Good Bye

The Amaryllis is moving. It can now be found  at:   http://www.heidisiwak.com/

Merging Inquiry and EQAO

 EQAO (the standardized testing that takes place at the end of the year for grades 3 and 6 students in language and math) is a reality for Ontario teachers; it's not going anywhere.  So what does a teacher whose students have spent the greater part of the year immersed in inquiry do?  Leverage the habits of inquiry to deepen student thinking using the tools of EQAO. Below is an example of how to do this.

My students have been exploring the United Nations as part of our Social Studies inquiry: What Does it Mean to Be a Global Citizen?  They've been posing questions, researching, constructing knowledge, identifying misconceptions and forming better mental models throughout the process. Hovering over us during the inquiry, however, has been EQAO. One expectation of EQAO is that students recognize various question words and know how to structure appropriate responses. For the activity below, I provided students with an explanation sheet for each term. They then had to formulate questions or commands that demonstrated their understanding of the word as well as their inquiry content.

I was astonished by the results. From this activity and the content students chose to include in their questions or commands, I could tell the depth of their understanding. It was such a useful activity for gathering information about my students' learning without having to complete a test. The student below referred to her own notes and drew from the insights she had developed during the inquiry.

Nicely done Clara and thank you for being willing to share your work so others can learn.

This task is very much connected to the work we do in integrative thinking. Integrative thinking looks for value in conflicting models and uses what is valuable in each model to create something new. It takes us out of conflict and into solution.

Students Embrace the Language of Integrative Thinking

One of the many things I love about the tools of Integrative Thinking is the language we now have to describe and analyze our thinking. Students learn to recognize that they select from the vast amount of information available in the data pool, and that what they consider salient shapes inferences, assumptions and conclusions. Students learn that the mental models they form in their heads of the world are only constructs based on the information they have paid attention to. They learn that their models are always incomplete and that new information will change their mental models. They learn that they are only ever working with their current understanding of the world and that it is important to seek new information to develop better mental models. These are powerful concepts for grade 6 and 7 students to embrace and causes them to become incredibly flexible thinkers.

Below is an example of a student building a better mental model of the world based on new information he received from Phil Frei who visited our classroom to share what life and education are like in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. The student uses the language of Integrative Thinking to describe how his thinking has changed. 

TedXKitchenerED

I am thrilled to be speaking at TedXKitchenerED on the evening of May 20th.

The theme for the event is Fostering Connectivity. I'll be speaking on the need for new forms of leadership in education, ones that leverage informal leaders.


One of the challenges of change in education is that many boards are structured on old models of leadership. While many organizations are moving ahead flattening hierarchies and developing new communication and decision-making patterns, education has been slower to respond.  Classroom teachers, however, have a new tool in hand - connectivity - and are using it to create new working relationships and models of learning outside of the traditional hierarchies.  This means that administrators are having to respond and work in new ways. The HWDSB West Cluster Integrative Thinking Initiative is an example of how change from the bottom up can work and how the "top" is engaging in and supporting the effort.

Find out more about TedXKitchenerED
7:30-9:30
Huron Heights Secondary School
​ 1825 Strasburg Road
Kitchener, ON, N2R1S3
Canada

Tickets can be ordered here.

Grade 6s Reflect on The Knowledge Building Circle

So much incredible learning happened in our classroom this week, but certainly the highlight was a visit from Phil Frei, founder of Bridge International Academies who shared his first hand experience of life in the slums of Kenya. Phil had a profound effect on my students, causing their mental models of the world and their place in it to change.  For that, we are grateful.

Students have been exploring the role of the United Nations in the world as part of our Social Studies inquiry, What Does it Mean to Be a Global Citizen? It was a Knowledge Building Circle day in the inquiry cycle and Phil arrived in time to join the circle, listen as students shared what they had been learning, and contributed by explaining how land mines in Sudan are removed. After the circle, he went on to conduct his presentation on Kenya.

Today I took time to interview students about how they feel about the Knowledge Building Circle. The process is new to us and I wanted to know if they find it useful for learning.  I know students enjoy the circle - on KBC days, they rush into class and begin moving desks out of the way before I even get there.

