of The Expert Effect. I look forward to exploring new ideas and worthy reads in the upcoming months! Be sure to follow the authors on Twitter: Grayson McKinney @GMcKinney2 and Zach Rondot @MrRondot.
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This week, we were fortunate to have the authors of the Expert Effect join our conversation! Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, because I was traveling for a workshop. The positive thing is that we were able to record the session. Click here to watch the session. From the beginning, I was captured by a quote that lingers. “Learning should feel like discovering something new, not simply being told a fact.” How many of us are a product of this learning model? We were told as young learners to be quiet, compliant and do our work. This touched me, because as a second language learner, the traditional model didn’t work for me. I needed more experiential learning to connect the ideas together, which drove my teaching practice. This idea was transferred to our book club chat as my co-host Mike Medvinksy asked a simple question: The responses were interesting.
Grayson and Zach usually ask, “What do you remember most about school?” Most people remember the things that they were doing, creating, and making an impact on our lives. If these are the things that we remember the most about school, how do we support it? Creating Memorable Moments
When Giving Students Choice Over Their Learning…What Stays the Same for All?
How can we Differentiate?
Two Truths and a Lie When you become a master of the curriculum for your grade level and specialty, it is easier to know where the learning journey is going to create more learning peaks. It takes time to create a culture of learning that is focused on project-based learning. There will be inevitable changes, but by knowing our content, we can weather the storm. Pacing is key to this process. Each child has their own pace for taking in information, organize their ideas, and take action. By knowing our curriculum, it allows us that flexibility, because we know what is coming up ahead. You need to be prepared to be flexible. What does this mean? You need to have a plan, but be flexible enough to go where the learners want to go. Newer teachers often bring a fresh perspective and open-mind to curriculum development. It allows for fresh ideas. The SAMR ModelHow do we leverage technology to drive our learning and teaching beyond using Zoom? How do we use technology in a different way? Look at this SAMR model interpretation by Emily Cordwell.
George CourosGeorge Couros urges educators to be mindful of technology being used as a thing to do, instead of a tool to create thinking opportunities. This aligns with the goal of the approaches to learning to create independent thinkers who are able to use tools to create their own learning pathways. The connection I make to this idea is the current rage of ChatGPT. I know many educators that are going gaga for this tool, because it can spit out lesson and unit plans at the drop of the hat. It’s a wonderful tool to use, but what is our ultimate purpose?
Ultimate Purpose
There is a major difference between the two answers. I am all for using technology to support our learning, but it doesn’t replace your ingenuity, creativity, and connection with your learners. We can be easily lured in by the easy, but I would argue that the productive struggle is where the most growth happens. I’ve truly enjoyed unpacking this section of the Expert Effect and listening to Grayson and Zach’s thoughts in our book club. Be sure to check out both in the club tab on my website. Welcome to the third episode in our series about the Expert Effect. I apologize for such a delay, but sometimes our personal life takes time away from our passion projects. I hope to get back on track with this fabulous book in hopes to help you get connected with the expert effect. Something we investigated in this section was talking with experts. Our opening question made me ponder about how well we connect with others. Hmm…this question made me question, do I engage with experts near and far or do I tend to rely upon the known in my community? I greatly enjoy engaging with others from my local area, but what are some benefits from engaging with others with different perspectives and ways of doing things? How might this enrich the learning experiences of our learners, so they can develop international mindedness? Some of the ideas from our book club included: Expert talks: getting people from different cultures, occupations, and perspectives to share their ideas and stories with our learners Field trips: go on physical and virtual field trips to enrich the learning experiences. There is nothing better than touching ideas that we find in a book. I’ll never forget the week long science camp that I attended with my learners while living in Dubai. We learned about life in the desert, GPS, different types of sports, and building bonds. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for a child, because it was pretty amazing as an adult! Parent community: we keep speaking about our parents, because they are a wealth of knowledge. Depending on culture, you may want to ask your parents to come into school to share their ideas, past experiences, and reflections. Not all parents want to participate, so be mindful of this as well. As the conversation emerged, it was really interesting that our group kept going back to some experts that we have connected to as a teacher learner. No surprise that Trevor MacKenzie’s name kept popping up, because of his ability to connect through social media via webinars, online workshops, Toddle presentations, sketchnotes, pictures, and more. One of my personal favorites is Erin Dealey. She is an author of many picture books for younger learners, but I was connected to her while teaching in Dubai through Skype for Education. Long before the technology existed, Erin was chatting with my fourth-grade learners about her process of taking a seed story and turning it into a published piece of work. She shared about her process, frustration, and elation once a story came together. Erin was so relatable that my reluctant writers were eager to get started once we ended the call. Recently, we’ve had the chance to reconnect on social media, which brought back that sparkle for writing to me as an adult learner. There are lesser known educators who have greatly impacted my thinking through their selfless sharing and interactions on social media. Here are a few names to connect with if you haven’t already. @levi_allison42 Levi Allison is a connector of ideas and people. He has helped me to shape so many ideas and increase my understanding of transdisciplinary learning through the lens of the specialist teacher. He is always seeking ways to make local and global connections through reflective practice. @ajoytoteach Amber Bernard is a dynamic first grade teacher who uses play to get her learners to connect to big ideas. I always enjoy reading her posts to make me think deeper about the needs of younger learners. Her learners are always connecting ideas back to the bigger world. @MathewBhavna Bhavna Mathew inspires me to be more connected. She is a truly globally minded educator and shares her passion through her book clubs, webinars, and free materials. Her use of the UN Sustainble Development goals is truly inspirational and helps learners to make deeper connections to issues facing our global community. Talking with ExpertsOnce our learners get excited to talk with experts, they can’t stop! How do we prepare them for the experience? One possible way to teach them how to ask a variety of open and closed questions. A tool that I frequently use as a trainer and educator is the Wiederhold Question Matrix. It provides leveled questions that lead to a factual, conceptual, and debatable response. Try it out! You can find a copy in my guide, Plan for Inquiry. Chalk TalkTo synthesize our thinking, we went into break out rooms to participate in Chalk Talk, a visible thinking routine. Here are the steps: What connections can you make to others’ responses?
What questions arise as you think about the ideas and consider the responses and comments of others?
A final question that I will leave with you: Please join us for our next episode as we delve into pages 91 - 130 of the Expert Effect!
