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Here in Jasmin Ramzinsky’s 3rd grade class at Parkside Elementary School in Austin is why education can be turned around on a time by simply challenging students to assume more control of their own learning.
How do they do this? By being encouraged to ask good questions about the content they are studying and then pursuing what International Baccalaureate calls “purposeful investigations.”
And how do we encourage students to get interested and excited enough to pose questions about a subject we have to teach?
One successful way is to introduce what we call a provocation or a problematic scenario.
Jasmin had her students read a short book and within this story might have been the following challenge:
You are members of an expedition of scientists who must explore the distant planets for possible living environments. Our planet earth is becoming overcrowded and resources are scarce. Select your planet, identify what you know about it and what you need to know in order to prepare for such an expedition. You will present your findings to a community group of concerned scientists and demonstrate your understanding of planetary rotations, orbits, atmospheres and opportunity for sustaining life.
Before Jasmin adopted this inquiry-based approach, she had assigned students’ questions; they then conducted the research and write a one or two page paper.
After completion of this solar system unit, Jasmin asked her students to comment on this new approach. Here are some of their comments:
"Mrs. Ram, that doesn't make any sense. Why would you ask questions about my planet. You weren't doing the research, I was."
"Mrs. Ram, I bet your kids kinda got bored with finding the answers to your questions."
"Mrs. Ram, How did you know what your kids wanted to research? Did you ask each kid before you wrote the list of questions?"
Indeed, why do we teachers assume we can dream up the kinds of questions our students would be intrigued by? Why would we assume that the old approach would generate interest and engagement in the topic?
But we have made and continue to make these assumptions throughout our educational system.
Teachers who afford students an opportunity to pose their own questions related to the designated content report these advantages. Students become:
1. More engaged intellectually and emotionally
2. More in control of their own learning and, thereby, more responsible for achievement
There are many, many Jasmins across this country who know the benefits and wisdom of challenging students to pose meaningful questions and conduct purposeful investigations.
Inquiry that leads problem solving and critical thinking are all so-called 21st century skills (as they were last century and the ones before that dating back to Socrates!)
One of the questions to pose and answer is How do we know they’re getting better at these 21st century skills?
We do have evidence.
More later.
http://morecuriousminds.blogspot.com
Comment
Erika,
Yes, I would be interested in learning more about your inquiry-based economics course. I once interviewed a prof from this university who was very much involved with 21st century skills development and students' taking the initiative. His comments are in the Solution Tree book called 21st Century Skills.
And I'd love to know more about the third grade downloading apps to teach himself Japanese! What a wonderful experience. This started with his own curiosity and he is in process of satisfying it. Let's hear more: has he manifested this curiosity in other areas?
Best,
John
Great to start an inquiry journal with what's in front of us, things that matter. Asking a lot of "Why?" and "How come?" and "What will happen if this continues?" kinds of questions. At some point you share what you're wondering about with your students. . .Then, you can do what one school, K-6, did have Wondering Wednesdays and one student asked, "Why don't we wear seat belts on the bus?" That let to civic action.
Also like the idea of keeping a journal for what works/doesn't work with challenging students to ask their own good questions.
Eventually, we engage students with real artifacts in asking questions that relate to our fundamental concepts and ideas, organize them and help them find answers.
Keep on writing, reflecting!
I admire all the different ways you are providing students with choice. This is one of the foundational elements of good inquiry investigations, students' generating their own questions, organizing themselves into topic groups, conducting purposeful investigations, thinking about data critically and drawing reasonable conclusions. We are all rookies at this to one degree or another. Inquiry is an amazing adventure and you're in store for an enriching journey.
You might begin, if you're not ready for the problematic scenario you suggested, with 1. Keeping your own Inquiry Journal, noting your own curiosities about the world, current events, your own interests. When you feel comfortable, you can begin sharing these wonderings with kids. 2. Bring in artifacts related to topics you are studying for Observe (What do we see/feel/hear with all our senses?); Think (relate to prior knowledge); and Question--What do we now wonder/want to know about this artifact? If you've chosen the artifact well, it will, like the problematic scenario, reflect key ideas/concepts/principles within the unit. For example, for a Civil War unit what might you bring in to share (and then have kids bring in their objects) in the way of images, real artifacts or models? An article can serve the same purpose.
As you get more practiced, you jot down kids' questions and begin to help them analyze using a frame work like Bloom or the 3 Story Intellect. Then, gradually, their questions can be incorporated into your units.
But it's really important that you begin to become more aware of your own curiosities: What do you wonder about? What don't you seem to notice or ask about? For example, after years of this kind of reflection, I notice I'm more and more asking questions about causes, Why is this so? How did we get into this situation?
And you can provide students with their own inquiry journals for a unit or two of instruction.
For more, you might consult Why Are School Buses Always Yellow? Teaching Inquiry Pre K-5 (Corwin Press). See contents, reviews and sample chapter at www.morecuriousminds.com
Hope you were spared the terrible weather!
John
The Civil War should be a great topic for inquiry.
Your proposed scenario would seem to have authenticity because we still do re-enact the horrors of that war. It also need high intellectual challenge so students are solving problems, making critical decisions along the way."You are called upon the re-enact [a battle; one side or the other] of this conflict. For your role you will need to know the historical causes of the conflict, the major personalities who fought with and led you; why they succeeded and/or did not. Not only will you re-enact some of the drama, but you will be expected to share your analysis of the situation both as a role-player and as a modern citizen looking back to 1861-65 from 2011." Does this have significantly high challenge, so kids are not merely memorizing data? I'm not sure yet. We need to get them analyzing and making decisions--perhaps that comes as they comment on the conflict or choose most significant decisions made by the real generals?
With something like this you can, with sufficient build-up (perhaps showing some of the Ken Burns' films) engage students in a KWHLAQ: "What do we think we already know about the CW? What do we need and want to find out? [Here their questions stem from the fact of their becoming professional re-enactors/historians.] How will we research these questions/plan our investigations? What are we Learning along the way? (And end with AQ: How can we Apply what we've learned and what are our new Questions?)
I assume this is for middle or high school? These students could keep excellent paper or electronic journals (using GoogleDocs/Wikis and so forth).
What do you think?
John
Of course, you'll have to plan it so this scenario encompasses the major concepts/essential questions of the unit. It can then serve as your summative assessment, or at least one of them.
Another good thing to do is have kids use their journals to keep track of initial and subsequent questions.
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