So What? Who Cares? If students are to understand what they’re learning, they need to make sense of the information for themselves. Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom, 1956) challenges educators to support students’ understanding, where students are able to “analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and situations independently” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011). More recently the Common Core State Standards Initiative states that students “need to conduct research… is embedded into every aspect of today’s curriculum” (2010). Yet, when students are faced with research, they often get frustrated with the process, distracted by the inordinate amount of information on the internet, and therefore derailed in their own endeavors. When students are guided in their learning, they are supported in the process and are less likely to be overwhelmed (Maniotes & Kuhlthau, 2014). There are many parts of research processes where students can get derailed, but one of the first places is in finding reliable sources to answer their questions. Even when teachers create a list of sources for a unit of study, students look elsewhere, often not finding their own reliable sources (those that have relevant content, are in their reading levels, and are from trustworthy authors). Methodology While leading an inquiry-based class, I want to first know if my students are able to find reliable sources for their middle school research projects. This information will answer my two sub-questions: "Where do reliable sources come from?" and "How do students know once they’ve got them?" There are various reasons for my students struggling to find reliable sources, including their current skill levels, their patience and frustration levels, and whether or not sources are immediately available to them. I don’t have much direct influence over these first two reasons, but I can definitely guide my students to find reliable sources, those with relevant content, in their reading levels, and from trustworthy authors. Secondly, I want to know if the sources I’m guiding my students toward are truly helping them find answers to support their own inquiries. I will focus on the Gather Stage of the Guided Inquiry Design Framework (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2012) to narrow the focus of my research. To gather qualitative data, I will use questionnaires at multiple times within my students’ research cycle in which they will indicate which sources they’ve used, which have been most and least helpful, as well as their frustration levels at the different times. I will also write field notes of what I patterns observe during class and follow these notes up with journaling to note the positive and negative impacts of my guidance to reliable sources. The questionnaires, field notes, and journaling will all help with developing my hypotheses and in leading my future action research cycles. References:
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I've been studying about Guided Inquiry and the processes behind Understanding (Wiggins, McTighe, Dewey, Pink, etc.). As I reviewed other teachers' work over the last several years, it is clear that there are multiple reasons why teachers are CHOOSING not to use inquiry methods and are choosing more traditional, teacher-led methodologies instead. The largest reason I've found is the complexity and challenge involved for teachers in managing the students' various inquiries simultaneously. Typically, teachers have not been trained in how to teach research methods.
There are many structures to support teachers in guiding students through the inquiry process. I'm going to focus on how the "Guided Inquiry Design" (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, Caspari, 2012) can inform my classroom practices. I'm deep in the research about Information Literacy - and have discovered that the Library Sciences tend to have more of the answers than I anticipated. I'm feeling challenged yet excited about where my research is currently taking me. Creativity in education? So much of the time, it doesn't seem possible. So much of our energy is spent on teaching our students content knowledge and skill development, but isn't there room for creativity as well? I am truly inspired by the videos assigned this week... and as usual, I'm craving more. Our education system is outdated, no longer reflecting the needs of our children as they prepare for a future of exponential learning, that of a lifetime - personally and professionally. The big ideas I got from the videos? In education, we need to...
My teaching practice has evolved over time, with the biggest leap in developing students' creativity when I began to teach Art Integration in my Social Studies classes. Many stories here for other days, including a blue head and the Immigration Diaries pictured below. Yet, as I have learned from the men above, I see rays of hope within my classroom practices and in how much I insist that my students show their own understanding in creative, individualized ways. Of course I wish that I would have been more strategic over the years in teaching my students how to use their disciplined, synthesizing, and creative minds, but I'm thrilled that the works of these men resonate with what I've experienced with my students. As I move forward in my teaching, I will incorporate these insights from Louis R. Mobley in helping my students think creatively:
My Driving Question:
How can I create and modify structures in which my middle school students can independently conduct their own research? In researching my Driving Question, I've found some surprises. I expected to see seminal authors such as Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (Understanding by Design, 1998) about how students learn through clear learning goals. However, I did not anticipate being led to Inquiry Literature by school library experts. I'm learning about other seminal authors such as Barbara Stripling and Jean Donham. This quote by John Dewey is still relevant today, as Americans decide how to handle the current state of education. Of course we all want an amazing education for our own children, one that is rigorous, thoughtful, compassionate, and that truly prepares them for an unknown future. However, the most vulnerable children in American communities are the ones who are the first to be denied an ideal education. Linda Darling-Hammond outlines her recommendations for national and state education policies, in which there need to be "twin commitments":
Her recommendations fall under five key elements and my take-aways are as follows: Meaningful learning goals
If policies such as those mentioned above were to be implemented, students' lives would change. There would be more of a focus on what matters most, offering high-quality education to prepare ALL students for their unknown futures within and outside of the work force. As our government and educational leaders continue to struggle to make things better for all of our students, each of us teachers can focus within our classrooms to make sure that we're preparing our own students in the best ways possible. Driving Question: How can I guide my middle school students in completing their own research by finding and utilizing reliable, credible and relevant sources?