Welcome to the second episode exploring the book, The Expert Effect by Grayson McKinney and Zach Rondot. It has been an absolute pleasure to read this book and learn how to set the conditions for engaging with experts. Now that we have started with our WHY, we can move forward with engaging with experts. Here are some ideas from our book club group
As an educator, I would use all of these resources to enrich the learning experiences of each of my units of inquiry. Something that can bring about excitement is using your parents, fellow educators, and peers as part of a human library. One possible idea is to post the topics that you will be exploring in the year by unit of inquiry. Ask care-givers to sign up for topics of interest or areas of expertise. This will greatly enrich learning experiences, because learners will have a human interaction about topics they are exploring, which is more experiential than reading about it on a page. Warm-Up ActivityOne quote that resonated with me in this section was this one posed on page 31. What do you think? Our group discussed that our roles as teachers have changed from being a teacher to a facilitator of information. We no longer are the fountain of ideas, but rather a guide to process and analyze the information. It’s also about transformation. We are going away from controlling the power of the learning experience. We are transitioning towards co-creating learning with our learners, because the person who wields the power is the one who learns. There is also an increased focus on the learning engagement design. We are no longer looking for information recall, but rather a vehicle to bring about critical and creative thinking. We referred back to this EXPERT model, but this time looking at it as a success criteria for choosing experts that will resonate with your learners. This new lens helped to deepen my approach to using a variety of experts, because sometimes a person may be brilliant, but they struggle to relay it in a kid-friendly way. For our play with ideas section, we went into break out rooms to complete his prompt: Make a list of strategies that will bring about more local and global connections Some ways to connect
These are a sampling of ideas found in The Expert Effect. What are your ideas that you’ve used? How do you bring about more local and global connections into your practice? Be sure to post on Twitter @thinkchat2020 and LinkedIn @lugerlach. To close out the experience, we used the PZ visible thinking routine, Unveiling Stories. This is an interesting routine to get your learners to peel back the layers of what are the untold stories. Our book club applied our understanding as seekers of knowledge and how we take on different roles as book whisperers. What’s the story: becoming a book whisperer by engaging in this book club intellectually and emotionally What is the human story: embracing our own love of reading and learning, so we can inspire our learners What is the world story: acknowledging that everyone in the world has the capacity to become a book whisperer, irregardless of ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, disability, and language acquisition What is the new story: connecting to inquiry and concept-based learning. Our reading and understanding of text increases drastically when applied to an inquiry model and viewed through a conceptual lens. What is the untold story: sharing our stories helps us to own our truth. For some of us, we are lonely, sad, disconnected, and frustrated by our condition. Becoming a book whisperer can help us to overcome our obstacles and see beyond our present circumstance. How are you setting the conditions, so your learners can unveil their stories?Welcome to the #CITLreads Book Club for The Expert Effect by Grayson McKinney and Zach Rondot. I am so excited to explore this book through my podcast and appreciate the authors for indulging my connections and reflections. Choosing Your RolesSomething we do differently in our book club is that we use a variety of roles to guide our practice. Last year, we were sparked by this process using the Pop-Up Studio book club kit by Misty Paterson. This year, we are modifying the process through the lens of the IB Approaches to Learning or ATL and Kath Murdoch’s skill that focuses on being a Contributor. Here are our roles. Think about the role you will take as you go through this week’s episode and how it will shape the lens that you view the content. We are modeling best practice, so we can replicate it with our learners. Even our early years learners can engage in a modified form to get them thinking about roles in our reading. Examples in Action
Start with WHYGrayson and Zach remind us to start with our WHY as educators as discussed in Simon Sinek’s video, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. I’ve referred to this model at the beginning of my podcast series in the Five Day Inquiry Challenge. Think about our school year, some of us are half way through while others are transitioning towards summer holidays. Try to answer this question: There were many ideas that stayed with me, but it was always founded on our passion to shape young learners. I believe that all teachers have this motivation at the heart of their practice. The main thing to consider is how do we share our “WHY” on those difficult days? This is difficult for everyone, but we all need to find our way to take care, so our “WHY” does not fizzle out over time. Defining an ExpertWhat is the success criteria that someone is an “expert” at something? Our book club attempted to define this using a Frayer model in small groups. It was really interesting to hear everyone’s interpretations of what an expert looked like and what they did to show their expertise. The real aha came, when I shared Grayson and Zach’s definition. E is for Experienced: “We want our learners to hear from the people who have made mistakes and learned from them, not some self-proclaimed, know-it-all, perfect guru.” X is for eXciting; “No matter what subject, if we have a passionate expert, kids will get excited too, creating a positive effect on the entire learning process. P is for Purposeful: “We do not want you connecting your students with experts just for the sake of doing it; it must be purposeful to the content in your classroom.” E is for Empowering: “Connecting them with experts empowers them to keep the dream alive or create a new vision for their future.” R is for Real: “We want experts to have real-life experience to talk about and uncover the relevance.” T is for Talk to Kids: “We must find people who can speak on a level your children can understand, relate to, and learn from.” As I look at these definitions, I plan to use it as a success criteria in selecting experts to use with learners in the future. It’s so important that we find the right people who will connect with our learners in our varying contexts. Essential AgreementsTo begin the process of engaging with experts, we need to set some ground rules of how we act and what we do to prepare for these learning situations. In the PYP, we call these essential agreements. It was fun to listen to various ways that fellow educators inspire their learners to create essential agreements in their classrooms. Kath Murdoch shared a strategy a few years ago that stayed with me and made such a positive impact in my learning community.
This process allows for more learner ownership and acceptance of the positive and negative consequences, because they created them. Name-Describe-ActWe concluded our session using the PZ visible thinking routine, Name Describe Act. Think about your practice and answer these questions.
After this book study, I decided to try something different. Instead of picking random goals for my action plan, I pulled quotes from each week and partnered them with the enhanced PYP types of action: participation, advocacy, social justice, social entrepreneurship, and lifestyle choices. I chose 3 or sometimes more quotes that resonated with me and placed them in a column. At the end, I created a menu of options. My next task is to choose ONE goal from each column to work on this school year. Now, let’s go through the process together and you choose which one resonates with you. To be honest, it might be easier to read the blog post for this one, but we’re still gonna try it out! I’d have paper and pencil ready too. Download the attached file to see the table of possible reflections. Have fun with it!
Welcome to our final session of our club for Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning by Kath Murdoch. This session leads out with a bang by looking at resources that make personal inquiry manageable. A big thanks to Bhavna Mathew for being our moderator. As usual, she posed some deep questions for us to ponder and we used a visible thinking routine to synthesize our ideas. What a great way to end our book club! Making it manageableMost authors leave the back of the book for the bibliography, endless templates, and genuinely a menagerie of goodies that seem overwhelming. Not Kath, she provided us with some purpose and reminders when curating our material. Librarian and Library SpacesThe library can be a valuable tool when getting learners to engage with personal inquiries. The space is no longer a stagnant place of informational retrieval. Now, library spaces have morphed into communal spaces that are dynamic and often driven by collaboration. Teacher librarians have morphed their roles to meet the demands of the learning space design. Kath reminds us, “School librarians can assist enormously with ensuring that physical, digital, and human resources are available to all learners and the library or resource center is seen not just as a place for knowledge consumption but also knowledge creation. Like the art and music studio or tech lab in a school, the library might be made available during personal inquiry workshops, meaning learners have more access to diverse spaces in which to work on their projects and can tap into the expertise of the librarian.” Don’t be afraid to partner with your librarian, because they are passionate and knowledgeable about texts that will support personal inquiries. ResearchWhen we have our learners begin their personal inquiry, Kath warns that many educators feel the need to get everyone on a divide to conduct “research”. The internet is just one form of research that we can conduct. Yes, there are a lot of YouTube videos that are useful, but we want our learners to create on their own. Kath warns, “Different kinds of inquiries require different resources: physical, digital, local, and human.” How are we preparing our units with this in mind? Here is a suggestion that Kath provides that I think might take the pressure off in finding authentic research. “Many personal inquiries we have undertaken in my partner schools have involved learners in conducting surveys and interviews - the data from which became their main source of information. For creative (making) projects, it can be helpful to make learners aware of the material resources available in the learning spaces, so they can pitch their ideas accordingly.” Let’s not make it more complicated than it has to be. Human ResourcesOut of all of her suggestions, this resource resonated with me the most. “Within our communities, we can build a resource bank of experts to contact for personal inquiries - creating what is often referred to as a human library…a way of bringing people’s stories to the public in a safe and supported way, the emphasis being to challenge stereotypes and champion diversity. Human libraries are held as events around the world where ‘people are the books’.” Who can be part of your human library?” We might include: parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, educators, leadership, staff, and older students. When we are curating our human library, Kath presents some talking stems that will spark the conversations and help to dig deeper into a human story:
Tangible ResourcesAs always, Kath has left us with a lot of resources that we can explore on our own to deepen our practice. Be sure to take a look.
