When I think about inquiry learning I think about students asking questions about the content and the teacher guiding them to find the answers. Below is a glimpse of what I think inquiry learning is all about.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Part II Think Aloud
Part II
The article we read this week by Neil Stephenson, described eight principals that guide teachers into inquiry based learning classrooms. The eight principals are: authenticity, deep understanding, and performance of learning, assessment, technology, expertise, success, and ethical citizenship.
I teach 2nd grade so for my mini-lesson I think I want to do a social studies theme for that grade level.
SS2H1 The student will read about and describe the lives of historical figures in Georgia history
1.) Authenticity- I would relate the historical figures to names of today’s world by asking questions such as;
Do you have any family members that served in a war? Do you know who Jackie Robinson or Martin Luther King is?
2.) Deep Understanding- I want my students to make the connection between the historical figures and how their lives help our lives today. I also want students to provide resources they can gather information from
3.) Performances of Learning- I would like students to share information they have learned with classmates through collaboration, technology, or skits.
4.) Assessment- I will use summative and formative assessments to evaluate the information students have learned.
5.) Technology-Students will be able to use some type of presentation or video to show what they have learned.
6.) Expertise- Students can invite grandparents or relatives that may share stories from that era in history.
7.) Success- I can help guide students into setting goal and expectations about assignments and information they want to learn.
8.) Ethical Citizenship- Students may include quotes, pictures, and videos in their presentations. They will be expected to follow the guidelines for ethical use.
The article we read this week by Neil Stephenson, described eight principals that guide teachers into inquiry based learning classrooms. The eight principals are: authenticity, deep understanding, and performance of learning, assessment, technology, expertise, success, and ethical citizenship.
I teach 2nd grade so for my mini-lesson I think I want to do a social studies theme for that grade level.
SS2H1 The student will read about and describe the lives of historical figures in Georgia history
1.) Authenticity- I would relate the historical figures to names of today’s world by asking questions such as;
Do you have any family members that served in a war? Do you know who Jackie Robinson or Martin Luther King is?
2.) Deep Understanding- I want my students to make the connection between the historical figures and how their lives help our lives today. I also want students to provide resources they can gather information from
3.) Performances of Learning- I would like students to share information they have learned with classmates through collaboration, technology, or skits.
4.) Assessment- I will use summative and formative assessments to evaluate the information students have learned.
5.) Technology-Students will be able to use some type of presentation or video to show what they have learned.
6.) Expertise- Students can invite grandparents or relatives that may share stories from that era in history.
7.) Success- I can help guide students into setting goal and expectations about assignments and information they want to learn.
8.) Ethical Citizenship- Students may include quotes, pictures, and videos in their presentations. They will be expected to follow the guidelines for ethical use.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Goals Update
My Goals for this class: Here is where I am ...
I am currently working to implement Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. It maybe next year before this actually takes place. We only have 7 weeks of school left and things are kind of crazy with state and district testing.
I am currently working to implement Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. It maybe next year before this actually takes place. We only have 7 weeks of school left and things are kind of crazy with state and district testing.
1,) I plan to use more Web 2.0 tools in the classroom to enhance student learning and interest.
2.)
I plan on taking what I have learned about blogs and creating a my own
2nd grade blog to share some of the lessons and activities I have
created.
Wow!!! I have learned so much about blogging! I have really enjoyed maintaining this blog and reading others. I will definitely keep my blog and PLN going after the class is over.
3.) I would love to learn more about Twitter and understand how it works.
Twitter, Twitter, Twitter! I am learning more each day. I am unable to see others in the class tweets. I am unsure if they see mine. I used the little hashtag thing, but I am not sure if they see it. I have used Twitter to tweet several activities to my PLN that I have completed in my classroom. I am really enjoying this class. I am still working to complete my goals. I feel having my PLN and Twitter account help keep me up today with 21st century technology and learning.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Letting Go!
As I read the article and watched the video, I started to
see a puzzle in my mind that began to fit together. Teacher Keys Effectiveness
System (TKES), Student Learning Objectives (SLOs), Math Talks, Measurement of Academic
Progress (MAP), and Georgia Milestone, to me, I feel as though these are all new
tools that are put into place to guide teachers into the Gradual Release of Responsibility
model.
Time after time I hear teachers complain about teaching a
skill and then a few months later the students have forgotten the skill. I
often wondered why students were not retaining the information given to them.
