laurie
Forum Replies Created
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@Amy Honest to goodness, Amy. Just start doing it whether you are "good" at art or not. I am 47 years old and started sketching for this course. Seriously. It is such a fabulous way to slow the mind and engage in reflective practice. I am enjoying it so much that I am going to take allaboutbirds/org's Journaling course when I am finished this one. I keep this little "professional practice" diary for my own use but I wanted to share it here because a) it's safe to do it and b) I thought it showed a different way of approaching content as a student. Who cares how it looks in the end. It's a nice creative outlet and a really valuable way to synthesize ideas and concepts of the course. HAVE FUN!!!
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My students are 4 and 5 years old. My approach will need to be modified to meet the needs of early learners and, since I teach at a School for the Deaf, a lot of our focus is on language acquisition in American Sign Language and written English. My program is largely outdoors (garden, woodlot, playground, conservation areas) where developmentally appropriate open inquiry is the most common practice. The Ontario Kindergarten Program runs for 2 years and is play-based which provides plenty of opportunity for open inquiry that is 100% student-centred. Of course, there are still some teacher-led segments of each day, but they are very short with a very specific goal in mind, and are not to interrupt a student's natural learning when they are "in the zone" of their own deep play. "Play" is a child's work and it is my job to infuse that play with new provocations and opportunities for deeper inquiry, learning and skill development through their two years with me. Confirmation, structured and guided inquiry are used less in my daily practice. Now I have a greater appreciation for the role of this type of inquiry with young students and will employ them more often and with greater attention to detail during our teacher-directed segments of the day.
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Hi Sylvia. You and I are cut from the cloth. I used to pretend to be David Suzuki and report "from the field" for CBC's "The Nature of Things". I wholeheartedly agree with you that following student interest is central to success. I also do a lot of local focus... local farmers visiting and sharing in the creation of our Learning Garden or our province's woodlot association helping us plant butternut trees or taking part in a shoreline cleanup event. I have been reflecting on the balance of teacher-led investigations (such as these formal citizen science programs) and student-interest led inquiry projects (Like you, I'm comfortable with "letting go", noise and mess!) I will play around with this balance again this year with FeederWatch as part of my overall outdoor program to see what student-interest it inspires. I will continue to tweak my approach here and there as FeederWatch is implemented in a manner that doesn't impact quality of data. We'll see how it goes! Laurie
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Instead of selecting one key practice, I considered the 3 Youth/3 Instructor best practices and how they can inform my own practice and philosophy of teaching. These best practices already play a strong role in my own teaching philosophy and daily approach to teaching young children. I suppose my "favourite" would be co-learning with my students. I learn new things every single day and share my amazement with them. -
@Sara Thanks, Sara. I felt a bit silly in posting them at first. But I decided to put on my "big girl panties" and share my sketches. I am trying to embrace visual arts and journalling more in my daily life- it is brand new to me. I have a strong practical streak and sketching/painting my "assignments" provides me with a lot of time to reflect on my teaching practice and what I want to keep/strengthen and what I want to purge. I want to simplify and slow down in my daily routine at home and at work. We often feel pressure to "check all the boxes" for curriculum and to "prepare our students" for the next grade. So we rush and crush in a race for breadth not depth. I've been flipping my program on its head for 3 years now and the results are surprisingly reaffirming of the "less is more" motto. And so, I will continue to sketch and think and think and sketch to slow down my thoughts. Your Ruminating Classmate, Laurie
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Hi Phanh. The majority of our investigations are spontaneous as well. I've done two things: 1) Know your curriculum inside and out. Make a checklist of "Big Ideas" or "Overall Expectations" and keep it accessible (iPad, clipboard, anecdotal notebook, etc). When spontaneous learning/inquiry happens, make a brief note of the inquiry and the student(s) name(s) along with the student(s) wonderings. 2) Use the camera on your phone/iPad. I have about 15,000 photos taken over the last 10 years. This is not an exaggeration! YIKES! But a camera allows you to capture a photo/video that will help you remember the details of the setting/query/problem/solution etc in a concrete way that can also be used as pedagogical documentation later. A third idea is one that I will incorporate Sept 2020. 3) Make an "I Wonder.." wall. Students (and US!!!) can write/draw our wonderings on the wall to follow up during "independent reading time", for research projects, if we go for field trips and/or have expert visitors who can answer burning questions. Spontaneous learning often leads to the richest areas of study and I don't want to lose that in my practice. Have fun! Laurie
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This is fabulous. This was the second year our school raised painted lady butterflies and released them! Aren't they beautiful? Check out Shady Oak Butterfly Farm in California. You can purchase all sorts of kits from them to raise butterflies with your students. www.shadyoakbutterflyfarm.com