The questions I asked were along the following lines: How do you feel about our process for learning - having the UN as our topic, researching your interest within that, bringing what you learned back to the class to share and building on each others ideas in the KBC?  I also asked them to consider how it would be different if I taught a lesson on the UN in front of the class and they were at their desks.

Patrick
I really like the KBC and getting to share. It's interesting to hear what people have found out. I'm more comfortable sharing in the circle. If a teacher taught us a lesson instead most of us would forget because we haven't done anything ourselves. We do more thinking when we do our own learning. At a desk we do it because we "have to".

Gerrit
It's good. We get to know other people's ideas and if they are different from ours we can make notes and learn.  When the teacher is teaching, no one is talking to each other - only the teacher.  I don't like when some people pass and have nothing to say or add.

Jill
I like it because we get to research our own ideas and you get everyone else's knowledge. You get a lot more pieces of knowledge.

Abby
I like it because you get to show what you learned and when someone builds on your idea you get to learn even more. I like that you really have to listen to your classmates so you know if your idea has been talked about.

James
It's easier. It's open. It's not stressful. When a teacher teaches it's easy to get lost. I think most kids get lost quite a bit if it's only the teacher teaching.

Megan
The circle is really comfortable. You can make notes and it's easier for learning.

Katie
With the KBC it's easier to remember because it's interesting to you. I like the sharing and we get to build on each other's ideas.  I remember more this way than when a teacher is teaching.

Madeleine
I like it. You learn and you get to check out what others have learned.  It's easier to remember. Often when a teacher teachers you're not really paying attention. With KBC you're more interested in learning and hearing many ideas that others have learned.

Fiona
I like it more than when a teacher is teaching. You get to find out about what you're interested in. There's variety because you find out what others are learning. I don't like it when you lose your idea in the KBC because someone has already shared what your were going to say.

Clara
The KBC is good.  You get to say your idea and hear a variety of people and idea's. If a teacher was teaching a lesson on the UN you would only hear one person's idea. With KBC there's more variety.  I don't like when someone says what I was going to say, so I think everyone should come with at least 3 ideas.

Hannah
KBC is good because there's a lot of variety and different information.  It's better because you don't have to worry about raising your hand. Everyone gets to speak.

Finnlay
I like KBC better than when a teacher teaches. A teacher can be boring and then you tune out. In KBC everyone is involved, you can say more and find out more.  It's not as boring.

Forrester
I like it.  You don't have to learn about just one topic that a teacher has decided.  You get to learn about what others are interested in. They may have researched something that you would never have thought of learning about and then you get to learn it too.

Emily
KBC is a lot easier because you are not finding out all the information by yourself. You learn about 1 thing, but then you get to learn about 20 other ideas that others looked up. It's less time and you learn more.  You remember more and you can write notes on what others are sharing.  It's better than a teacher teaching, it's more student guided and we can add on to each other's ideas. We don't have to do just what the teacher said.

Tanner
I like this way better. I'm more comfortable in the circle than having to put your hand up in a class and worrying that what you have to say might be wrong. I am also learning more. If you research something and then someone shares something that you didn't even know was on a site, you can go and learn more about that. I love this way of learning.

You can learn more about deep learning and knowledge building here. 

Monitoring The Ladder of Inference

This is a follow-up to The Knowledge Building Circle post.

Today, we returned to the provocation for our inquiry: Canada has removed Humpback Whales from the threatened list, which we had discussed last week.  Our purpose today was to reflect on how new information in the data pool influences and shapes our ladders, causing conclusions to change or stay the same.

I asked students to recall their initial reaction to the story.  In response to the information that the status of the whales had changed,  had they jumped up the ladder and come to a negative or positive conclusion?

We took some time to consider the origin of our initial conclusions (typos spotted in hindsight).

Next we read an article  adapted from this article in the Toronto Star. I used Premier Tools to quickly summarize the article to 80% of the original content, and then made a few adjustments.

Students then had to consider new information in the data pool and if their ladders had shifted or remained the same.

