Student-Directed Inquiry in Content Areas

Harvey “Smokey” Daniels

Elgin U-46 – HDanielsNM@gmail.com

www.slideshare.net @smokeylit

Today’s Featured Books

THIS MORNING’S INQUIRY TOPICS

& STRATEGIES

Turn and Talk 2.0

Defining Student-Directed Inquiry

Research on Curiosity and Interest

Modeling Our Own Curiosity

“Inquiry-izing” a Curricular Unit

Forming and Supporting Groups

Providing Resources

Reading Frenzies and Image Floods

Wonder Walls / Question Boards

Lingering Questions

Everyone find a partner…

But first, what can go wrong?

How to find ONE Partner

HOW TO PAIR STUDENTS RANDOMLY

Use a list randomizer.

Kevin

David

Kose

Mike

Tom

Nancy

Joe

Mary

Maria

Devin

Elaine

Shai

Smokey

Fred

Dane

Ming

Tom R

Tom P

www.Random.org

“The Hat”

Social Academic Skill #1:

Focusing in Your Partner

Everyone find one partner.

TURN AND TALK 2.0

Sit so that you are:

Eye to eye

Knee to knee

Ear to ear

TO MAXIMIZE YOUR FOCUS:

*Move furniture as needed

*Separate yourselves from

other pairs

*Screen out

visual & auditory

distractions

QUIET

by Susan Cain

The Power of

Introverts in a

World that

Can’t Stop

Talking

U.S. Adults Prefer:

30° Off Head-On

Eye to Eye,

Knee to Knee

TURN

AND

TALK:

What is a curricular unit that you

will be teaching (coaching or

supervising) soon? Share your

goals, key topics, challenges,

past experience, etc.

TWO MINUTES TOTAL

Quiet Signal?

Who had a partner with

an interesting unit?

CuriosityCuriosity

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80-I4n3ropQ/Vsn1EV3TKSI/AAAAAAAAAiw/svK3wDB8ygsdSxD-AWHPvjsGnjTBixSKwCKgB/s1600/doubt-illustration.jpg

curiosity

identity

empathy

altruism

justice

equality

community

collaboration

democracy

citizenship

creativity

inquiry

choice

responsibility

courage

peacemaking

change

curiosity

identity

empathy

altruism

justice

equality

community

collaboration

democracy

citizenship

creativity

inquiry

choice

responsibility

courage

peacemaking

change

Scribble about a time

when YOU were

really curious about

something, when you:

--got deeply absorbed

--had lots of questions

--lost track of time

--nerded out

--stayed with it

Galisteo Basin Preserve

--occupied since 8,000 BC

--Anasazi, Puebloan,

Navajo, Spanish, and

American people

--pit houses to pueblos

with 100s of rooms

--Most populous area in

southwestern North

America during the 1400s

--20 square miles

--28 miles of trails

Scribble about a time when you were

really curious about something.

WHEN YOU:

Felt energized

Got totally involved

Lost track of time

Were highly focused

Couldn’t be distracted

Stuck to it

Found extra time to pursue it

Felt pleasure or delight

Kept having more questions

Remembered what you learned

Later shared your learning with others

YOU MAY WANT TO VISUALIZE

The specific topic or activity

How you got hooked

Objects or materials involved

Where this happened

Any other people with you

How your brain was working

How you felt emotionally

With your partner...

Share your curiosity episodes

Susan Engel

“Curiosity and School”

Harvard Ed Review, 2011

“CURIOSITY EPISODES”

(Asking or investigating)

--Pick up an object

--Open a drawer

--Ask a question

Susan Engel

“Curiosity and School”

Harvard Ed Review, 2011

“CURIOSITY EPISODES”

(Results of two studies)

At home: 26-76 per hour

In Kindergarten: 1 per hour

In Fifth Grade: -1 per hour

“There was an astonishingly low rate of curiosity episodes in the schools we visited. Most children spend their whole school day without asking a single question or engaging in a sequence of behavior aimed at finding out something new.

This transition is like moving from being an intrepid explorer to a well-behaved scholar.”

Susan EngelWilliams College

Curiosity is a

state of mind

INTEREST TURBOCHARGES THINKING:

When we are curious….

We feel energized, invigorated, and enthralled

We pay closer attention

We process information more efficiently

We employ more effective learning strategies

We connect old and new knowledge

We attend to deep structures vs surfaces

We work harder and persist longer

We bring more self-regulatory skills into play

Anne Murphy Paul, 2013How to Stimulate CuriosityNational Public Radio

'Grit' adds little to prediction of academic achievementDate: February 11, 2016Source: King's College LondonSummary:Personality characteristics -- especially conscientiousness -- have previously been shown to have a significant but moderate influence on academic achievement. However, a new study suggests that 'grit,' defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, adds little to the prediction of school achievement.

Brain Imaging and Curiosity:

University of California Davis

Scientific American

October 2014

When people are

curious about a

subject, they not

only remember

more about it,

but they also

remember random

or incidental

information

presented along

the way.