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We have not yet participated in citizen science programs but we have partnered with local farmers, a woodlot association, the David Suzuki Foundation, and partook in Energy Challenges as a means of conducting "real life inquiry". To date we have raised and released painted lady butterflies, established a large Learning Garden with GreenWheel Farms along with a mushroom bed with Fullerton Farms. The Ontario Woodlot Association has helped us acquire and plant 10 Butternut tree seedlings (endangered species) and we have reduced electrical consumption and waste (including food waste) in our classrooms through recycling, reduction, and composting. The next logical step is engaging in formal citizen science programs. Since we already have an established "Tree Restaurant" for bird/squirrel feeders, I think Project FeederWatch would be easiest foray into a new world of data collection and information sharing for young children. Today I joined Birds Canada and registered our class for the FeederWatch program which will include the Feeder Watch session in November 2020! To prepare for September, and as I progress through this course, I will consider how to lay the groundwork for November’s FeederWatch event by contemplating the following: 1) Consider how to focus student questions and observations on the birds we see in our school yard, during field trips, and around their own homes. Create an “I WONDER…” bulletin board in the Investigation Station section of the classroom. These are to be photographed, printed and laminated for posting in the Learning Garden and in the Wild Woods for reference. 2) Consider the observations and areas of interest raised by the students (behaviours, characteristics, nesting, etc). How can I support further inquiry into those areas of bird study. 3) Decide upon a location(s) for frequent bird observation. Prepare tools and materials for student inquiry including child-friendly and “adult” field guides, binoculars, clipboards, Bird journals for each student, writing tools, iPads for camera/video use and identification apps. 4) Consider developmentally appropriate data management and experimentations using the 4 stages of inquiry (Confirmation, Shared, Guided, Open). Prepare graph templates on large chart paper for class use and smaller chart paper that can be attached in student journals. Create reusable interactive “5 Senses Observation Flip Guides” to match the interactive “5 Senses Observation Chart” already posted in the classroom. Create a laminated “Magnifying Glass” observation illustration for repeated use and to model the use of their own photocopied journal-sized “magnifying glass” illustration papers. 5) Review the overall and specific curriculum expectations found within the “Demonstrations of Literacy and Mathematic Behaviours” and the “Problem-Solving & Innovation” frames of the Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum. Create standard notes for pedagogical documentation to be used by myself and EAs/ECEs. Consider the expectations that can be covered and the means through which student progress (formative and cumulative) will be assessed.
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Isn't it fabulous when things don't go to plan and we have to just roll with the unexpected? So much learning happens! I hadn't thought about the potential varied results that could take place during the Confirmation Inquiry as the result is supposed to already be determined! But of course, that is the beauty of science... variables and the retesting of hypotheses and results is so fruitful. I'm excited that you'll be continuing your inquiry into the new year with your Grade 5 students. I am lucky to have my class again next year as well and, we too, shall complete a Bird Feeder Field test of feeders they built just before schools closed. I kept all incomplete feeders so that we are ready for the fall! Have fun!
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Hi Jessica. This is so wonderful, that I am going to steal it for my class next year. I will be teaching Kindergarten for 11 years and there is still no end to the marvellous means of investigation! Re: your concern about the developmental appropriateness of the task... I wouldn't worry about it. Kids from 3-6/7 years are still in such a "magical-thinking" stage that the sky's the limit. One way to encourage risk-taking and creative thinking is to model "waaayyyyy out there" possible solutions, to the point of silliness. What if we tried to use pool noodles to pick up a seed or small rock? Can we pick something up with limp spaghetti? How about we try picking something up with only our lips? Can we crack a seed with our lips only? Why not? Can we crack it with our teeth? Why? Through silliness, we keep all options open and we make it safe to take risks. We also can be surprised at the results and the ingenuity of young children! Have fun and thank you for spurring on some ideas for me next year! Laurie
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Last year, a group of four and five year olds took part in our "Kindergarten Field Ornithologist Program". The timing in parentheses was not planned. Timing was based on the natural flow of student interest, competencies and questioning. 1) Confirmation Inquiry (ongoing September-March). Each student took turns caring for our classroom bird feeder each week. As the weeks went by, students learned how to fill the feeder, identify parts of the feeder, measure the volume of the feeder (non-standard and standard units), names and characteristics of of different seeds, and observed various species of birds which visited the feeder. We also "trained" chickadees on our school-ground to feed from our hands. This provided students with considerable background knowledge to support further inquiry. 2) Structured Inquiry (January-February). As snow fell and the earth was frozen, we noticed only chickadees and squirrels at our classroom feeder which we were filling with black sunflower seeds. I wondered aloud: "I wonder if we would get different birds if we made different feeders? I wonder what would happen if we make different seed recipes?" Over the next few weeks, students were introduced to formal planning using picture-supported diagrams along with lists of materials they would need to collect for their prescribed bird feeders. Five different styles of feeders were made by the students which were hung in the Tree Restaurant located in our Learning Garden. Students selected their own locations on the tree to hang the feeders. Chickadees and nuthatches visited all of our feeders! 