As I was talking with my peers in a break out room, I shared that even the resources section of the book had a purpose and inspired inquiry. This speaks to Kath’s passion for her work and helping us to improve our own. Be sure to join for the next episode as I try to make meaningful action with the enhanced PYP. C97: Documenting, Reflecting, Assessing, and Sharing the Process in order to Take Action (3.6-3.7)8/23/2022 Welcome to Week 7 of our Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning book club. This fabulous book by Kath Murdoch has stretched our capability of thinking about personal inquiry learning. This episode, we will explore how to document, reflect, assess, and share our process, so we are able to take meaningful action, which are sections 3.6 - 3.7 of the book. We have to give a big thank to Ragini who moderated our session this week and helped us to dive into this section. She is a true delight and we are so grateful that she shared her insight and talents with us. She was the ultimate risk-taker this week by moderating, when she usually enjoys observing and discussing ideas. Ragini, we couldn’t have done this week without you! Also, a big thanks to Kath for joining our book club after a full day of teaching and travel. She contributed to our conversations and we appreciate her dedication to our club. Documenting, reflecting, and assessingAs an inquiry educator, I am always seeking ways where I can give a learning engagement that is a reflection and a piece of assessment. I like more bang for my buck, since time is so short in the school day. Kath suggests, “The three elements of documenting, reflecting and assessing are intertwined. In the act of documenting learning, for example, we come to understand more about the learner's thinking which prompts us to reflect and subsequently consider new possibilities and pathways for their learning.” How is it that she takes the ideas in my mind and captures them so beautifully in print? This is half of my joy in reading this book! There are many possibilities of documenting the personal inquiry. Kath reminds us to make sure, “Recording the learning should never compromise the learning itself; ideally the documentation contributes to and is part of the process.” Sometimes, I think we feel the overwhelming need to monitor and document everything that is being produced. This can be quite taxing on your brain, your body, and your learners. Remember, documentation can be in the forms of “photos, videos, handwritten notes, shared digital documents, drawings, diagrams, artworks, and voice recordings. This documentation is about making the learning visible.” One of my favorite examples of how to document data is the triple-entry journal. Kath provides an example on page 138. Quite simply, it’s a running reflection that answers these categories. Recount
Reflect
Plan
Can I just tell you, I love this so much! It scaffolds back to the main idea in the last episode that the power remains with the learner. They are doing all of the thinking and planning. Love this! Here are some tools that Kath has put together to guide this process.
When we are guiding our learners, we need to collaborate with our peers to calibrate what we are looking for as we document, reflect, and assess. Kath suggests, “Having a shared understanding of what we are looking and listening for, alongside an attitude of openness to the unexpected, makes for authentic, transparent assessment.” By having a shared understanding, it shapes what we are looking for as we engage with our learners. It guides what we will document and bring back to our colleagues to assess. On page 150, Kath provides a protocol for collaborative inquiry into learner progress, which outlines each step of the calibration. Genius! One idea that I’ve not used is paired interviews. Kath states, “At the end of a personal inquiry, before or after learners have shared their learning with others, learners can team up to interview each other about the experience.” I really like this idea of hosting the interview before the sharing, so they aren’t focused on the product, but the process they have gone through. This will make it easier to share those ideas with the rest of class or small group later. On pages 148-49, there are some reflection sheets for early years and elementary age. Sharing and taking action“Enabling even our youngest learners with the belief that they can take action to bring about change is surely one of the most significant purposes of schooling in the twenty-first century.” While reading this quote, my mind reeled through different children that have inspired me by their actions. Here are some young people who have taken action that you may know while others you may not.
These are everyday learners who saw a need and filled it. How did they do it? They have parents, educators, and community members that saw their passion and set the conditions for it to turn into action. To create those conditions, we can begin by asking “so what” questions. Kath reminds, “The implications of this deceptively simple question can leave us feelings both inspired and decidedly uncomfortable.” Here are some of her “so what” questions that can be found on page 151.:
Kath quotes Michele Martin, which sums up our purpose in taking action beautifully. She says, “It’s about giving kids a say, a choice. Letting them delve into something that they’re really deeply passionate about for their own selves, in their own lives or for the greater good of the community or even their family. It’s about what they really want to do in their heart. So they need to see that we’re invested in it as they are. And then they want to do it. They want to act. It’s not ‘I want to do it for this teacher’ - ‘I want to do it for myself but they (the adults) have got my back’.” What can we do to support action daily? Kath has many suggestions that you can read more in-depth about on pages 153-154; 158. My favorite is an entire page of ways to make a contribution. It’s almost like a Wordle of big ideas and the most relevant are bolded. To share with our peers and provide feedback, Kath has given many examples on pages 154-157. No surprise, she has some amazing questions and exit tickets that spark the reflection while sharing feedback. Well, that’s it for this episode. Be sure to join us for section 4. Welcome back for another session of our book club on Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning by Kath Murdoch. We are focusing on sections 3.4 - 3.5 in this episode to learn how to confer and sustain the inquiry process. Before we begin, we need to give a big shout to Nisha Vahi, our moderator for this session. Nisha helped us to explore new reflection tools: Root, Bark, Branch from Shifting Schools and Triangle-Square-Circle from Harry & Rosemary Wong in The Classroom Instruction Book. Now, we have new tools to help our learners stretch their thinking! Conferring: the key to successOnce we have launched the personal inquiry process, we need to continuously follow-up in order to sustain the process. As a teacher, this was an opportunity for growth in my practice. I regularly captured the data and evidence of learner growth, but I was not consistent in relaying it with my learners. This section reminded me of the importance of consistency, because we all can do better. Kath states, “Conference is a deliberate, usually scheduled opportunity to check in and provide feedback and support that allows both the educator and learner to consider next steps. Skilled conferring means we must be fully present to the learner’s offerings and simultaneously notice what they are revealing and the implications for next steps.” The part that resonated with me in this passage is “revealing”. How well do we listen to all aspects of what our learners are revealing to us about their process? How can we manage this in our context? Kath suggests, “The power needs to remain with the learner…where the learner realizes what they need to do next because of deft questioning, probing, and what Matt Glover describes as ‘nudging’.” The part that sits in my heart right now is that the power remains with the learner. It’s made me think about the processes and systems I need to put into place for this to happen. How about you? What do you need to add into your practice, so the power remains with your learners? When conferring with early learners, Kath suggests using a play-based workshop that is less formal and brief. “Confer with two or three children per session. These ‘focus learners’ are given particular attention during the workshop, with notes made about their learning, dialogue recorded, and photographs taken.” This makes sense to me as our early learners will need more tangible pieces of evidence in order for the power to remain with them. There are some salient points of what to do while conferring. We need to listen, ask clarifying questions, and document our interaction in a variety of ways. I believe most of us engage in this practice, but Kath provides some amazing question prompts and sentence stems to spark the dialogue on pages 120-121. There are prompts for suggesting, sharing, and goal setting too. If you’ve read a book by Kath, you know that she never suggests anything without providing practical examples. One thing that really shouted out at me off the page was ‘mind your language.’ What does Kath mean by this? “The words and tone we choose to use as we confer with learners have a strong influence on the way they see their learning and their sense of agency.” She gives some practical examples on page 121. Here’s one. Instead of…