CURIOSITY

Khan Academy

VIDEO - See, Think, Wonder

Steve Renfro - Part 1

Steve Renfro – Part 2

Steve Renfro – Part 3

DISCUSS THE VIDEO:

What did you See, Think or Wonder?

To be sure kids learn more,

evoke their curiosity.

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry =

Making school interesting

Motivating kids

with curiosity

Not coercion,

command, and

control

What is Inquiry?

by Tess Kassinger

Michele Timble’s

4th grade class

Burley School,

Chicago

FIRST PRINCIPLE OF

INQUIRY LEARNING

Honor kids’

own questions

Are dragons real?

Where did the Indians go?

What are “records” and are they antiques?

What is a star?

What are suckers made of?

Why pair of pants but not pair of shirts?

--Lori Hron’s 3rd graders, Quest School, Ripon, WI

SECOND PRINCIPLE OF

INQUIRY LEARNING

Turn the curriculum into

questions that kids

can’t resist answering

Third Grade Science

OBJECTIVE 5:

The Sun and the Moon

Curricular Units

Explain that the shape of Earth and

the moon is spherical and that the

sun is the source of light that lights

the moon.

List the differences in the physical

appearance of Earth and the moon as

viewed from space.

Describe the motions of Earth (i.e., the

rotation [spinning] of Earth on its axis,

the revolution [orbit] of Earth around

the sun).

Explain that the moon orbits Earth

approximately every 28 days.

Use a model to show that Earth

rotates on its axis once every 24

hours to produce the night and day

cycle.

Demonstrate why it seems to a

person on Earth that the sun,

planets, and stars appear to move

across the sky.

What do you notice

about all those

recommendations?

What if kids posed their own questions?

Where did the moon come from?

How do eclipses happen?

Will the sun ever burn out?

Why does the moon change?

Why did Columbus think the

world was flat?

How do people get a “sunburn”

Why does the big dipper move?

Why do we have seasons?

Does the moon have a rabbit?

Inquiry Oriented Models

Student-Directed Inquiry

Inquiry Circles

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Expeditionary Learning

Problem-Based Learning

IBPYP Primary Years Program

Small Group Investigations

Guided Inquiry

Negotiated Curriculum

Discovery Learning

STEM Inquiries

OUR

EMPHASIS:

Student-

Directed

Inquiry

Start with kids’ questions

Offer them wide choices

Allow students to take more responsibility

Feed them great text, images, experts

Explicitly teach and invite collaboration

Help kids reach and teach the world

FIRST PRINCIPLE OF

INQUIRY LEARNING

Honor kids’

own questions

Are dragons real?

Where did the Indians go?

What are “records” and are they antiques?

What is a star?

What are suckers made of?

Why pair of pants but not pair of shirts?

--Lori Hron’s 3rd graders, Quest School, Ripon, WI

SECOND PRINCIPLE OF

INQUIRY LEARNING

Turn the curriculum into

questions that kids

can’t resist answering

Third Grade Science

OBJECTIVE 5:

The Sun and the Moon

Curricular Units

Explain that the shape of Earth and

the moon is spherical and that the

sun is the source of light that lights

the moon.

List the differences in the physical

appearance of Earth and the moon as

viewed from space.

Describe the motions of Earth (i.e., the

rotation [spinning] of Earth on its axis,

the revolution [orbit] of Earth around

the sun).

Explain that the moon orbits Earth

approximately every 28 days.

Use a model to show that Earth

rotates on its axis once every 24

hours to produce the night and day

cycle.

Demonstrate why it seems to a

person on Earth that the sun,

planets, and stars appear to move

across the sky.

What do you notice

about all those

recommendations?

What if kids posed their own questions?

Where did the moon come from?

How do eclipses happen?

Will the sun ever burn out?

Why does the moon change?

Why did Columbus think the

world was flat?

How do people get a “sunburn”

Why does the big dipper move?

Why do we have seasons?

Does the moon have a rabbit?

Teacher Roles

in Inquiry

1. Teach explicit strategy lessons in

comprehension, collaboration, and inquiry.

2. Scaffold inquiry for students as they work:

coach, model, guide, assist, advise, co-

investigate, monitor, assess.

3. Provide resources for student

investigations: text, images, video, web

sources, experts.

How to Inquiry-ize a Content Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall/Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions

How to Inquiry-ize a Content-Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall or Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions

How to Inquiry-ize a Content Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall or Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions

How to Inquiry-ize a Content Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall or Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions

Kids List Their Own

Questions about Plants

Kindergarten

Disney 2, Chicago

How to Inquiry-ize a Content Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall or Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions

How to Inquiry-ize a Content Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall or Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions

How to Inquiry-ize a Content Area Unit

1. Model your own curiosity about the topic

2. Prime kids with a reading frenzy or image flood

3. Help kids list their own topic questions on a

Wonder Wall or Question Board

4. Maintain and use this chart: check off answers,

add new questions, pursue quick finds

5. To culminate or after unit, let kids pick and

explore their lingering questions