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It is important for teachers to establish and nurture a class environment in which all students know that they are valued participants. This is crucial for students to feel comfortable in sharing their thoughts and questions during activities. As a teacher, I have always been aware of the questions that I ask when I am trying to generate discussion and bring about deeper thought on the part of my students. There are occasions where I slip back into the simple, closed-ended questions. I recognize that these questions are not generating the thought processes in my students that I am trying to achieve. Sometimes, it helps to think in advance about some of the questions to ask to generate discussion. Teachers might also write key phrases in advance to help word open-ended questions so that in a moment of quick discovery or an unexpected event, we do not reduce the event to a closed-ended question.
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I also have to think about questions in advance so I don't fall into the trap of closed ended questions. I find that throughout the year I also find students using open ended questions during discussions.
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I think one important way we can be catalysts for students to observe and wonder is by giving them good opportunities -- for example, both the bird video we watched and pictures in the presentation were all really interesting. We can also both model asking and encourage asking open-ended questions. We can also make these opportunities a regular part of the classroom, such as with the ?I wonder" board, so that students can develop these skills.
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One way we can be catalysts for students to observe and wonder, I think, is by making learning a "we" process. Like I mentioned in an earlier reply, the idea of being a co-learner fosters children's confidence, their willingness to participate. Open-ended questions go hand in hand with acting as a co-learner, and providing space for interpretation, not just simple yes or no answers that can create boredom or children not participating for fear of not having the -right- answer.
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I think that taking students outside and letting them ask questions without the "closed questions" mentioned in the video is a great start, as it gets students generating their questions without prompts. I also think that the "I Wonder" board or a variation of it is also a great way to get students to observe and wonder in their local environment.
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Throughout the school year I try to take my informal educ. groups outside to observe or discover class topics. One way to enhance that process would be for me to slow down and make a habit of asking more open-ended questions. I like the tip from the video of pointing out the bird drinking with a question rather than the statement "Look at that bird drinking water." Sometimes I feel like I am helping their discovery by pointing out cool nature, I can see how I may be shutting down higher level/independent thinking. Children have an innate sense of wonder and curiosity, I just need to step aside a bit to let that shine.
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Nancy I totally relate with your comment! The time management loop with large groups certainly inhibits how much time is spent on observation - at least with the structure of our largest programs (school groups). As a guide I want to show them how cool nature is and I tend to point out animals in the beginning of the program and allow the group/student to take over this role near the end of the experience. I've started purposely avoiding telling all the answers and flipping that to provide prompts that lead to their discovery. For example, I ran into guests that were exploring our trails and they asked the most common question on campus - "what can I see here?" A lot of our wildlife are small and secretive in our mangrove forest so visitors have to slow down, learn to blend in, and hone their observation skills. When asked this question I responded by hinting at what they might see, look for something on the tree branches, with claws, etc. I think this course will certainly help me develop a habitat of more open ended inquiry, and I'm so thankful for the experience to learn from fellow classmates like you!
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Carry out activities outside the classroom to motivate the students to ask questions based on what they observed, no matter the type of question, the idea is that the questions asked can be answered later in the classroom and those that by time or some other aspect that cannot be answered is left as a consultation of themselves to resolve their concerns and thus motivate them to continue learning while observing.
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With outside activities, I agree there is carryover for sure, questions outside can lead to more questions inside, particularly as time goes on. It can also be a source of inspiration later, when outside time isn't feasible or possible. Like "remember when...." scenarios.
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In my classroom, I always model the behaviors I would like for my students to do. This is as simple as pushing in my chair when I get up to asking good questions (the What? the Why? the How?) on a daily basis. Students need structure and routine so by modeling behaviors that scientists engage in on a daily basis, students can begin to see these behaviors in action and hopefully begin to do them themselves. I also think that we can give students activities that are more guided and open inquiry. Designing activities in this manner will help students to build up their confidence in making observations and coming up with questions for an "I wonder" board. One final thought here, I see the value in open inquiry activities but you must build students up to be able to perform open inquiry investigations so they don't get frustrated and give up.
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Liz, I completely agree with the last statement you made in your discussion post. Open-ended questions have great value but those young children will need the modeling and guidance from their teachers to avoid frustration. A child's confidence can go down very quickly when they don't feel they are doing something right or don't understand what is being asked of them. You also mentioned that we teach routines continually in class so why not connect that to science! I agree when children understand the structure and routine that scientists engage in they will be more likely to follow that same procedure. Great thoughts!
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@Amy This is a great reminder for us all to remain curious! When educators participate in the learning process students begin to understand that we're all learners, learning and discovery are FUN, and it's completely normal to not have all the answers! Totally agree that we have to model that behavior and enthusiasm for inquriy so students see the process repeatedly.
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It needs to be a priority to take them outside often, so they have the opportunity to make these observations. Encourage talking and asking questions by asking open ended questions. Give each student post-it-notes to write their own questions to add to the I Wonder board. Treat each of their questions as relevant and part of the learning process.
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