the framework: cqi the culture: inquiry-based learning the process: reflective practices the result:...

The Framework: CQI

The Culture: Inquiry-Based Learning

The Process: Reflective Practices

The Result: Sustaining high quality early learning

environments for children and families1

Muriel WongWELS Systems Foundation

February, 2013

Intended Outcomes

• Learn and reconnect with inquiry learning and its role in quality efforts

• Recognize and reaffirm the importance of reflection to us as individuals and to our collaborative work

• See the interdependency of inquiry and reflection central to CQI

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OUR FRAME

Keystone Stars 3

Key Stone StarsCQI Philosophy

forPrograms

Serving Children and Families

• Provide the best possible environments (facility, people (children, families, staff), relationships, classrooms, meaningful learning experiences) for our the children and families that we serve.

• Go beyond meeting the basics.• Small, continuous steps toward

achieving better results that support positive development and learning of children

• All site leadership and staff work together to in developing action plans that improve learning environments and move forward unresolved issues to the next CQI level

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The Framework: CQI

http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/index.php

• DO• STUDY

• PLAN• ACT

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Guide for selecting focus and actions. How is this working with you and your programs? 6

Building a Culture of Inquiry

 • Think back to your own experiences

in school or work.• Do you remember your favorite

project? • What was your topic? • How did you share your information? • What made the experience so

special?

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What is inquiry- based

learning

Inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. Involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit you to seek resolutions to questions and issues while you construct new knowledge.

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Inquiry is not so much seeking the “right” answer.

It is about seeking appropriate resolutions to questions and issues.

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Where did Inquiry come from?

• J. Richard Suchman (coined the term)“Inquiry is the way people learn when they're left alone." http://scied.gsu.edu/Hassard/mos/7.4.html

• Dates as far back as Socrates and the Socratic Method.

• John DeweyDewey called for education to be grounded in real experience. He wrote, "If you have doubts about how learning happens, engage in sustained inquiry: study, ponder, consider alternative possibilities and arrive at your belief grounded in evidence." Inquiry is a key part of constructivist learning. http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub4.html

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Major Contributors

Socrates

(470-399 B.C.)

*Lead students through a series of questions *Promoted critical thinking

John Dewey (1859-1952)

*Believed that knowledge comes from experiences and reflecting on/questioning those experiences *Utilized the scientific method for students to learn through predictions, experiments, and conclusions *Focused on the learner and his/her environment *Emphasized the power of students' natural curiosity *Promoted the importance of a "community of learners" *Encouraged the use of manipulative materials for involvement and understanding

http://www.css.edu/depts/edu/EDU3500/researchproj_files/Web_pages/constructivism_inquiry2.html#Contrib

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Major Contributors

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

*Believed that children construct their own knowledge *Focused on discovery and active involvement of the student *Stressed the importance of teaching children at a developmentally appropriate level *Emphasized the role of prior knowledge *Strong belief in knowledge construction: introduced the concept that as people learn, they either assimilate knowledge into their existing mental schemas, or they adjust their mental schemas to accept the new knowledge.

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

*Believed that children create their own concepts *Developed the concept of assisted learning, or Social Constructivism *Strong emphasis on the use of prior knowledge and scaffolding *Proposed that the role of the teacher is to support and guide learning by helping them develop higher level thinking skills, which they could then use independently.

Jerome Bruner

(b.1915)

*Defined the theory of Discovery Learning, where students discover knowledge for themselves through experimentation and exploration *Emphasized that teachers role is to guide student learning *Believed in the importance of students using their prior knowledge and experiences in learning *Looked upon learning as an active and social process

http://www.css.edu/depts/edu/EDU3500/researchproj_files/Web_pages/constructivism_inquiry2.html#Contrib

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The Culture: Inquiry for Learning

http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/index.php

Evaluating and

Transferring

Creating Sharing

and Reflecting

Reflective Practices

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Planning

•  

Skills and Strategies

• Identify a areas for inquiry grounded in QRIS Standards

• Identify data and information sources for areas

• Identify who is the audience (classroom, groups, families, staff) and approaches

• Ways to evaluate progress/change

• Select relevant information that is also needed

• Evaluate information in relationship to site staff and children/groups

• Plan outline

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Actions and Interactions

• explore ideas and questions and identify areas of focus based on data, information and Standards

• consider the needs of the children in classrooms/groups in terms of creating and sharing plans

• recognize the process nature of the work and acknowledge that reworking, rethinking and refocusing are integral to the inquiry process

• acknowledge the feelings that accompany this phase.• examine data and information sources and the order

in which they used them• write/talk about what new questions, problems, issues

and ideas have emerged. 15

What are the feelings?

