This week students have been presenting their linoit boards on the War of 1812/Napoleon. As mentioned in previous posts, this is the first time that I feel I've a complete handle on the inquiry process from start to finish. This meant that I was better able to facilitate students' learning. Inquiry, after all, is not a free-for-all; it requires a great deal of structure to be successful and there is a definite learning curve for teachers as they develop facilitation expertise.
In reflecting on inquiries and project-based learning from previous years, there were certainly times where chaos reigned in the learning environment and where the quality of student work was not what I was accustomed to seeing in final projects that were teacher directed. It takes time for facilitators to understand how to prompt high level critical and creative thinking which is then reflected in quality demonstrations of learning. The rewards, however, are worth the growing pains!
Certain elements mark an inquiry that is running smoothly.
1. The quality of the conversations, debates, discussions and sharing that take place between students.
2. The sustained engagement of students as they pursue personal interests within the boundaries of the topic.
3. The relaxed atmosphere.
It was as students presented their work, however, that I saw the full impact of this approach to learning.
What's different?
The depth of content knowledge that not just the A level students have, but that almost all students in the class now have.
The comfort level of students as they speak in front of the class.
The exceptional quality of thinking - students are consistently making insightful inferences, thoughtful observations and clever analyses as they present their work and as they comment on presentations.
The justifications students are able to make about the content they chose to include as well as their design choices.
The level of engagement of the audience as they listen to their peers. These students know the content and have formed opinions. They are challenging the accuracy of facts; they are admiring or questioning design choices. They are debating the merits of the interpretations their peers make and the significance of various events.
The quality of feedback that students are providing to their peers; students are being very honest and open in their critiques. There is admiration for exceptional or innovative approaches and ideas as well as criticism for lesser quality work. We've had some uncomfortable moments as we've worked through this aspect of inquiry but we are learning to be open and how to frame feedback so that it is constructive.
The personal satisfaction students express about what they've accomplished.
I will, with students' permission, be sharing links to their boards. Those boards, while nice to look at, won't tell the full story. To really understand what they represent, one would have had to have been in the classroom, listening as they spoke. That experience I cannot provide.
In reflecting on inquiries and project-based learning from previous years, there were certainly times where chaos reigned in the learning environment and where the quality of student work was not what I was accustomed to seeing in final projects that were teacher directed. It takes time for facilitators to understand how to prompt high level critical and creative thinking which is then reflected in quality demonstrations of learning. The rewards, however, are worth the growing pains!
Certain elements mark an inquiry that is running smoothly.
1. The quality of the conversations, debates, discussions and sharing that take place between students.
2. The sustained engagement of students as they pursue personal interests within the boundaries of the topic.
3. The relaxed atmosphere.
It was as students presented their work, however, that I saw the full impact of this approach to learning.
What's different?
The depth of content knowledge that not just the A level students have, but that almost all students in the class now have.
The comfort level of students as they speak in front of the class.
The exceptional quality of thinking - students are consistently making insightful inferences, thoughtful observations and clever analyses as they present their work and as they comment on presentations.
The justifications students are able to make about the content they chose to include as well as their design choices.
The level of engagement of the audience as they listen to their peers. These students know the content and have formed opinions. They are challenging the accuracy of facts; they are admiring or questioning design choices. They are debating the merits of the interpretations their peers make and the significance of various events.
The quality of feedback that students are providing to their peers; students are being very honest and open in their critiques. There is admiration for exceptional or innovative approaches and ideas as well as criticism for lesser quality work. We've had some uncomfortable moments as we've worked through this aspect of inquiry but we are learning to be open and how to frame feedback so that it is constructive.
The personal satisfaction students express about what they've accomplished.
I will, with students' permission, be sharing links to their boards. Those boards, while nice to look at, won't tell the full story. To really understand what they represent, one would have had to have been in the classroom, listening as they spoke. That experience I cannot provide.
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