Try something like…
The language changes it from being judgmental and punitive to naturally inquiring about the thinking process. Transformative in my opinion. There are equally amazing talking prompts on page 122 to support your process. Supporting and sustaining the processAs we know, for anything to be sustainable in our practice, we need systems in place to support it. Learners need to know how to wield each of the parts and manipulate them for their own use. Kath remarks, “As learners work through their inquiries, we need to be clear about our roles and develop systems that ensure there is some routine and predictability within this dynamic and varied learning environment.” Kath suggests using a simple inquiry cycle as a possible scaffold for the process of sustainability. On page 125, there is a sample inquiry cycle for learners seven and older that has sample questions and each component of the inquiry cycle to answer those questions. Just a reminder the inquiry cycle is comprised of these components:
During this process, our learners will get side-tracked, because so many new ideas will be swirling in their minds at the same time. On page 127-28, there are tools to help learners stay focused on meaning making, managing multiple inquiries, harnessing the talents of older learners and managing group sharing and reflecting on their personal inquiries. Once a week, consider hosting a personal inquiry workshop. Here are some ideas found on page 129. Kath provides some detailed ways for learners to:
The early learnerOur early years teachers, we have not forgotten about you. In fact, Kath has created an entire section dedicated to your processes on pages 130-133.
Kath reminds us, “During the early years of primary school (generally 4-7 years) most personal inquiries originate through play and engagement with materials. The role of play as a context for inquiry cannot be overemphasized…With the right mix of open-ended materials, time and trust, inquiry is as natural to play is a fish is at home in water. Play involves experimentation, testing out ideas, imagination and risk-taking.” We know that an early years learner does not operate the same. Their personal inquiries may last one lesson or be carried out over several days. Remember that this is all about exploration and discovery. On page 131, there is a detailed discovery workshop template with certain considerations. I will share one with you. Curating the space “Educators organize materials around the learning space (indoor and outdoor) to invite learners to experiment, investigate, problem solve, create and imagine. Some of these materials may be permanent features of the space while others are deliberately designed as new or temporary provocations. This may be set-up before the session and/or it may involve learners in selecting and organizing materials based on their interests. Materials should be open ended and invite sensory engagement. Materials may be deliberately designed around particular concepts.” Some other considerations for a discovery workshop include: gathering, focusing and planning; investigating, creating and doing; conferring; reflecting and sharing. Just like upper grades, we need to consider how learning will be organized, documented, and the learning outcomes. There are so many goodies in this section for you to read. To conclude, Kath provides a list of roles an educator takes on in a personal inquiry workshop on page 134. My favorite is this one: Set up systems Spontaneity and flow benefit from structure and organization. Design systems that help hold space and freedom. I hope you were able to take away some nuggets from this section and we will see you in the next episode where we will unpack sections 3.6 - 3.7. Our last session of #GPWIL was a memorable one with Kirti joining on her phone in a tuk tuk and Jake in a hotel lobby. Dedicated educators joining in the discussion to enrich their practice from different time zones around the world. We decided that this isn't the end and we will meet up again once a month to check on our practice and spur new ideas. Don't you love when a plan comes together? This quote sums up how I feel about all of the amazing people I've met in #CITLreads #GPWIL and #pypchat this past year. You are my human library. You help me to become a better educator and human being on this planet. This is the section we have been waiting for! It’s at the heart of how to get started with a personal inquiry, how and what to document, and tons of reflection prompts. If I were you, I would have my notebook ready to jot down some notes. This week would not have been as insightful without the help of our moderator Vidhya G. She brought her passion for this work by guiding us through this section with thoughtful considerations and enough talk time to digest and reflect on the process. We love you Vidhya for always supporting this work! The journey metaphorI think most people concur that life is a journey full of memorable moments, some overwhelmingly happy while some left us in tears. These moments have defined who we are today and we will continuously evolve to become better tomorrow. Kath connects this journey metaphor to learning about inquiry. “Journeys suggest connection, flow, sequence, and continuity rather than scattered, one-off, fragmented activities. While a journey may be a meandering one, it is still, for the most part, working towards a destination. Some journeys are short, others long; some go according to plan while others are beset with unexpected challenges. Most destinations have multiple pathways or routes to reach them so decisions must be made about the best route under the circumstances.” I connect to the notion that our journey is not a one-off, rather sustainable over time, so we create a disposition of taking meaningful action. Kath provides some amazing questions to consider before, during, and after our personal inquiries on page 85. In my breakout room discussion, we all took this differently. My partner looked at these questions to guide the planning of the shared inquiries and modeling for personal inquiries. Meanwhile, I saw these question prompts to model with our learners, so they can answer them on their own. You must check them out, because they really get you thinking. Here are some questions from each section. Before
During
After
Kath reflects on our process as educators, “Challenging yourself to open up opportunities for personal inquiry is undoubtedly a professional learning journey for you…Going into the unknown means being courageous, trusting yourself, and harnessing a spirit of adventure.” This is my new mantra that I’m going to print and post up on my vision board. We are all facing an uphill battle with something in our practice. Take one small step each day to walk around that obstacle, so we can get to the other side. Lighting the sparkBy reading this book, you are lighting your own spark. Don’t forget this as you progress through this school year. There will be obstacles, this is the only thing we can count on. Even still, remember this book club and how it has lit your love of personal inquiry. What about our learners? For some of them, they might struggle to identify their passion and spark. How can we help them? Kath provides some invaluable suggestions, “There are numerous reasons why some learners might find it challenging to locate a focus for personal inquiry. The important thing to remind ourselves i s that learners may well have interests even when they are unable or choose not to articulate them. It is our job to gently provoke, nurture, and question, and to observe, listen, and trust that we will find a way to help each learner get in touch with their own curiosity. Or, should I say, to get back in touch with their curiosity.” If we spark our learners, why do many learners fail to move forward with their personal inquiry? It probably has to do with the systems you have or have not established for them to be independent. Kath reminds us, “ Simply opening the door to personal inquiry ang expecting all learners to confidently walk through is both naïve and ineffective.” If you are learning in a traditional setting for most of the day, learners will greatly struggle to pivot towards agentic thinking. Yet, many of us do this throughout the week and wonder why learners act out during personal inquiry time. The shared inquiry or unit of inquiry can be a wonderful time to spark personal inquiries. This is a highly collaborative time where peers and educators can engage to share ideas that may spark curiosities and wonderings. Kath suggests, “Whether planned or spontaneous, shared inquiries are designed to build the knowledge bank for our learners and help them develop conceptual understandings about the way the world works…As educators bring big questions to learners in the form of a shared inquiry, they are also broadening the scope of possibility for personal inquiries to follow.” As a result of the shared inquiry, we can prompt learners to spark their thinking. Here are some suggested by the text:
