I've spent quite a bit of time studying and trolling other educators via social media this summer trying to picture what I need to do differently, to really "show, not tell" that my goal is to create a passion for inquiry with my students. I want to show them that the playing field is wide open. I want them to find their creative, their skill and their purpose.
The learners that come to my class do learning differently and I want them to recognize that not only is that okay but that they have something to contribute when working with other learners. I want my kids to know that I trust them to take on their own learning and believe they can and will overcome obstacles.
I want to set the tone from day one and would love to share a conversation with you about how to make this happen. I will be setting up the chat to begin at 7 pm CST this evening. Be sure and use #MMPD to join in on the fun!
I will set it up using Q1 - A1 starting shortly after 7. In the past, chats I've hosted last for about 45 min. The questions are:
Q1 How do you utilize classroom setup to establish your goals?
Q2 What are your favorite beginning of the year activities that establish your goal of inquiry and passion for learning?
Q3 Does your curriculum reflect your goal of inquiry? How?
Q4 Do you utilize any tech tools for "getting to know you" projects the first week of school? If so, what and how do you use them?
Having an inquiry "mindset" is a wonderful way to start the school year! I do something similar with my college classes. I'm not big into "these are rules" type of assignments. What is interesting, though, is that is what is expected and some students have difficulty adjusting. The questions posed above certainly do help. The one that I find the most helpful concerns the curriculum. So often curriculum is based on standards and not on inquiry. Teacher need to work with this because most often they cannot change the curriculum, but they can change the methodology.
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