Finally I interviewed each student and had them orally explain the shifts in their thinking.

Here, my last year's grade 7s explain the Ladder of Inference.

Building Deep Conceptual Understanding

Cristina Milos provides an outstanding example of developing deep conceptual understanding in her grade 2 students.

and starting inquiry with a provocation

and how she plans for inquiry

And a full inquiry process. 


I highly recommend following her on twitter @surreallyno

Knowledge Building Circle

This is a quick overview of how a Knowledge Building Circle is used to build collective knowledge.

Grade 6 Geography Inquiry Begins:

Day 1: Provocation: Canada is removing the humpback whale from the threatened species list. One student is aware of the story and quickly brings the rest of the class up to date. There are 2 very different reactions. For some this is good news; the species must be safe now. For others this is terrible news; we're not protecting whales. We remind ourselves to climb down our ladders; this is something to be explored. I lead students into a discussion of Canada's role and responsibilities in a global community.

I then ask them to think about what a global community is and what they actually know about the world.

Schema/Prior Knowledge

Students discuss places, name a few environmental issues and one or two organizations including the UN. It is surprising how little they were able to put forward about the world. There are many things they have "kinda" heard of and many misconceptions.

As we talk, students map their current model of the world including places, events, issues, people and news stories. This is a map that they will continue to build as they learn about the world.

 The roll up map is a popular tool in our classroom. It comes down frequently for various reasons. Here students are confirming place names before they add them to their global knowledge maps.

In our discussion the United Nations is mentioned. A few students have a vague understanding that it is something that includes all nations and helps out in the world.  I ask the students where it is. No one knows but 2 theories emerge:

1. It must be in the middle of the ocean because that is a place that doesn't belong to one particular country.
2. It might be in Antarctica because that is also a place that doesn't belong to one country.

 Students decide to find out. They head to the lab and begin constructing knowledge on the United Nations.

 Both hypotheses are disconfirmed.

Day 2

We hold a knowledge building circle where each student shares what they discovered about the UN to help build the collective knowledge of the class. As information is shared students discuss and use words such as assumption, I'm on the Ladder, and the language of disagreement as they clarify their understanding. New knowledge is added to the chart above. As discussion unfolds, students become more careful about word choice. Conflicting information emerges; students grapple with the information until clarity is reached. For example, various dates are mentioned in relation to the start of the UN. Eventually the group distinguishes between the League of Nations and WWI, Franklin D Roosevelt and WWII, and the physical construction in Manhattan that sits on neutral territory.

We discuss the value of the Knowledge Building Circle. Students recognize a number of things:

1. This is an application of the most effective communication pattern for learning.
2.  It is interesting to find out what others have learned.

The idea that we are building a community of knowledge is beginning to take hold.

Day 3: During the discussion students find out that our Prime Minister is not supportive of the UN. There are several gasps so I draw their attention to the Ladder of Inference and ask, "Who has just jumped up the ladder and concluded this is a bad thing?" Several hands shot up (including mine) One student speaks up and says that we really don't have enough information to decide if it's good or bad. We climb down our ladders and decide we need to learn more.

Day 3

I direct the students to United Nations Development Program as a starting point. As they construct knowledge there are expectations. As they read/view about places and projects, they must use Google Maps to find where those places are and add them to their paper maps to show how their understanding of the world is increasing.  They must also bring something they've learned to tomorrow's Knowledge Building Circle.

As students work they converse with those nearby about their learning, help each other interpret charts and graphs,  call me over to share what they've found out and pose questions which are recorded on the Question Board.

 A remarkable moment of thinking happened during this process. James noticed that the 8 development goals are in a particular order and wondered if the goals are ranked by priority. He then worked out a more efficient order because he felt that if certain problems were solved first, other problems would automatically be addressed.  He independently created a causal model.

Several students added interesting information to their blogs.

From Natural Curiosity

Reference:
Knowledge Building

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (in press). Knowledge Building. In Encyclopedia of Education,
Second Edition. New York: Macmillan Reference, USA.