This section has many ideas on how to spark the curiosity on pages 88-89, including a heart map and a museum of us. They are wonderful, but it comes from a place of authenticity as you guide the process. Kath states, “One of the most powerful ways to light the spark in learners is to provide authentic, living examples of what personal inquiry looks like.” How can we be authentic? We share our personal inquiry that we are exploring at the moment and our process. As we have previously discussed, the learning space design greatly supports personal inquiry. On pages 92-93, Kath provides some learning spaces that will set the stage for discovery workshop. She has a list of materials that we use each time to transition learners towards the workshop experience. This reminds me of a conversation with a colleague in my break out room. In her early years room, they eat their meals, so they set the stage for the experience by putting out wipeable placemats. This helps her learners to switch gears from learning to eating. Similarly, we can set the stage for discovery workshop. Check out the different ideas and concepts that can be explored and the ways to arrange materials. So amazing! ExampleIdea or concept: exploring materials, patterns, and textures Sample items to arrange: loose parts - glass bead, buttons, wooden slices of a small branch, shells, seeds, stones, toothpicks, colored matchsticks, pegs, corks. Connection time When I see these concepts and materials, I naturally connect to Misty Paterson's CME (Concepts, Materials, Experiences) model. You ask learners to express themselves through playful interactions to demonstrate the concept through the use of thoughtful materials and learning experiences. To spark your learners further, Kath has provided wonderful visuals to identify big ideas (concepts), determine if the focus is worthwhile, connect with other personal inquiries, trigger our personal interests, sentence stems, and sample ideas. Please check them out on pages 96-101. You will be tempted to use all of them in your practice straightaway! Proposing, pitching, and planningNow that we have sparked curiosity, what do we do next? We need to make a strong proposition, pitch, and plan. But, this process is going to look differently for each learner. What will you put in plan, so there are multiple entry points for your learners? Kath points out, “Personal inquiry is just that -- personal! So when it comes to ways to organize and plan, we need to acknowledge there is no single or right way to go about it.” What does this mean for us? We need to brainstorm with our learners how they might find out and ways they might share and represent their learning to contribute to the community. An example of this process can be found on page 103.
The rest of this section focuses on more helpful feedback, initial planning of ideas, preparing a pitch that includes all elements of personal inquiry that we’ve previously unpacked, planning the investigation, reflecting on the process, and questioning tools. All of this can be found on pages 105-118. Kath has really curated some amazing resources for us, so the process is well scaffolded while offering learners some agency. Ack, this stuff is too good. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking by it. Well my friends, that’s just a bit to think about as we get into the nitty gritty of planning personal inquiry with our learners. I need a nap now! I was so excited to see copies of Pop-Up Studio: Responsive Teaching for Today's Learners at Creation Village. They are adopting so many best practices and this will only add to their toolkit. Here's how Gemma, the coordinator, feels about her copy. This week, we are going to look at various scaffolds that will support and assess our use of inquiry within our practice. For newer teachers, we will explore some systems that may help you get started. For others, we will examine ways to deepen our practice so learners take more agency. A big thanks to our guest host, Katie Poulsen, for leading our book club this week. She had to battle break out room issues, expiring Zoom links, and time constraints. We were able to really unpack this section and I know it was due to her passion for this work. The pedagogy of inquiryFrom the beginning, Kath Murdoch makes a compelling statement that made me stop, reflect, and connect. “How we teach matters…How we teach not only influences learner achievement, it also shapes the way learners think about themselves as learners and the way they think about the nature of learning itself.” Take a moment to pause about this quote. How we teach sets up a child’s learning identity. I think this is why we educators look at our profession as a “calling”, because we know the mantle that rests upon our shoulders. I still remember things that educators said in passing while I was growing up that have imprinted my identity as a learner. Kath continues, “The metaphor of artistry has long resonated with me as an inquiry educator. Viewing pedagogy as an art takes it beyond the mechanistic, technical, formulaic, and recognizes that teaching is a responsive act. It requires a willingness to receive as well as give, to be spontaneous as well as planned, and to always be open to new ways of thinking and being in response to what we observe and hear.”
One of my favorite items in this section is a self-assessment tool to measure our current pedagogy and identify areas for our own personal inquiry. It can be found on pages 58-59. As you know, I am a big fan of success criteria, because they scaffold goal setting so well. Through our group discussion, my viewpoint of this self-assessment turned towards using it as a whole-school success criteria. From a teacher perspective, I would complete the self-assessment tool and identify my growth areas to create a goal. Next, we need to identify the point when we feel we have met our goal. For me, it’s “proficient” on this tool, because it means I have a strong grasp and the necessary skills to move towards mastery. Afterwards, I need to re-read the goal descriptor and highlight the areas that are still a struggle, so I can construct a solid plan on how I might achieve it. From a school leader perspective. I would have teachers and school leadership identify areas of strength and growth for each indicator and highlight the parts of the descriptor that summarizes their experience. In the shared spaces within the office area, I would have the descriptors posted with pictures of teachers that are “leading” in that area, but provide specific examples from the descriptor. This will highlight them as experts. This provides peers who are still developing in the same area a person they can go to ask for strategies, clarification, and support. What a wonderful way to build school culture and relationships. Can you tell that this is my favorite new tool? Learning to InquireYou know inquiry is happening in a classroom when learners are able to speak of it freely without teacher support. In a recent school visit, Kath engaged with learners who were just learning how to inquire on their own. One of the learners' reflections was priceless. “Well, you have to start by thinking about what you already know, that’s kind of like tuning into what’s in your brain already. Then you might have more questions and then you need to do some finding out and you can find out in lots of different ways. It depends on what you are investigating. You have to think about it all and kind of sort it out in your head and show what you are thinking because your thinking changes. You take action when you do something with what you have learned.” This is the language that we want from our learners as they develop into their roles of inquirers. They should grapple with the process, since inquiry is messy, fluid, and multifaceted. We can begin this process through shared inquiries, such as a PYP unit of inquiry. “Shared inquiries that involve a class or cohort of learners inquiring together can be a helpful way to build this collective language and understanding - particularly beyond the early years.” To assist with shared and personal inquiries, Kath shares her revised inquiry cycle. Now, it’s considered a journey where different entry points are flexible. In our break out room, we had a discussion about moving away from inquiry cycles, since many of them are quite rigid in stages. One of my teammates reminded me that for new teachers to the PYP, an inquiry cycle provides security until the teacher is able to wield it on their own. Kath added to this idea, “There is an enormous variety in the way people go about investigating questions and issues of interest and significance to them. However, models and frameworks such as the one depicted here can help learners talk about the process they are using and can provide a useful common anchor for dialogue about the design of a personal project.” Growing learning assetsManion and McAllister state, “As well as building subject knowledge, education is a process of self-actualization, helping every young person find their feet, find their voice, and work towards becoming the best version of themselves that they can be.” This quote sums up why I became a teacher. I wanted to help my learners to see their potential and provide them tangible skills that they can re-use in the future.