Learning is not about memorization! Learning is acquiring knowledge about a skill
through experience or being taught. When my district rolled out the information
about SLOs and the Georgia Milestone tests teachers began to freak out!
Instructional coaches began telling us that there would be different levels of
questions based on depth of knowledge (DOK). I thought to myself, if I teach the
skill and provide strategies I think the students will be fine. I often see
teachers “teach to the test” just as the author stated about his soccer game. Teachers
teach children depending on what is on the test, but never allow them to take
the strategies they learn and apply them. If we continue to throw students life
preservers they will never learn to swim.
I started doing math talks with my class this year. They
were so accustomed to the old vertical math problems, it blew their minds when
I gave them two 3 digit numbers and asked them to solve it horizontal. I did not coach or guide them with the answer,
they had to take a strategies we have learned and solve it. After about 3 they
begin to let their minds work. It is hard to do that as a teacher, but we must
learn to let go!
I see a great connection between inquiry learning,
instructional technology, and great teaching. Inquiry based learning is like
the age old saying, “Tell and I will forget, show me and I remember, involve me
and I understand.” It is very important to allow learning to be student
centered. I love what Chris Lehmann said
about incorporating technology. Technology
support inquiry based learning due to the fact that there is more information available
besides what the teacher has in his/her brain. That is so true!!! He gave me
ideas about using technology to contact the author of a book I may read. I
could possibly do FaceTime or other ways of communication. There are endless ideas and opportunity with technology and inquiry based learning. I think teachers
need to realize we teach kids and not subjects (Chris Lehman).
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Reflective Researching
When I need to find information
about something I mainly use Google search. I never stop to think whether
there is a correct way and an incorrect way to search for information. I
consider myself to be an informational searcher. I type in the keywords or the
question for what I need answered. I often find the information that I
need, but it sends me to a variety of sites that I really do not need. If I am unable to find what I am searching
for, I tend to repeat searches over and over.
I feel we are all members of the Google
Generation. The majority of people rely solely on the Internet to search for
information. For the most part, the majority of people use Google and Yahoo as
their main search engine. A lot of time we don’t take the time to validate that
information for accuracy that we find on the web. Just as many teens that
search the web, I also “Google” the majority of information I want to know. I
do realize there are a plethora of sources other than Google.
I have never heard of filter bubble,
but after watching the video it is kind of scary. I learned various ways to avoid
filter bubble by erasing cookies, keeping my search history cleared, keeping my
Facebook private and turning off targeted ads. I often wondered what the privacy
web browser was all about. Now I know it is a way to help avoid the filter
bubble. It keeps my searches private. I found there are several tips to effectively search for information based on what I am searching for. The coolest search strategy I learned about was the Google image search. I tried it, and found it to be very interesting!
Blog Post #2
After reading the four resources, it is obvious they all agree an
education reform is much needed. The cycle of traditional memorization
and regurgitation of information is no longer working. I like one
statement I read in one of the articles that stated,“There are vastly
creative minds that are capable of doing
intensely wonderful things with their learning but often we don’t let
that live and breathe (Laufenberg). That is a profound statement this
author made. In order to take your students in the 21st century of
inquiry based learning, educators have to step back and become flexible.
The authors of the article admitted it was not easy to do at first, but
it paid off in the end. Students today live in a technology centered
world, so it is important to incorporate technology into their learning.
They enjoy it, they love it!
I concur with the resources that I read. We need a transformation in the education system. The old traditional methods are not working. The resources give ratification to the goals that I would like to attain in my classroom. I teach 2nd grade and would love to do more with technology and inquiry based learning.
Resources
I concur with the resources that I read. We need a transformation in the education system. The old traditional methods are not working. The resources give ratification to the goals that I would like to attain in my classroom. I teach 2nd grade and would love to do more with technology and inquiry based learning.
Resources
- InfoWhelm and Information Fluency (Solution Fluency + Creativity Fluency + Collaboration Fluency + Media Fluency + Information Fluency = Global Digital Citizen)
- My daily info-wrangling routine (practical workflow for information curation)
- Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning
- The Journey from Digital Literacy to Digital Fluency
Blog Post #1
Learning Goals
1,) I plan to use more Web 2.0 tools in the classroom to enhance student learning and interest.
2.)
I plan on taking what I have learned about blogs and creating a my own
2nd grade blog to share some of the lessons and activities I have
created.
I would love to learn more about Twitter and understand how it works.
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