Information Session on Integrative Thinking

There are many people outside the HWDSB Integrative Thinking Initiative who've expressed interest and curiosity about the project and about how they might use Integrative Thinking in their own classrooms. To that end, I will be hosting a 1 hour information/Q and A in my classroom at Dundas Central on Tuesday May 13 from 4 - 5.  The invitation is open to teachers, consultants and administrators in the HWDSB who would like to know more. You can register here.

A Shameless Brag

Yeah, I know ... but still ... it made my day!

HWDSB West Cluster Integrative Thinking Initiative

... is now visible. Yes, we've opened up the blog so you can see what we are up to.

Integrative Thinking, Mental Models and Improvable Ideas: A Meeting with Phil Frei

This week I spent a fascinating hour chatting with Phil Frei, one of the founders of Bridge International Academies. Phil has recently moved to Toronto and is  interested in learning about Ontario education. Bridge is a private sector business operating in the developing world. It's goal is to educate 10 million children whose families cannot currently afford quality basic education and provide that education at a cost of $5.00 per month. Bridge is opening a new school every 3 days and soon plans to be operating in four countries, opening one new school every day.

When I first looked at the Bridge model of education: kids in rows, scripted teacher-directed lessons and real time use of data to adjust curriculum, my reaction was negative - this is the antithesis of how I approach teaching and learning.  Integrative Thinking has taught me a great deal it seems. There are tensions here that need to be explored.

I remember Ellie Avishai describing her experience when first learning about Integrative Thinking. "I used to think all my friends were such open-minded people. Then I realized I was merely surrounding myself with people who agreed with me."  Integrative Thinking teaches us to look for tensions and conflict because that is where interesting new ideas emerge.   What Integrative Thinking has given me is a framework and a set of tools for effectively exploring and learning from that tension.  Where in the past I would have rejected this model of ed,  I can now use assertive inquiry to understand and find value in the Bridge model so that my own mental model improves. Integrative Thinking  provides tools for knowledge building and what Richard Messina from The Jackman Lab School  describes as "improvable ideas". I climbed back down my ladder of inference to the data pool .

My recent understanding of the role of constraints in creativity which began with Josie Fung from Rotman Ithink helped me quickly understand the nature of Phil's model of education. The constraints Bridge is placing on learning centre on mastery. The goal of Bridge education is to create basic math and literacy skills in a world where millions currently lack those skills and don't have access to quality education. Its goal is to move a population forward. Doing this through the private sector is interesting - while NGO's, for example, often  travel in chauffeured cars removing dollars from a development goal, Bridge must pay attention to the bottom line, its employees take the bus or train. Social enterprise is clearly creating interesting new models for development work.

Bridge, which includes the founder of ebay among its investors,  has spent a great deal of money on scaled curriculum. It has hired outstanding curriculum developers who can prototype, test and rapidly iterate curriculum - design thinking in action.  This is done using data. Bridge collects data in real time and can view the learning of the 85 000 students currently enrolled and immediately spot trends. If the data reveals that scores are low in only 1 class, energy can be focused on professional development for that teacher. If scores are low across a broad sector of students, energy can be focused on curriculum design. Bridge has leveraged technology for its entire management system so that time and dollars are not wasted reinventing the wheel. Bridge is in its early stage of development and has headaches and challenges like anyone else in education or business. It is not perfect, but it is growing.

Interestingly, parents in Bridge communities want students in rows and teacher-directed learning. They like the immediate results and ranking of students through tests and as soon as parents are unhappy, kids disappear from schools.  There are dozens of for profit small schools operating in developing countries and even public school systems.  The market is competitive. Parents are not stupid. They want quality. Their mental models include rows, tests and homework. They would not register their children in the activity-based kindergarten that Bridge had initially planned.  4 years old sit at desks.

As I drove home after our conversation many thoughts bounced around in my head.  I think we have a great deal to learn from Phil. There are things he understands about data and the use of aggregate data in education that could improve learning in Ontario. I don't think we currently do a very good job, for example,  of addressing the needs of low-scoring middle school students in the area of reading. Could aggregate real time data and responsive curriculum design be a solution to that problem? I don't know, but it is worth finding out.