In the PYP, we call these skills Approaches to Learning or AtLs. They are skills that learners take on themselves to become independent thinkers and inquirers. We have five categories of AtL skills: thinking, research, communication, self-management, and social. In her book, Kath adds a sixth category called contributor. Listen to this description! “I am a Contributor. I am courageous and responsible. I try to use my learning to make a positive difference to my life and the lives of others. I am aware of these skills, talents, and perspectives I have and how I can bring these to a group. I think about how I can be helpful to others both in my local and global contexts and take action where I can. I try to make ethically responsible decisions.” When I read this for the first time, my heart melted a little more. This is my mission as an educator. I want to support my young learners to develop into even better humans. Can you imagine if all learners knew their talents and were able to contribute them to the world? This is why we work as hard as we do to make it happen in our corner of the world. This is the pay off when the work becomes insurmountable. As an adult, I am still growing my learning assets. At times, I doubt my capabilities and my touch in the world. I want to do so many things, but wonder if I’m doing it right or good enough. When I listen to descriptors above, it helps me to reset and know that I’m on the right pathway. As my friend Joe Amabile says, “Teaching is a 30 year journey of self-discovery.” Every time I read, engage with others, and reflect, I am continuing on the journey that was outlined for me. The same is for you. Keep it up! You are creating an impact by listening to this podcast and engaging with Kath’s work. Well my friends, we have now entered the second section of this dynamic book and there are so many considerations to laying the foundation of inquiry learning in our school. A big thank you to Kirti Kale for being a rock star and creating all of our book club PowerPoint presentations. All of this while moving from Japan to India and beginning a coordinator position at a new school. We love your passion and dedication in helping fellow educators. Are we ready for this?This question is the first thing we need to think about when preparing for personal inquiry. It’s not something we run into, but, “it is the result of thoughtful conversation, careful decisions and the creation of systems that give the approach solid moorage.” according to Kath Murdoch. She continues by stating, “With the right intention and the right culture, a degree of ‘diving into the deep end’ can reveal so much about what our learners are capable of, and the process of learning through personal inquiry becomes an inquiry in itself.” When I began inquiry teaching, it took a lot of time to figure out what it was, how it felt, and why it mattered. To be honest, I didn’t quite understand how the pieces came together for quite a long time. I remember a colleague of mine, Karen Roddis, would always talk about using inquiry-driven learning within my units and asking conceptual questions. As she was talking, I couldn’t put the pieces together, because she was speaking a foreign language to me. With time and a lot of practice, I was finally able to get there, but it takes time. In this book, Kath provides a lot of checklists and success criteria to consider when establishing each practice. This is exactly what I needed as a newbie inquiry teacher to guide my practice. If you are new to this philosophy, consider reading section 2.1, because it really made me reflect and pause on what schools need in order to move forward. Reflecting on whole-school cultureThe pandemic has highlighted even more the importance of strong school culture to shape the identity of all learners within the community. School culture does not develop overnight, so making changes will also take time. For existing cultures, it will take time to dismantle fears and misconceptions. More than ever, we need a culture that fosters creativity, individuality, and agency. As a teacher, I want to work in this type of environment where I can express my authentic self to the community. Kath provides some excellent points to consider when trying to establish a whole school culture. “Personal inquiry does not happen simply because we provide the time and opportunity for learners. It is not a set program nor a set of tips and tricks that can be quickly grafted onto a classroom schedule. Inserting In a personal inquiry workshop into an existing traditional environment in which learners are, for the rest of the week, positioned as passive learners with little choice is bound to fail.” If we are ready, you might want to consider the following:
When I read this list of criteria for school culture, I instantly picture a school full of confident learners of all ages. Everyone clearly embraces the vision, has the necessary tools to make it successful, and relationships guide the learning process. This is the type of school I want to be part of. Beliefs and assumptionsKath Murdoch reminds us, “Our beliefs shape our practice. How we perceive our role as teachers has a profound influence on the language we use with students, the way we organize for learning, the design of learning tasks and what we look and listen for as we assess.” Kath asks some provoking questions that made me reflect on my own beliefs about inquiry.
This really made me pause for a moment. Not only did I reflect on my practice, but I thought of educators that have shaped and challenged my beliefs and values about learning, Mondrea is my friend who is wise beyond her years. She is passionate about educational equity, particularly amongst children within at-risk communities. She is striving to create a school that offers inquiry-driven education to those who rarely have access. This warms my heart, because her passion for the PYP program is infectious. We can speak for hours about aspects of inquiry and how it applies to our real lives. The thing I appreciate the most is when she challenges my thinking to stretch beyond my current understanding. Vidhya is well-read. No book or professional development opportunity is safe from her grasp. She took time from teaching within a PYP setting to learn more about the program through her personalized inquiry learning. She engages in webinars, courses, personal reading and research, book clubs, and more. What fascinates me about her the most is her resiliency against the unknown. She has faced many uncertain situations in her professional and personal life, but she keeps shining. This is rooted in a deep belief that we are all inquirers and deserve the most out of our learning experiences. Being surrounded by people who share our similar beliefs about inquiry helps to strengthen our practice. This especially helps us when our school culture misunderstands the role of inquiry in our learning and teaching. Building community nurturing agencyThis section began with this idea, “The courage to take a risk and try something new is stronger when you know that others around you have ‘got your back’.”
We all want to work in a culture where the people around us have our backs. They don’t necessarily have to support our initiatives, but they support our right to take them. This is huge in setting the stage for innovation to bloom. Our students need to feel the same level of support in order to authentically pursue their personal inquiries. Kath suggests, “Take our young learner’s ideas seriously, and engaging in thoughtful and genuine dialogue where we show a true interest in their thinking, their ideas, and their views of the world, is a powerful force for relationship building and models the way we hope learners will relate to each other.” How many times do we elicit learner questions and post them on our wonder wall? Do we actually look at them? Hmm… On page 53, there is an amazing chart that speaks to growing a culture that values agency and small steps we can take that will make a big difference. It presents what we traditionally might do in various learning situations and presents an alternative. We all have people that we meet for the first time and it just clicks. Jess is one of those for me.