3) Guided Inquiry (February). As the students visited the "Creation Station" to build their pre-designed feeders, we began to discuss planning and building our own classroom feeder and the basic characteristics all feeders share: they must hold seed; they must provide a place to perch/land; they must have a means of being attached to a post or hang from a tree branch. We went to our Beautiful Junk Pile (an wide assortment of recyclable/reusable items) to select different things that we could use (some children needed something concrete during this abstract process) and then brainstormed together via diagrams and lists on chart paper before coming up with a plan. Final materials and tools were selected and listed and the students created a feeder based on the plan. The feeder was hung and birds were observed to eat at our classroom feeder. 4. Open Inquiry (February-March). Students were invited to design and build their own feeders. There were no limitations on the materials, size, or complexity of the feeders. Students selected their own materials and created their own plans and built their own feeders with minimal support (fine motor issues, safety issues with glue gun, etc). The results were stunning. Students created feeders that blended their understanding of basic components of the feeders while also "upping their game" by incorporating their own personal enjoyable experiences of food and recreation. *Isaac's feeder had milk carton adorned with old plastic play food glued on his feeder to attract the birds with pretend ice cream cones and strawberries. A bolt served as a perch and a ribbon was used to hand the feeder from a low branch. He also added "dry grass camouflage" to make the birds feel safe. *Larissa's feeder used old cd cases to create a chalet-styled feeder complete with a "swing" made from a broken beaded necklace. She glued bright flowers on her feeder's roof to "make it pretty" and installed a toilet paper roll to give birds a place to sleep. *Liam's feeder used a plank of wood which supported a broken metal mount from a tripod that could "slide" the birdseed back and forth between two perches so that birds could share. He decorated his feeder with two fake sandwiches to entice the birds. *Sally's feeder was for princess birds which required the addition of a discarded McDonald's Happy meal princess toy to showcase her 5 star feeder. *Jaxon couldn't decide on one feeder, so he hung a variety of feeders from a single broken broom pole. *Names are changed. Feeders were carefully placed by the children and the students were provided iPads to record any birds that arrived at their feeders. Huge celebrations ensued when the birds visited! Unfortunately Covid19 interrupted the completion of some feeders which included everything from china teacups to dinky cars. They are being held until next September as the students put so much thought into them. Two students created full recreation parks with splash pads and condos! The remaining creations will be completed and field-tested in the fall. This was, by far, one of the longest inquiries I've had in 10 years of teaching. It was also one of the most successful. Pending student interest, this is an activity I will repeat and refine over the years.
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Right on, Kristen. I share your enthusiasm and I wholly agree that our sense of wonder is our natural state that somehow gets suppressed as we grow. I too, believe that this is largely due to the responses we have to our inquiries during pivotal stages of our development, especially during our early years and adolescence. Our educational systems also are more interested in "right answers" than they are in process which has, in my opinion, a huge impact on our willingness to take risks and ask increasingly complex questions. Too much energy spent in memorization and surface knowledge is great for trivia but poor for discovery.
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The sweeping "in search of.." arc pointing towards "understanding" really highlights the philosophy of Inquiry. In search of understanding is a driving force of our desire to learn. I love the flow of your chart and the cross-overs, moving from general to specific and pulling it back again in on itself through your arc. Really a great capture, I think. Thanks for sharing. Laurie
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At its best, inquiry is a life-long, multi-faceted, pursuit of knowledge and understanding. It may be a solitary or collaborative process that is creative and rooted in our natural curiosity about the world in which we live. It is a continuous cycle stemming from our observations, wonderings, and ability to problem-solve. In the classroom*, inquiry is an authentic means of learning and assessing as it is student driven and action-based. Since it is based on student interest, inquiry lends itself to differentiation and a means of learning accessible to all students. Through inquiry, students are empowered with the skills to ask and answer their own questions they have of the real-world. Inquiry is cross-curricular and a heavily integrated approach to education that focuses on the development of the whole person impacting the intellectual, emotional, social and even physical skills of students. *the classroom does not necessarily mean a room with four walls... it is the place where learning happens. In our Kindergarten, this is often outdoors or on field-trips, in the kitchen, and on the playground.
Instead of selecting one key practice, I considered the 3 Youth/3 Instructor best practices and how they can inform my own practice and philosophy of teaching. These best practices already play a strong role in my own teaching philosophy and daily approach to teaching young children. I suppose my "favourite" would be co-learning with my students. I learn new things every single day and share my amazement with them. 