The Inner Sanctum: My Visit to the LNS

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat as part of a think tank on thinking. I have entered the inner sanctum of curriculum in Ontario.  :D  News alert to frightened teachers - there are no curriculum police ready to swoop in to see that every single expectation has been met.  I thought you should know that. The LNS really is filled with nice and knowledgeable people wanting to help teachers become better at what they do.

It was an odd place to find myself in given that I'm a classroom teacher with no formal position of leadership in my board - an awkward position that I'm finding myself in more and more frequently these days.   I felt incredibly privileged to be sitting at that table with 25 or so other people looking at where the province is going next with thinking and inquiry. I suppose that what I and the other classroom teacher present yesterday represent are those in the trenches. We have insights about practice and the shift to inquiry that are useful to the province as it works to provide tools to support teachers.  The LNS understands that teachers are struggling because they are being asked to work in ways that are often in conflict with how they see their roles and responsibilities. It is attempting to develop tools to help teachers better understand how they should be working in their classrooms. They are trying to make it simple. They also don't have all the answers.  Ontario is a leader in this shift to knowledge building classrooms. The LNS, just like the rest of us. is learning as it goes.

Many topics were  explored and questions asked during the meeting that helped me better understand the big picture. For that I am so grateful!

EXPLORATIONS

What it means to move from Instructivism to Shallow Constructivism to Deep Constructivism to Connectivism.

How can we help educators make visible, deeply understand and assess student thinking as it is revealed through the inquiry process?

The standards of critical thinking.

The stance of a teacher in a knowledge building classroom.

The role of a teacher within inquiry.

The places of Integrative and Systems Thinking, Critical and Creative Thinking. (I have to say I was thrilled to see Integrative Thinking make its way into the plan for Ontario students).

What does assessment look like in inquiry? How do we get teachers to move beyond the idea that a test is necessary?

What barriers are teachers facing in this shift? What are educators struggling with?

It was a fascinating afternoon that left me with much to think about and realizing yet again that I have only scratched the surface of what it means to be a teacher.

Ideas for projects were explored and I am looking forward to working more closely with the LNS. Film crews will return to my classroom this spring.  One never knows what turns the path will take!

One final thought. I mentioned that one of the barriers to interdisciplinary inquiry is how our schools are structured and timetabled. Language is a separate discipline. Scienceis often taught in isolation. There is a rigidity to the structure of school that needs to be addressed.  The response I received was, "Yes, administrators are going to have to structure their schools differently." My eyebrows shot up!  Silos are not an expectation. It seems we've tied our own hands. That was interesting. So now I am wondering. Are there public schools in Ontario that have completely revamped their structure to meet the needs of learning today?  How is our teacher's union working to adapt to this new reality?

Thinking and Changing Career Paths

On April 16 I will be at the LNS for a Think Tank on thinking.  The LNS has developed a fantastic Co-Learning Thinking framework - I had a peek at the graphic this week- and is bringing together a number of people to discuss thinking and assessment of thinking in knowledge building classrooms.

As I was reading through the materials we've been provided with in preparation for the meeting, and saw how closely the vision aligns with the work being done in my classroom, it struck me that I have developed a body of knowledge and expertise that comes only from having been willing to question my deeply held assumptions about teaching and learning, to take risks, to connect through social media with those on a similar journeys and to seek learning outside of traditional forms of teacher education. Several years ago after realizing I could no longer teach in the system as it existed, I started working as if the one I wanted to work in already existed and started building it first in my classroom and then through my blog. Documenting my practice helped me process and learn, but sharing what I do and seeing that others could take those ideas, learn from them and make them better has been exceptionally rewarding.  Helping to organize events such as Edcamp Toronto and Edcamp Hamilton, the Inquiry Working Group, and the HWDSB West Cluster Integrative Thinking Initiative has allowed me to connect with remarkable people who've had a profound impact on my practice.   Seeking learning outside of traditional providers of teacher training has been key. Talk about a disruptor!  Eyebrows often shoot up when I mention Rotman IThink.  What is a business school doing messing about in elementary education?  Or the workshops and explorations of learning organized by Exhibit Change. Why is a social entrepreneur/architect/design thinker bothering with elementary education?  For those who've participated in their trainings, you know why I would seek learning there.