Our acquaintance began as I moderated her session for Toddle TIES 2022. She led a dynamic workshop on inquiry driven leadership that captivated the audience. Her ideas are simple, easy to follow, yet very compelling. While presenting workshops for Texas IB Schools in Austin, I was able to meet Jess in-person. It was like two college friends meeting up after a long time apart. It's amazing how that happens between two people who are equally minded in purpose and vision. I hope to continue to build a friendship over inquiry with a fellow Texan! This summer has been a roller coaster of travel and workshops. I had a brief respite at my sister's house when a return flight home was delayed by five hours. What can you do in a regional airport? You delve into Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning by Kath Murdoch. Magically, all of that time that you had melts away. I had a fun time writing some podcast episodes as a reflection tool of our workshop. So fun!
Just a reminder my friends, this new series will take an intense dive into the book, “Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning” by Kath Murdoch. This episode will focus on sections 1.4 - 1.6 of the book, so stay tuned to be inspired by Kath! The ‘why not’: Lessons from dissenting voicesThere will always be a group of educators who resist best practice out of fear, uncertainty, and frustration. I totally understand their uncertainty about inquiry, because it requires a mindshift in how we look at our learner, our curriculum, and our end goal. Kath reminds us, “an inquiry stance means being intentionally open-minded. It means listening to alternative voices and avoiding the temptation to dwell inside one’s own echo chamber. It means being willing to listen to a range of perspectives and being prepared to acknowledge the pitfalls as well as the successes.” With this notion in mind, Kath addresses the most common arguments against inquiry-based learning. Here are some that resonated with me. Argument: “Inquiry is great in principle, but the reality is that it can’t possibly work with one educator and a large class of learners. It is just not practical.” Kath’s response: “Joyful as the experience can be, this is a sophisticated and demanding pedagogy that requires a strong repertoire of strategies and, ideally, a team and wider school culture to support it.” Having served in at-risk communities for the past few years. I often heard a similar argument that the PYP is only successful in affluent schools where there are additional resources, less teaching gaps, and more parental support. Although these elements do benefit children, it’s more about the mindset of the school community. If the community believes the program will thrive, then it will happen. If they decide the learners are “less”, they will be treated as such. Argument: “Following learners’ interests makes it too hard to meet curriculum standards.” Kath’s response: “Not only do I consider curricula quite compatible with inquiry, but I would also argue that educators do a far better job of inquiry teaching when they choose to really get to know their curriculum - to know it so well that they can let it go and see the opportunities for connection as they arise.” This reminds me of Kath’s video, “What it means to be an inquiry teacher.” She speaks about the misconceptions of the teacher being laissez-faire and quite hands-off. In fact, the opposite is quite true of an inquiry teacher. They know their curriculum so well that they are able to wield it, so learning is within the context of the learning, which leads to learning transfer. Pictures of practice: Approaches to personal inquiryThis section really made me pause and reflect on how I lead personal inquiry with learners. There are several strategies that I have employed over time that may have not been at the highest level. In our book club, it was stated, “You only know what you know.” We can’t feel bad about the past, but move forward by refining our practice. This quote stayed with me for quite some time, “If you leave it till grade 5 /6, and you haven’t developed the skills and the voice - if you haven’t actually done the groundwork with them, then it's very difficult for them to switch that on when they’ve been reliant on the teacher to do all the architecture and thinking around learning. All of a sudden the spotlight is on them. We need to give time to the development of student voice and the skills associated with personal inquiry throughout school. We can’t assume that because they are young it’s something that they can’t do, because that’s just not true in my experience.” Nadine Crane So, what is the best way to begin personal inquiry in our practice? Kath states, “the questions should be What might be the best way to incorporate this into our school? What might work best for our learners?” The remaining portion of this section reviews different types of personal inquiry models and their limitations, such as extended personal projects (passion projects), innovation days, genius hour, and discovery time and explorations. These all have finite times where inquiry is honored. Instead, the suggestion is to follow the iTime or studio time model, where learners are given 1.5-2 hours per week to explore their personal inquiries. For more information, be sure to read page 35 on how iTime is structured and its benefits. Also, be sure to check out the flow of personal inquiry on page 38. It really clarified how personal inquiry might look and feel from pre-kindergarten to upper primary/elementary level. The when and where: organizing time and making spaceThere will never be a perfect time to engage within inquiry. We have to make space for it to happen naturally and within the context of the learning. Argument: “Why was there such a gap between the way we would prefer to use our time and the way we do use our time?” Kath’s Response: “We have a curriculum we are required to attend to and so many educators felt that offering choice meant that the curriculum expectations would not be met.” “We need to reconsider our relationship with time as something we control rather than something that controls us…It is the educators who know their curriculum best that have the most confidence to let it go, knowing they will see the opportunities to connect with it as they observe and listen to their learners.” Book Club Role: The SummarizerThis week I focused on being The Summarizer as part of my book club role alongside my friend Ragini. It was a challenge to take on this role to succinctly summarize so many wonderful ideas.
