Jan 22
From the Ground Up: Creating a Culture of Inquiry
1. “I used every technique, gimmick, and strategy I could find to raise my students from their apathetic slumps.” P. 56
Michele found inquiry engaged her students…..what have you noticed with your students?
February 1st, 2009 at 10:31 am
I too agree with Michelle Shamlin that students are more willing and enthusiastic about entering into the learning partnership when they have some vested ownership over the process and the products. It’s interesting to stand outside of a variety of typical daily student learning routines and to just observe. It’s hard not to notice that the most dynamic interactions are occuring when students are pursuing topics or investigations that have their origins in some degree of self choice.
One question: Michelle managed to convince the wandering Jessica to focus on activities after “very strong
persuasion.” What practical inquiry-based strategies would be effective if a classroom contained a handful of
Jessicas and no educational assistant?
February 4th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Well let me just begin by saying that this chapter was pretty cool, and that it was obvious that a lot of preperation went into it. In response to the question though, I have found that even the questioning aspect of inquiry made things more meaningful for my students, and that the more resources you have(variety of topics/media), the more likely you are to reach all students on some level. What made it interesting for my students was the freedom they found through the questioning experience. At the end of it, it was their own and they wanted to take it further! I found also that my weaker students were the ones with the most rich questions…which was a pleasant surprise!
February 5th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
As I read this chapter the thing that impressed me the most was the interaction of the children. From the information given, regarding their conversations, their reflections on their own and others’ work, and just their general dialogue, these students seemed wise beyond their years. I am wondering if this is a result of the selection process for the students in this school and if it is unrealistic to expect the same from our students as a whole.
The other thing that struck me was the obvious interest that the students exhibited while pursuing topics of their own choosing and the knowledge base that they retained. From my experience the chance for students to pursue a topic of their choice does tend to create more of a desire for knowledge and even those students that we would not consider the strongest, seem to be enthusiastic.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:05 am
What struck me the most about this chapter was the demonstration of how inquiry is the foundation for the classroom. The organization of the learning activities were all structured to nurture this. I have to admit I would love to see a video of these students as it is a little difficult to equate them with mine. However, regardless of how different they seem, I agree with Michelle. Doing any questioning activities with my students has significantly raised engagement in their learning.