Sometimes people ask why I'm being so generous on my blog in giving away my discoveries about learning. They suggest I write a book. It is funny that other people are writing books with my work in it or travelling to other countries sharing what I do. After watching Clive Thompson's book writing process and all that's involved, I'm not sure that book writing is for me. I don't really feel ownership of my ideas. They come because of work other people do. They are causing others to create their own good ideas. I may change my mind. You never know.



One of the incredible luxuries I've had during this process is to not be constrained by a formal position of leadership. Being a consultant, principal or superintendent, particularly these days when decisions end up under the microscope or exploding in social media, is no easy task. Working in an innovative way somewhat outside of the traditional hierarchy has allowed me to accomplish things and even cause change within my board that I might not otherwise have been able to.  Not that I haven't sought positions of leadership. I've been turned down twice, which while disappointing, did allow me to stay in my classroom and continue refining my practice. This year I've made enormous leaps in my understanding of the assessment piece in inquiry, particularly how to structure self-assessment so that learners think deeply about their own learning and consider independently where to go next in a thoughtful way. I am a better teacher now than I was even one year ago.



I'm now at a point where I'm considering where to go next in my career, but wanting to do so in a way that allows me to continue developing my vision in a meaningful way.

Do I begin a masters?
Do I even need a masters to move my vision forward?

Do I stay in the classroom because there I have a lab that allows me to continue developing my understanding of inquiry and integrative thinking?

Do I move into teacher training? I now know so much that could really help my colleagues become better at what they do.

Do I move into policy making and curriculum design?

Do I call up the administrator from Sweden who handed me his card and said,"If you ever want to come work in Sweden, let me know."  An offer that was probably casually and politely made, but still, did make we wonder about possibilities.




Linkedin has certainly been an eye-opener. Although I have an account and occasionally remember to log in and accept connection requests, it is not a social media platform that I have explored or taken advantage of. I'm surprised at the number of opportunities and paths that are now laid before me. It is wonderful to see the many different directions that educators take their careers in. I can't believe what my colleagues around the world are up to.

Where might I go next?

It's time for thinking and decision-making. I am curious about directions others have chosen to go in and why they've made those choices.  What is an interesting place to go next?  If you have ideas or suggestions please let me know.

Gratitude and An Unusual Week

I received an invitation in my inbox a few weeks ago from The Canadian Education Association asking if I'd be interested in meeting, along with a few other Ontario teachers, a delegation from Sweden to discuss Ontario education. Of course I said yes. It was an honour to be asked and so, on Tuesday I found myself along with Aviva Dunsinger, Stephen Hurley and Brenda Sherry sitting at a table discussing education with politicians, bureaucrats, school administrators, a journalist and a Microsoft representative from Sweden. I hadn't met with my colleagues in a while and it was lovely to have the chance to hear as they shared their expertise and insights. Ontario teachers are exceptional and I was in awe listening as they shared their thoughts, practices and current projects with the guests from Sweden.

The Swedish education system is under the microscope at the moment as their PISA scores continue to fall. Part of the purpose of the visit was to explore how technology is being used to enhance learning in Ontario. We soon diverged from that topic and entered into a much deeper one on pedagogy, thinking, creativity, and of course .... standardized testing.  It was a singular opportunity and one that I am grateful to have had.

That delightful afternoon was followed by a scheduled meeting at Rotman IThink. RIT is in the process of developing Tier 2 Integrative Thinking training for educators and over the winter I along with a number of educators have been meeting with the IThink Team to assist in that process. This has been like no other planning method that I have ever experienced. I've tasted bits and pieces through the work we've been doing in integrative thinking but what I've been able to witness through this think tank is how those who are deeply immersed in the practices of integrative and design thinking, use them to generate innovative solutions. I've seen abductive reasoning at work!