• feel optimistic, yet uncertain and worried

• understand that feelings will change during• the process

•What Else?

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Creating

Skills and Strategies

• Organize information• Create a plan• Think about the audience –

children, families, staff• Revise and edit• Review and revise the plan for

inquiry

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Actions and Interactions

• work with others to develop and enhance the plan• recognize and discuss the strengths and areas of

need• complete a plan that incorporates information and

suggestions from others and highlights new understandings

• recognize that this endeavor requires some thinking and multiple versions before it is ready for sharing

• recognize the emergence of new questions, issues and ideas during the creation process

• acknowledge the feelings that accompany this phase of the change process 18

What are the feelings? • feel optimistic initially and confident in their ability to complete the task• feel increased interest

• feel overwhelmed

• feel excitement and interest but also pressure to complete the tasks on the plan

What Else?19

Sharing and Reflecting

Skills and Strategies• Communicate with among and

with staff, directors

• Present new understandings

• Demonstrate and share about appropriate behavior/interactions children, families and staff 

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Actions and Interactions•  

• share new understandings among and with administrators and teaching teams impact on children in their classrooms/groups

• focus on the particular needs of the children in classrooms/groups

• teams participate and reflect on what engages them about a particular experience in plan

• reflect on the successes and challenges of sharing experiences and write/talk about what has been learned

• evaluate sharing strategies and offer suggestions for improvement next time

• acknowledge the feelings that accompany this phase21

What are the feelings?

feel excitement and interest but also

pressure to perform

What Else? 22

Evaluation

Skills and Strategies • Evaluate the inquiry process

and inquiry plan• Review and revise personal

inquiry thinking• Transfer learning and

practices into daily routines, procedures and policies

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Actions and Interactions

• understand the evaluation criteria for the inquiry• evaluate own inquiry process, using established

criteria• provide constructive feedback to their peers, using

established criteria• reflect on similarities/differences between this

inquiry and other inquiries in the past• reflect on learning styles and how they influence the

inquiry process• reflect on the successes and challenges of their

experiences, and write/talk about what they have learned

• acknowledge the feelings that accompany this phase.

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What are the feelings? • feel a sense of relief

• feel satisfaction or dissatisfaction

• understand how their feelings change during inquiry• understand how to cope with their

changing feelings

What Else? 25

Building a Culture of Inquiry

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Strategies: Building a Culture of Inquiry

• Approach inquiry with enthusiasm and excitement.• Admit that inquiry involves the unexpected for you

and for program site staff.• Model the way • Use the language of inquiry.• Facilitate the process—discuss, clarify, support and

monitor.• Evaluate the process (and make it really count).• Use technology to do what would be impossible

otherwise.

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Program Staff Doing Inquiry-based Learning

  • They look forward to learning. • They demonstrate a desire to learn more. • They seek to collaborate and work cooperatively with

teacher and peers. • They are more confident in learning, demonstrate a

willingness to modify ideas and take calculated risks, and display appropriate skepticism.

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index_sub2.html

View themselves as learners in the process of learning.

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Inquiry and metacognition

Metacognition: knowledge about own thinking: knowledge of your own thoughts and the factors that influence your thinking

Building a culture of inquiry also means recognizing, supporting and teaching the role of metacognition. Metacognitive skills are part of the

“learning to learn” skills that are transferable to new learning situations, in school and out of school. Through reflecting on the

process during inquiry-based learning activities, opportunities are given to explore and understand both the cognitive and affective domains of

“learning to learn”

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Phase Cognitive Domain(thoughts)

Planning  

Get a picture of the whole process with its parts QRIS standards

Look at the data sources, develop the story Consider the audience – children, classroom/groups,

staff Generate focus areas and ideas Brainstorm resources, sources Outline a plan for inquiry process 

  Creating

Begin with a focus Recognize the difference between relevant and

pertinent information Recognize potential impacts on others Organize information Select a formats, approaches for consideration Revise and edit Create a plan

