Inquiry Model and Planning

After lots of discussion, frustration and of course joy we have come up with mark 56 model named the IDEA model.
I = Ignite
D= Discover
E = Examine
A = Action
We will use this model for our Term 2 Inquiry which is "Making Sense of our World". This will be a school-wide Inquiry and we are looking forward to see which direction it takes.
Our Senior Staff have had a couple of days looking at Curriculum statements. We have come up with an Inquiry overview as well as a revised planning sheet including what each stage looks like for kids and teachers. Added to this we have developed a self assessment sheet for kids. We look forward to seeing how these go as working documents.
In our foyer we have three new posters. They represent Inquiry, Thinking Toolbox, and our Bridge to Life model.These all interlink and support our school vision of life-long learners.

2009 is here already!

Quick note about 2009.

Jo has joined the team from Whakarongo . Welcome! I'm sure this will bring a new viewpoint and stimulus to our adventure.

We have revisited and discussed our school model and planning sheets. We have had a staff meeting where Jo talked about what she has done before. A major poit which was stated and affirmed was that "...to get a great inquiry going then a big picture with a deep question was needed..."

All classes are undertaking an inquiry this term term.

All teachers will be asked to add posts to this blog to record their progress this term.

More to come...

Room 2 Term 4 Inquiry

The initial planned theme was "How do we communicate". I had planned a couple of weeks of teaching and motivating sessions which would involve practical activities, research and problem-solving. I had then thought our wonderings might send us on an exploration about books, publishing, TV programme making, films and radio. We could have visited various places around Palmy and ended up publishing our own book, having our own TV or radio station or making a short film......... but that is not what happened!

All started well then at the wondering stage we had a wide range of questions the majority of which were quite closed and factual. Generally the wonderings were an improvement on previous units.
We looked at:

• What was the first language?
• Why do we speak different languages?
• How do we talk?
• How does a TV work?
• Who invented sign-language?

The children had lots of ideas about where we could look for information (mostly GOOGLE!)

We looked at the origins of sign language and how to say various things. We decided we could use more signs with Pono to help use communicate with her and maybe help her communicate with us...
The crunch came when they want to find the answer to "How does a TV work?" We looked at TVs in particular CRT screens, got a complicated answer we didn't really understand then said "Now what? What are we going to do with this knowledge?" No answers. We had a discussion about what is the use of 'knowing stuff'" if you don't need it!!!
The children decided they would like to know more about being blind and deaf and they would then like to do something to help blind and deaf people.

We used the internet to find more information and played more games.

Finally, we got ready for our EXPO to parents:

• We designed games to make people more aware of what it would be like to be blind, partially sighted, partially deaf and completely deaf.
  
• We designed and made posters and leaflets to inform people.
  
• We tested and made milkshakes which we sold at school.
• We made a book with an illustrated story "How Pukeko Turned Blue" that we wrote in literacy including animated movies, fact sheets, comicbooks and quizzes.
• We made Xmas cards to sell
• We made bookmarks to sell

Was our inquiry a success?

• Yes, all the children had a better understanding of the inquiry process and the purpose of inquiry.
• Yes, all the children had a better understanding of the potential risks that could cause blindness and deafness.
• Yes, there was a definite purpose to our writing and publishing which resulted in a higher standard of work.
• Yes, we raised over $100 for guide dogs for the blind.
• NO! Very few parents turned up to the EXPO but we did play the games with the rest of the school.
  

End of Year Celebration

We have had our end of year round-up where a few schools shared the 'Inquiry Journey NO! Adventure' so far. What came out of this?

• The cluster schools have obviously been working hard.
• The schools are developing their own 'vision' of their local curriculum and how inquiry will fit into this.
  
• All the school seem to be at different stages of the process depending on their infra-structure and the openness of their staff.
• It showed that we are all reflective practitioners who as Michael Pohl stated "...are too often too critical of ourselves but are actually doing a good job..!"

Issues directly applicable to Opiki school?

• We have made great progress and should be proud of our achievements...
• Other schools are also contemplating the depth and coverage issues.
• Quality higher order thinking and questioning is hard!
  