We determined that people resist inquiry due to fear. This is common in schools where the culture is not defined. Some teachers dive into inquiry, others will dip their toes, while the remainder hide under their umbrella. All we can do is move closer to our goals and be a positive example of inquiry in action. We don’t know what we don’t know. Our inquiry journey is not the same year to year. In the beginning, we may have relied on scaffolded systems like Genius Hour, which is okay. If you are still using the system with your learners, it’s okay. Our goal is to free up the personal inquiry, so the learners are exploring regularly, instead of on Fun Fridays. We manage the time, not the other way around. We can maximize the experiences within our classrooms by knowing our curriculum well, so we can leverage it as a tool for deeper learning. I am excited to co-lead with Aga Chojnacka-Al Atat and Kirti Kale a book club for Kath Murdoch’s latest title, Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning. I am already several sections into the book and I’ve found a treasure trove of little gems that resonate deeply to my teaching philosophy. Each week, our book club will focus on two to three sections and apply them to our practice. This podcast will serve as a reflection tool and also tap into parts of the book that resonated with me. Let’s get started! For the first book club, I was delivering a workshop in the Colorado Rockies and I was a little bit unwell, so I didn’t get to join the book club. For this episode, I’m going to solely focus on what resonated with me. Going forward, I will merge the two experiences together. Who is this for? Besides educators, parents, leaders, and policymakers, this book has been written for our young people, so they can “experience a stronger personal connection between what they care about and what they are learning at school.” Wouldn’t it be magical if all educators thought through this lens? Imagine how dynamic school and life would be in the future. How do we create personal inquiry? First, we must understand what inquiry is and what it means to be personal in order to put them together to create something unique. Inquiry“An inquiry is generally driven by questions and these questions may arise from a need, a problem, a puzzle, or an interest.” How many of us are truly teaching this to our learners? “There are numerous contexts and approaches that lend themselves to learning through inquiry. While these may differ in emphasis, they all position learning as an act of exploration and construction.” Some of approaches are:
There are many more that Kath references, but they are equally fabulous in their own way. It’s about our intention and our focus on what and how students learn. PersonalWhen we make learning personal for our learners, what does that mean? Here is what Kath purports it is not. “While differentiation is important, it is not the same as making it personal.” I’m always thinking about ways to differentiate learning, so this made me pause. She continues, “The term ‘personalized’ is used in a range of ways. One definition suggests that pathways are designed for individuals by educators, and goals are set and tracked for each learner in one or more subject areas. Learners may be working at their own pace through a program designed by or negotiated with the educator.” “There is a difference between simply learning something that is pitched at the right ‘level’ for you and learning something that you are personally, genuinely invested in.” I don’t know about you, but this has made me really pause and think about how many times I’ve been well intentioned to support my learners, but it was not truly personalized to meet their needs. This explains why they did not truly understand the content, they weren’t invested in the process. It’s tough to admit, but it’s how we grow into better educators. Personal + Inquiry = Personal InquiryNow that we have strived to understand each component, what exactly is personal inquiry? “Personal inquiry is about the needs, interests, passions of each learner being met through opportunities for them to inquire. While personal, these opportunities do not preclude collaboration with others. In fact, the process of engaging in a personal inquiry inevitably involves collaboration with others in order, for example, to gather expert information, receive feedback, or share learning.” Think about your own personal learning journey. There were probably plenty of times where you collaborated with friends and colleagues to make sure your ideas made sense or resonated with others. These interactions probably made all of the difference, because they verified that you were on the right track. This is why we need others while delving into our personal inquiries. “Having agency in your learning and being part of the decision-making about what, how, when, where, and with whom you will learn is not a treat or a reward, it is a right.” How many times have we told students, if you complete this task, you get to work with this person? Yikes? It’s not a reward, but a right. The ‘Why’ of Personal InquiryThere are so many reasons why we should honor personal inquiry in our practice. Here are some ideas that Kath presented that really stood out at me.
“Curiosity is at the heart of the inquiry classroom. Inquiry both activates and is activated by curiosity.” “Inquiry strengthens transferable skills and dispositions needed throughout our lives.” “The most powerful inquiry is concept-based.” “When learners are engaged in learning with real purpose and real audiences, and are taking real action, they see the relevance and meaning in their learning.” All of these ideas resonated with me, because it reminded me of my learning journey. I can remember a handful of teachers, ironically all strong, independent women, who shaped my identity as a learner. The commonality between all of them is that they asked more than they told, they saw my potential and shared their observations with me, and they gave me time and space to figure things out on my own. All of the other educators labeled me as an English language learner, shy, Asian, and compliant. They didn't see “me” as a learner, but as a label. Thus, they didn’t see my potential. The last paragraph in this section touched me the most, because you can feel Kath’s heart come onto the page. It’s what I will leave you with as we close this episode. “When I sit with a young learner engaged in an exploration of something they really care about and when I can show them that I am there to support that passion, that I am truly with them, listening and learning with them - I feel I am my most authentic self as an educator. These are the moments when I feel my head and heart are working together and when my teaching ‘soul’ is nurtured. It is an incredibly powerful experience.” Are you ready to get personal with inquiry learning? I am so honored to be part of this book club where we are delving into Kath Murdoch's new book, Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning. It's a great way to get the mind moving and planning for the next school year during the summer break. We will be using the book club roles by Misty Paterson, the author of Pop-Up Studio: Responsive Teaching for Today's Learners. I'm excited to take a deeper look at Kath's book through these roles, because it will help us to make more conceptual connections. One of the most challenging book club roles is the Muse. It requires the participant to consider a static object or malleable material to create a conceptual representation of the big ideas.
In the last book club, we use a piece of aluminum foil and created an object that represented inquiry. This fabulous role helps your learners to connect o symbolism in a new way. We are ready to pop it up with Pop-Up Studio by Misty Paterson. Join the CITL book club as we unpack this beautiful book about the relationship between agency, inquiry, and conceptual understanding. You will need a copy of Misty's book to uncover the deep concepts. You can purchase your copy here. This will be a completely virtual event: Zoom.us/my/liggettcitl
See you at the book club! Trevor MacKenzie recently asked his learners what helped them to level up their achievement on a recent inquiry project using infographics. The answers were simple, but powerful. Co-designing a Success CriteriaBy co-designing the success criteria, learners are able to articulate the expectations and monitor progress on their own. What are the implications? Learner: they will have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and be able to demonstrate independent thinking in creating their process and product. Teacher: they will need to release some control of the learning process and designing the final product. They must trust their learners. Looking at ExemplarsLooking at exemplars helps learners to calibrate their understanding of the desired process and product. What are the implications? Learner: they have a clear understanding of what the desired outcome should look and feel like. They are also exposed to examples that are close, but not quite right. Teacher: they must work as a team to vet exemplars, so the entire grade level has a clear understanding of the desired result. Calibration at the beginning will create a consistent message for learners. Give Powerful FeedbackGiving feedback is a dynamic process where learners are being a critical friend and providing next steps. It's founded on a deep level of trust. What are the implications? Learner: they are able to self and peer assess work accurately based on clear feedback at the moment. They are able to self-adjust based on the actionable next steps provided by the feedforward. Teacher: they need to create the conditions for authentic feedback and feedforward to happen through systematic processes and tools. TimeAllowing time is one of the most powerful tools we can provide our learners, so they can tinker with ideas and come to solutions on their own. What are the implications? Learner: they can think, create, design, explore, interact, and assess on their own and apply these skills to new learning situations. Teacher: they must plan less and provoke more. This is done through deep provocations that make one think and feel and a variety of questions to get learners to thinking differently. Result?Learners who are more agentic and drive their own inquiries. What are the implications?
We successful support the next generation to think and feel, so they are able to solve tough problems in the future. As a result of the chat, I was sparked to join the infographic project by creating one of my own. You can find it here. The CITL Book Club concluded our series on Dive into Inquiry with the author Trevor MacKenzie. This informal chat was spurred by book club member's burning questions, experiences, and Trevor's unique lens of making inquiry come to life. What a treat! Take a peek at our chat here and in the media section. Our group of educators around the world joined in the conversation about Trevor MacKenzie's book, Dive into Inquiry. Although it's a well known book in our community, we still took time to unpack and digest the implications in our practice. To be honest, this was my first virtual book club experience, so I felt unsure about my role. With repeated practice, it became easier to make deeper connections. Mike was such a pro that I relied on his genius. When in Vancouver for a workshop, what do you do? You contact your favorite author for a visit. This is exactly what happened and I could be happier to meet Misty Paterson in-person. We could have talked for hours about pedagogy. She helped me to recognize that I am a systems thinker, which is something I had not connected to before. Almost like a diagnosis, I finally had a name to the way that I think. Life changing. Now, I connect to systems everywhere I see. This is the impact of like-minded educators meeting and leaving their imprint. I can't wait to meet up again soon! |
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