This week in our class notes (Class notes - Wk23, n.d.), we revisited (from wk 15) teacher inquiry. We focused both on teaching as inquiry and the inquiry spiral. Teacher inquiry is very important for two reasons. The first is that it perpetuates teacher-created knowledge for improvement in teaching and learning, and in particular student outcomes. The second is that it promotes and affirms teacher professionalism.
Chris Wire (n.d.) during his TED talk proposes that we should be more judicious about the use of smartphones. He feels that it may be inhibiting the development of our creativity and imagination. To google and answer in a quick way to get an answer, but what are we actually learning? “For every complex question, there is a clear simple and unimaginative.” (Wire, C, n.d). We need to collaborate to use the power of the group to deduce answers. Creativity is not about discovering right answers. Creativity is about discovering new answers. Curious creative people will be the creators of our future.
I guess as teachers we need to constantly ask, “What is another way that we can work that out” to ensure that students have various strategies and ways to problem solve and to promote the development of curiosty and creativity. We need to rescript our use of technology. We, as teachers need to stop being passive consumers of information and transform ourselves into active creators.
I guess as teachers we need to constantly ask, “What is another way that we can work that out” to ensure that students have various strategies and ways to problem solve and to promote the development of curiosty and creativity. We need to rescript our use of technology. We, as teachers need to stop being passive consumers of information and transform ourselves into active creators.
Watched the video “Narrowing the Gap through Collaborative Inquiry: The Spirals of Enquiry” where Judy Halbert (n.d.) provides a brief overview of the Spiral of Inquiry approach to teacher inquiry into student learning. She advocates that through our inquiry cycle, we should take our time through the process and focus on new learning. We need to create the conditions in our school where taking risks is less risky. We have to ask ourselves have we made enough of a difference. We have to learn together communally. The more you use the inquiry process, the deeper your questions and impact become.
Through the process of inquiry, we have to be prepared to appear vulnerable. The teacher will no longer be able to portray themselves as the font of all knowledge. They will have to portray themselves as evolving learners too.
References
Class Notes: Week 23 - Writing a Literature Review. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://app.themindlab.com/course/release/2877-week-23-teacher-inquiry-into-
student-learning
Narrowing the Gap | Spirals of Enquiry - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWv-cWnJwoA
Wire, C (n.d.). Curiosity fuels creativity - retrieved from https://app.themindlab.com/media/13488/view Jan 2018.
This really did highlight the idea of being creative. You a right to acknowledge that sometimes we fall into the practice of throwing a quick fix or 'googling' an answer. However, what I do like about the idea around the spiral of inquiry is the idea of including key stakeholders. I think that if we can form a collaborative team to address issues, (and who best to identify the issues than students?) we are transforming the way we research by incorporating learner agency.
ReplyDeleteAs a specialist teacher I particularly like this idea because, it shifts the thinking that as a team we can work towards solving the issue rather than allowing the teachers to look to us to 'fix' the issues.
I agree. The collaborative team also reduces the risk and ambiguity. Everyones mana is valued as they feel they are contributing and the obvious, many minds make light work. So therefore, I am not going to 'fix' your problem, we are going to collaborative work together to formulate a solution to your problem. This highlights for me the importance of establishing the atmosphere for your collaborative interactions, where everyone can feel valued and heard and respected. People are more likely to contribute and participate if they feel and valued.
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