Sharing and Reflecting Think about inquiry process and impact on children and families and environments for learning

Write/talk about new learning as a result of reflecting on the process

Compare and contrast their learning process with that of other classrooms groups in the program

Develop lists of ways to address their frustrations during the inquiry process

Review and revise personal inquiry model    

Evaluating

Ask what they learned about the quality elements and impact on children’s learning and development (content)

Ask what they learned about inquiry (process) Ask why inquiry is important to their quality efforts in

their classrooms and as a program (QRIS goals and purpose)

Ask what they learned that they can use in their daily practices and elsewhere (transfer)

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Discussion/Reflection about Inquiry…• What stood out for you and why?

• What connections with your own work did you make?

• Do you have any disagreements with what you have heard?

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Inquiry requires Reflection

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Reflective Practices

1. It is a complex process that requires high levels of conscious thought as well as a commitment to making changes based on new understanding of how to practice.

2. Reflective Practice provides a way to understand and make sense of the world.

3. Deliberate thinking about action with a view to its improvement.

4. Reflection is a process, both individual and collaborative, involving experience and uncertainty. It is comprised of identifying questions and key elements of a matter that has emerged as significant, then taking one’s thoughts into dialogue with oneself and with others.

5. Reflection-on-action, reflection-in-action and reflection-for-action.

• Which of the following definitions do you most agree with?

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• Methodical processes

• Inquiry orientation

• Improvement as a goal

Three commonalities exist in most definitions:

Taggard & Wilson (1998, p.17)

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“Reflective practice, while often confused with reflection, is neither a solitary nor a relaxed

meditative process. To the contrary, reflective practice is a challenging, demanding, and often

trying process that is most successful as a collaborative effort.”

Karen Osterman and Robert B. Kottkamp, 1993.

Reflective Practice for Educators. California: Corwin Press,Inc.

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Reflective Thinking Process

DescriptionWhat

Happened?

FeelingsWhat were you

thinking and feeling?

EvaluationWhat was good and bad about

the experience?Analysis

What sense can you make

of the situation?

ConclusionWhat else

could you have done?

If it arose again what would you

do?

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Individual Reflection contributes to:

• enhanced educational practice;

• greater awareness of personal performance;

• increased recognition of professional dilemmas;

• different ways of thinking about dilemmas; and

• making adjustments in practice. 37

• Open-mindedness

• Responsibility

• Wholeheartedness

Dewey’s Three Characteristics/Attitudes of a Reflective Practitioner:

Taggard & Wilson (1998, p.17)

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Reflective Break(Open-mindness, Responsibility, Wholeheartedness)

Do you possess these characteristics now? At what level? (High, Medium, Low)

A. Open-Mindedness 1 - High 2- Medium 3- Low

B. Responsibility 1-High 2- Medium 3-Low

C. Wholeheartedness 1-High 2-Medium 3- Low

Which other desirable characteristics should a reflective practitioner have?

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Hierarchical Levels of Reflection

Level 1:The level of the actions in the classroom - observable behaviorsLevel 2:The theoretical level - the theories behind the behaviors in Level 1Level 3:The ethical, moral level - the role of the wider community in

influencing theories (Level 2) and practices (Level 1)

LEVEL 3Ethics, Morals

LEVEL 2Theories, Beliefs

LEVEL 1Actions,

Behaviors

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• Beliefs About Practice (Early Learning and Development)

• Personal/Professional Identity

• Children in Programs• Program Organization• Content Knowledge

(Development, interactions, quality)

• Continuous Quality Improvements and Data

• Social Justice

The Reflective Schema

8 Areas of Inquiry

• Who?• What?• When

?• Wher

e?• How? • Why?

Reflective Stems

TA and Site Staff Perceptions

Reality Destination

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Two Essential Conditions forReflective Practice

• Trusting relationships

• Thought and inquiry

York-Barr, Sommers, Chere, Monte, (2001) Reflective Practice to Improve

Schools

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Trusting Relationships• Treat information with confidentiality.

• Deprivatize practice.

• Provide framework for a relationship based on learning.

• Let participants feel safe, secure, and able to take risks.