On Tuesday evening the team revealed their key insights uncovered from all the 'thinking made visible' that we undertook. I have to say it wasn't what I expected. Their insight dealt with what would have to be addressed and what their training would have to be developed around for it to be truly meaningful. Their insight was so human-centered and simple that I wondered why I hadn't seen it myself previously.

It is not, however,  my place to reveal what the team has uncovered through their months of work. I will say this though:  when I was first introduced to solving problems through integrative thinking, I remember hearing that because we don't know how to frame complex problems, we often end up developing solutions for the wrong problems. We waste a great deal of money, time and resources doing so.  In education we spend billions of dollars trying to improve our systems. It struck me on Tuesday that there is an enormous gap in how we purpose those dollars and there is an area of teacher education that is not being addressed. Because of that we've been developing solutions to the wrong problem. We bring in new curriculum and methodologies but never fundamentally address what is at the heart of effective teacher training. If this aspect of teacher training was addressed systematically, I think we'd see the kind of transformation we've been looking for.

Design Overhaul

My blog is about to undergo a design overhaul. You may see things disappear for a bit as I consider where I want this blog to go next. 

My 7s Explain How They Learn From Each Other

Last year my grade 7s learned to listen to each other and value disagreement.

Transforming My Practice Through Inquiry

I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat of Ontario in June 2013 and reflect on my journey as an educator from luddite to Web 2.0 to it's really about causing deeping thinking to happen.

My 7s Explain How Causal Modelling Helps Them Contend With Complexity

Causal Modeling was a tool my students learned to use last year through our work with The Rotman School of Management's IThink initiative. While it may look like a brainstorming map, the students learned to lay out ideas and explore how ideas and events are connected and influence each other. This tool allowed them to deal with complexity and ambiguity. Listen as they explain ...

My Grade 7s Explored What it Means to Give and Receive Feedback

Last year my grade 7s entered into an exceptional exploration of what it means to give and receive feedback. I will be eternally grateful to Oban who triggered this exploration and sent us on a journey that I never imagined grade 7 students were capable of taking.


 

 More about Knowledge Building can be found on the new Knowledge Building site from the Ontario Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.

My Incredible Grade 7s Explain How They Build Ideas

This interview from the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat came near the end June, after students had spent an exceptional year deeply immersed in inquiry. By this time we had completed our work in Integrative Thinking done in conjunction with University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

I Teach Thinking

The new Knowledge Building/Knowledge Creation site from Ontario has been designed to support educators making the shift to inquiry and other types of student-centered learning. A number of videos were filmed in my classroom. I'll be sharing those over the next few weeks.

I Teach Thinking

Transformative Change in My Practice

Mary Ann Reilly Responds

Mary Ann Reilly, an American/Irish educator whose work I deeply admire, has written a very thoughtful post about my work and in particular, my post Creative Solutions are No Accident . Words of praise are always lovely to hear and I thank Mary Ann for that. More significant is what she has to say about learning, teaching and the teaching of teachers. 

Knowledge Building: Ontario Continues to Move Forward in Education

The province of Ontario continues to move forward in education. We have left behind the idea of best practices and the assumption that we have nothing left to learn. The release of the new Social Studies, History and Geography curriculum marks a shift to inquiry and student-led learning. Play-based learning has returned to kindergarten. We are moving to classrooms as places of knowledge building.

" In KB/KC classrooms, students work to identify problems of understanding, create theories, carry out research and investigations in order to refine their theories over time, revise their problems and strategies, and share and monitor the progress of the community towards its goals of advancing knowledge." http://knowledge-building.org/

To support this shift, the LNS has created a Knowledge Building site where educators can see what knowledge building classrooms look like, learn about knowledge building practices and access the pedagogy.

On the site you will find a number of videos from my school where students, my former vice-principal and I share how learning happens in a knowledge building classroom. Elements of integrative thinking such as the ladder of inference and causal modeling are discussed. Students share how they have come to value and listen to each other more carefully because of how we learn. Some of our inquiry practices are presented. The culmination of our work last year - meaningful feedback - is also there.  You will also find video from other Ontario classrooms and educators who illustrate various elements of knowledge building. The site will continue to be updated. Feel free to join and contribute to the discussions on knowledge building.