• Neil said "...the process should be visually evident and graphically presented to aid pupil understanding, inclusion and relevance.
• Reduce the number of stages but increase the steps within stages (more detail)
• Exemplars of the different stages
• Linked to the school vision and new local curriculum.
• Assessment of inquiry! Skills, process, knowledge, key competencies???

All in all, an interesting day. Finally a huge thank you to Jan Thomas for her hard work this year.

ICWC school tour

Last week we went on a tour of a few of our cluster schools.

All the school's have made great strides in setting up their ICT infrastructure, integrating ICTs into their curriculums and developing their own inquiry processes.

Features of note:

• Foxton school's thin-clients
  
• Koputoroa's inquiry model based on the kereru. It was also clear that they have worked hard to include all staff members in the development of the process

Looking at how these schools are developing it is encouraging to know we are on track and compare favourably...

We are having a debate about whether to get a couple of Apple Macs as most of the other schools have. We are arguing from ignorance- none of us have much experience with Apples!! So we are planning to get a couple as a trial...

ULEARN 2008

It was a great few days in Christchurch. Most of the breakouts Tony and I selected were very worthwhile. We started off with Tony Ryan's Transformational teachers which was very motivating. He spoke about the 4 roles being;
The Energiser
The Ethicist
The Entrepeneur
The Environmentalist
Lyn Ross delivered the Thinking Toolbox which was really useful in finding some great resources. Her "www.ebest.co.nz" website is well worth a look and has many practical ideas and resources.The Blooms framework is really easy to follow with a variety of planning templates too.
Decisions that Matter was a practical dialogue that gave an opportunity to share thoughts as to what schools willl look like in the next 10 years and investing in infrustructure. It was certainly thought provoking.
Tony Ryan's "thinking about thinking" was also practicle with 5 key ideas:
Self talk
Quality classroom thinking facilatating
Focus questions
Digital assessment tasks
Engaging thinking strategies
It was useful for Tony and I to attend the same breakouts to reinforce ideas and thinking. Next year I would like to take all staff if possible. We came away with some excellent practical ideas.

Developing a classroom culture of thinking

Last week we went to an ICWC day where Michael Pohl presented a session on thinking in the classroom.

The day covered many aspects of thinking to learn and learning to think...
He highlighted the point that; 3 of the top interventions that teachers can make are-

• Thinking
• Quality Feedback
• A Risk Taking Environment

Abandonment
He raised the point that our lives/ curriculum/ school day is so full already that to be able to innovate and introduce anything new we need to leave something behind (abandonment...)

• At Opiki school, what are we going to change/abandon to be able to move forward with a thinking curriculum?

Problems

• Problem-solving
• Problem-seeking!
  

School Culture of Thinking
We need an integrated pattern of thoughts and behaviours that bind us together...
Specific factors that work together to create productive thinking...

• Language (displayed, speaking, everyday activities)
• Planning and assessment
• Programmes

Scope and Sequence
Rather than trying to teach everything all the time. Explicitly teach different thinking skills at different year levels. Then use the skills/ strategies any time after ward...

All teachers need to be able to teach/ use all strategies

Thinking Strategies/ Thinkers Keys Acronyms
Attribute listing and Analytical thinking

• A technique to extend thinking and make connections
  

SCUMPS
Size, colour, uses, materials, parts, shape...

SWEATER- for characters
Strengths, weakness, emotions, appearance, temperament, evolution, relationships

TOMATOES- for artists
Tools, origins, media, artist experience, techniques, opportunities, emotions, subject

SCAMPER
Substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse or rearrange

CAMPER
Consequences, assumptions, meaning, prejudices, evidence, relevance

ICE
Investigation (surface/elicitation), Consequential (impact/ outcomes), Enriching (critical/creative/caring)

What if...
different size, different colour, diff use, diff material, diff parts, diff shape...

BLOOMS Taxonomy

• Remembering
• Understanding
• Applying
• Analysing
• Evaluating
• Creating

Question Chaining
From lower order to higher order...
what to when
where to who

Question Mapping (a process to get to questions?)