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Components of Trust

• Being present.• Being aware of oneself, others and the

environment.• Being open.• Listen without judgment and with empathy.• Seek understanding.• View learning as mutual.• Honor the person.• Honor the process. 44

Coaching for Reflection

Six Levels of Transfer

Fogarty & Pete (2004)45

• Overlooks

• Duplicates

• Replicates

• Integrates

• Propagates

• Innovates

Six Levels of Transfer

Fogarty & Pete (2004)46

• Participates in the training but …

• Is unable to see how to apply it when she/he returns to their site, home or classroom

Overlooks

Fogarty & Pete (2004)47

• Takes the strategy and …

• Duplicates it exactly as was taught.

• No modification or contextualization.

Duplicates

Fogarty & Pete (2004)48

Replicates

• Strategy is applied and it looks slightly different, but …

• Is used in a similar context and with similar applications.

Fogarty & Pete (2004)49

• Uses new strategy/ learning.

• Blends new learning with old.

Integrates

Fogarty & Pete (2004)50

• Uses new strategy/ learning.

• Maps the new strategy onto a different context or application.

• Strategizes how and where it can be used.

Propagates

Fogarty & Pete (2004)51

• New learning, strategy is adapted, reworked, rethought and …

• May not even look like the original.

• New learning results from first exposure.

Daily Habits

Fogarty & Pete (2004)52

• What is the value of knowing the levels of transfer?

• How can the levels of transfer be used to stimulate reflection?

Discussion

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Reflection Tools- Journaling

“Reflective teachers can look back on events, make judgments about

them, and alter their teaching behaviors in light of craft, research

and ethical knowledge”.

Villi, 1997

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• The process of thinking in writing

• A way to reflect on experience

Reflection Tool – Journaling What is Journaling?

• as a diary;

• as a single page;

• as a personal learning journal;

• in terms of issues;

• as a critical reflection.

Journals can be structured:

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• What happened?

• What did I do?

• Where was I?

• Who was I interacting with?

• Who else was in the range of interaction?

Describing Questions

Reflecting is about looking beyond the surface and asking questions such as:

• Why did I do that?

• What was I thinking and feeling at the time?

• Where did these thoughts and feelings come from?

• What assumptions was I making at the time?

• What values and beliefs underline my decisions to act in this particular way?

• How did relationships with other people influence what happened?

Reflecting Questions

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Reflecting questions can become more complex over time …

• Is this way of acting or speaking part of a pattern?

• Whose interests does my acting or speaking in this way serve?

• What competing views or value systems are apparent?

• Are there personal or contextual factors which constrain/limit my view of what is possible in my professional practice?

• Can or should these factors be changed?

• Who would benefit or suffer if they were?

Reflecting Questions

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1. Questions to help Guide Conversations:• What is the current problem or issue? Describe the

context.• What additional information would be useful?• How is it related to other issues?• Who or what could help?• What are the assumptions? How can I (we) test them?• What can I (we) do to create a change? • What are the possible outcomes of these?• What action will I (we) take? Why?• List the outcomes you hope to achieve.• Reflection on the actual outcome. What worked well?• What could I (we)do differently next time?

Getting Started with reflective thinking

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Reflective Thinking1. Set aside 5-10 minutes per day for reflective writing.2. Ask yourself:

• Was I as effective as I would like to be?• Answer the four main questions:

• What happened? (description of the event)• Why? (analysis of the event)• What does it mean?• What can I do? (Implications for action)

3. Record the impact your actions are having on others and yourself.

4. When you feel brave enough, share the news.

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From time to time……..• What do I need to do to improve the quality of what I do?• What might I do instead of what I do now?• What innovation could I introduce?• What professional development activities should I be

seeking?

Reflective Thinking for you

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Goodness of FIT:CQI, Inquiry and Reflective Practices

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• ACT • PLAN

• DO• STUDY

Evaluating and

Transferring

Planning

CreatingSharing and Reflecting

Reflective Practices

Three key messages from this session that are significant.

Reflection

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ReflectionTwo things that you can apply immediately to your

current work.

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ReflectionOne question you are still wondering about.

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Thinking about our next session, March 22,2013

Administrative Support/Buy-in AND Setting Realistic Goals/Monitoring Progress

• What is the current issues?

• What are your needs? Needs of providers?

• Anything else that is would helpful……

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Resources

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