To point out the obvious... students in the 21st century, throughout America and much of the world, need to conduct research and need to sort through inordinate amounts of information. It doesn't matter which content area, career path, or interest a student has, research is part of the acquisition of knowledge and supports one's understanding of the world. In California, The History-Social Science Standards (2000) and the History-Social Science Framework (2016) emphasize the need for students to conduct research by using relevant, verifiable information from credible sources. Napa Valley Unified School District's Strategic Goal #1 further outlines the need for students to experience inquiry-based learning. River School also emphasizes the need for students to be self-actualized, independent learners who - in addition to being respectful, responsible, and responsive - are resourceful. Alas, my entire approach to teaching is intentionally focused on inquiry-based learning with the goal of students showing their own understanding. As I develop my action research for Innovative Learning, my end goal will continually be that students are able to conduct their own research in ways that empower their individual growth. I used to freeze when using technology, to ask the "techy teacher" at our site how to do simple things... because "technology wasn't my thing." Then it seemed like all of a sudden! I knew something that this teacher didn't and I was able to teach him! Fast forward a few years and I am now seen as one of the "techy teachers." If only I would have known at the time that there were the stages of entry, adoption, and adaptation that I needed to go through in order to find my skills and confidence.
I've learned to incorporate many 21st century teaching practices into my own teaching and have become more confident in applying the Four C's to my students' learning. I can see now that I naturally go back and forth between the appropriation and innovation stages, depending on a variety of factors. I've never believed that schools should use technology just to say that we're using it, so I've purposefully figured out how to use it in organizing and managing projects, in communicating in real time with my students, and in pushing their learning further. Now, as I "play" with technology, I enjoy (yes! enjoy) seeing things that I didn't know before! As I am more deeply studying, I overwhelmingly see much room in which I can further engender 21st century teaching and learning in my own classroom and social studies department. When I ponder the opportunity gaps, I worry that I can't do enough to teach all of my students all of the skills they need for an unknown and global future. However I know that, if I relax and daily focus on teaching ALL of my students problem-solving skills, creativity, independent learning, and how to reflect on their own learning, my students' foundations will be strong and their 21st century learning will continue to grow exponentially. So, instead on focusing on the variety of obstacles and challenges, I choose to focus on what I can accomplish and on enjoying the journey. I secretly giggle as our staff has been changing the technology tools and structures that we're using... as I can observe and relate to adults on campus who are hesitant to use new technologies as well as our younger staff members (yes, "millennials") who naturally figure it out. But now I hear "tips" along the way that catch my attention and make it so much easier! I also more easily find patience when I'm not naturally picking something up. My go-to strategy now is to close my computer when I feel too stuck and then try again a couple hours or a day later. Sure enough, it's worked time and time again. My next steps in my learning are to...
"It is imperative that you provide opportunities for children so that we can grow up and blow you away!" -Adora Svitak
"Do you believe in me?... Do you believe in my classmates? Do you believe that EVERY one of us can graduate high school ready for college or the workplace?... We need you to believe in us, your colleagues, yourselves, and in our goals." -Dalton Sherman As helpful as it is to hear from adults about how to incorporate 21st Century Teaching and Learning into our classrooms, I'm far more inspired and committed to the hard work required in providing opportunities for my students when I hear kids' perspectives. When I hear speakers such as Adora and Dalton, I see current and previous students' faces asking "Do you believe in me?" I also think of what gets in the way of teachers immediately making changes that would benefit their students. Our educational system includes a myriad of obstacles to overcome. But we're clearly in this profession because we want to make a difference somehow. I believe that if we DO believe in our students, our colleagues, ourselves, and our students goals... ...that we will be willing to work through the educational system, through the daily fatigue that comes from trying to do too much, through our own fears and vulnerability, through our students' struggles and "ah-ha's"... to merely keep trying... every day. I believe that 21st Century Teaching and Learning is as much about our willingness to keep trying as it is about using technology. When we're preparing our students for a world that is changing exponentially, we need to most of all be willing to consider new ideas, new ways, new processes, and provide opportunities for our students as we show them that we DO believe in them! "A Student-Centered Model of Blended Learning" is about Eastern Senior High School in Washington D.C., which has 100% free and reduced lunch, varying levels of academic academic achievement, and a lower than average in-seat attendance rate.
The math teacher, Kareem Farah, focuses on three elements in his classroom:
I can definitely see myself adapting and using this model. I am working to create and modify structures that support my students through their own research. Many elements of this model and the implementation in World History are exciting to me. I'm excited to get started! In learning, I am passionate about each person having the ability to learn what he/she needs and wants to learn. Of course there are the basics such as having the content knowledge and skills needed to learn effectively. As should be, much time and energy in education is spent on teaching students the content and skills they need. I've seen less time and energy in education spent on students having the ability to learn what they want to learn. In setting the context of my teaching reality, it's good to understand that...
So, within my teaching reality and including the importance, that I've learned over years, of teachers and students having "choice" within learning, here are some of my reflections:
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Megan BurtonInnovative Learning Archives
June 2020
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