Wow! It’s been a busy but great start to the school year. My new group of sixth graders have settled in nicely and my partners and I are finding our flow. Not only that, I’ve been able to share my love for inquiry at two EdTechTeam summits, with our district GATE teachers, and at our school site Inquiry Mindset book study.
Here’s a quick recap.
High Desert EdTechTeam Summit
The teachers in Hesperia, California are amazing and passionate. I presented two sessions on inquiry, “Getting Started with an Inquiry Mindset” and “Leveraging Voice and Choice by Diving into Inquiry”. This was my first time sharing inquiry with others. I was honestly a bit nervous. Fortunately, the teachers were kind and eager to learn. The best part was meeting a couple of teachers that are equally as passionate about inquiry, @TechCoachGraham, @nunes_edventure, and @itsmrsking. Their knowledge and excitement for inquiry is contagious. Be sure to give them a follow. You’re sure to learn a lot.
Imperial Valley EdTechTeam Summit
Our local summit was a blast. After feedback from the first summit (thank you @MsVenturino and @meagan_e_kelly) I made some modifications on the sessions, particularly building in more collaboration and time for creation. (Links to the sessions here and here.) We focused on provocations, the inquiry map, and authentic pieces using Adobe Spark and GooLinks. I had so much fun watching teachers interact with the inquiry content, plan their next steps, and collaborate with peers. This is our third summit and the educators were ready to take their experience to the next level. Not only are teachers interested in technology, but how to use it meaningfully within their content areas. I’m excited to see where the #IVEducators go on their journey.
Sunflower School Inquiry Mindset Book Study
This has to be what I’m most excited about. It’s an honor to facilitate our school site in an Inquiry Mindset book study. At our first meeting, we covered chapters 1 and 2, characteristics of the inquiry teacher and 10 reasons to use inquiry-based learning. Our discussions were deep, meaningful, and student centered. One powerful experience was reflecting on the 10 reasons sketchnote, created by @rbathursthunt, using the stoplight strategy. It was a powerful reflective piece. We ended the session by visiting classrooms and having teachers share some of their inquiry spaces. One teacher has a rock collection as an inquiry provocation, a first grade teacher is conducting inquiry of plants, and two teachers share a library for both classes. Our next session will cover provocations and the Questions Formulation Technique. Here's the book study slide deck that we'll be adding to.
ECESD GATE Teacher Training
In our district, we have three elementary schools that have GATE programs for gifted and talented students. We started by reflecting on where we are in the inquiry pool. As part of the program, students participate in Passionate Kids Project. Students find their passion, connect their passion to society, research, write, create authentic pieces, and share at a celebration of learning. I used @trev_mackenzie’s inquiry map to guide my class last year. It was a phenomenal experience. For the teacher training, we followed two students on their journey. It was an effective way for teachers to see the implementation of the process and view student work firsthand.
Teachers had many targeted questions throughout the 6 sessions. My honest answer to any inquiry question is to honor your students. Know where you want to go, but let your students choose the path. They will take you on adventures you may have never dreamed of.
I'm excited to see where the inquiry journey takes all of us!
Here’s a quick recap.
High Desert EdTechTeam Summit
The teachers in Hesperia, California are amazing and passionate. I presented two sessions on inquiry, “Getting Started with an Inquiry Mindset” and “Leveraging Voice and Choice by Diving into Inquiry”. This was my first time sharing inquiry with others. I was honestly a bit nervous. Fortunately, the teachers were kind and eager to learn. The best part was meeting a couple of teachers that are equally as passionate about inquiry, @TechCoachGraham, @nunes_edventure, and @itsmrsking. Their knowledge and excitement for inquiry is contagious. Be sure to give them a follow. You’re sure to learn a lot.
Imperial Valley EdTechTeam Summit
Our local summit was a blast. After feedback from the first summit (thank you @MsVenturino and @meagan_e_kelly) I made some modifications on the sessions, particularly building in more collaboration and time for creation. (Links to the sessions here and here.) We focused on provocations, the inquiry map, and authentic pieces using Adobe Spark and GooLinks. I had so much fun watching teachers interact with the inquiry content, plan their next steps, and collaborate with peers. This is our third summit and the educators were ready to take their experience to the next level. Not only are teachers interested in technology, but how to use it meaningfully within their content areas. I’m excited to see where the #IVEducators go on their journey.
Sunflower School Inquiry Mindset Book Study
This has to be what I’m most excited about. It’s an honor to facilitate our school site in an Inquiry Mindset book study. At our first meeting, we covered chapters 1 and 2, characteristics of the inquiry teacher and 10 reasons to use inquiry-based learning. Our discussions were deep, meaningful, and student centered. One powerful experience was reflecting on the 10 reasons sketchnote, created by @rbathursthunt, using the stoplight strategy. It was a powerful reflective piece. We ended the session by visiting classrooms and having teachers share some of their inquiry spaces. One teacher has a rock collection as an inquiry provocation, a first grade teacher is conducting inquiry of plants, and two teachers share a library for both classes. Our next session will cover provocations and the Questions Formulation Technique. Here's the book study slide deck that we'll be adding to.
ECESD GATE Teacher Training
In our district, we have three elementary schools that have GATE programs for gifted and talented students. We started by reflecting on where we are in the inquiry pool. As part of the program, students participate in Passionate Kids Project. Students find their passion, connect their passion to society, research, write, create authentic pieces, and share at a celebration of learning. I used @trev_mackenzie’s inquiry map to guide my class last year. It was a phenomenal experience. For the teacher training, we followed two students on their journey. It was an effective way for teachers to see the implementation of the process and view student work firsthand.
Teachers had many targeted questions throughout the 6 sessions. My honest answer to any inquiry question is to honor your students. Know where you want to go, but let your students choose the path. They will take you on adventures you may have never dreamed of.
I'm excited to see where the inquiry journey takes all of us!
#MuchLove . . . Marilyn ❤
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