Inquiry and the Key Competencies

Jan-Marie Kellow

“When designing and reviewing their curriculum,

schools will need to consider how to encourage and monitor

the development of the key competencies” p38

Key Competencies (p12)

Thinking Using Language Symbols and Texts

Managing SelfRelating to OthersParticipating & Contributing

How might inquiry foster these?

What makes them different?Holistic - integrate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values.

Demonstrated in authentic contexts and in interaction with others.

Demonstrated when we adapt the competency to use appropriately in a new setting.

Consistent with situated and socio-cultural views of learning.

Focus on dispositions. *Rosemary HipkinsNZCER

Managing Self• Managing self is associated with self-motivation,

a “can-do” attitude, and with students seeing themselves as capable learners. It is integral to self assessment.

• Students who manage themselves are enterprising, resourceful, reliable, and resilient. They establish personal goals, make plans, manage projects and set high standards. They have strategies for meeting challenges. They know when to lead, when to follow and when and how to act independently

Managing Self

KWHResource ManagementTime ManagementSet standards Self assessment

Relating to others‘Relating to others’ is about interacting with

a diverse range of people in a variety of contexts. This competency includes active listening, recognising different points of view, negotiating, and sharing ideas.

Students who relate well to others are more likely to be open to new learning. They can take different roles in different situations. They know when it is appropriate to compete and when it is appropriate to cooperate.

Relating to othersActive ListeningGrouping - varietyGood Inquiry Questions – sharing, negotiating & accepting

Fertile Questions

Undermining – challenge existing beliefs

Charged – have an ethical dimension

“Teaching and Learning in a Community of Thinking”

Yoram Harpaz http://www.learningtolearn.sa.edu.au/Colleagues/pages/default/harpaz/

Participating and contributing “‘Participating and contributing’ is about using

learning when taking an active part in a range of local, national, and global communities. Communities can be based on kinship, interest, and culture and include places of learning, work, and recreation.” p12

“Students who participate and contribute effectively know their own place in the world and have the confidence to become active participants in contexts that are new to them. They understand the importance of balancing rights, roles, and responsibilities, and can contribute to the sustainable well-being of society, culturally, economically, and environmentally.” p12

Connected & ContributingAuthenticity

Relevance

Purpose – why?Action

“Teaching and Learning in a Community of Thinking”

Yoram Harpaz http://www.learningtolearn.sa.edu.au/Colleagues/pages/default/harpaz/

Using languages, symbols, and texts “‘Using languages, symbols, and texts’ is about working with the codes in which knowledge is expressed. Languages and symbols are systems for representing and communicating information, experiences and ideas; using languages and symbols, people understand and produce texts of all kinds: written, spoken and visual; imaginative and informative; mathematical technological and scientific.”“Students who are skilful in responding to and using languages and symbols can understand and create a wide range of texts. They can interpret and use words, number, images, movement, metaphor and technology in a range of contexts. They can identify how the ways in which languages and symbols are used to have an effect on understandings and responses.”

PowerpointWebpagesDigital

StoriesVideo Documentari

esLetters/

emailsReportsPlays/Skits

etc.News desk

Presentation/CommunicationBrochuresRadio interviewsPodcasts Artwork3D designsPostersSongsWikisBlogs

Thinking“‘Thinking’ is about using creative, critical,

and logical processes to make sense of and to question information, experiences, and ideas.” p12

‘Thinking’ includes researching, organising, and evaluating to seek understanding, to inform decisions, to shape actions, and to construct knowledge.” p12

“This competency implies intellectual curiosity, an enquiring attitude, and a desire to know and understand.” p12

Thinking DispositionsAttitudes and inclinations that link skills and action

Example: Costa's habits of mind (www.habits-of-mind.net/)

Thinking“Students who have well-developed thinking skills can think about their own learning, draw on intuitions and personal knowledge, ask questions, and reflect on assumptions and perceptions.” p12

Thinking skills

Techniques and strategies used to develop processes and efficiency of thinking

Examples: Perkins & Swartz' graphic organisers De Bono's CoRT

Types of Thinking

Generating ideas

Clarifying ideas

Assessing the reasonableness of ideas

Source: Dr Robert Swartz www.nctt.net

Antarctica Historic Places

What are the places?

Why are they

famous?

Who built

them?

Where are

they?

What is there at

the place?

Who were the explorers

?

When were

they built or made famous?

Why did the

explorers go there?

What happened

at the place?

What is at the place?

Graphic Organiserswww.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.ht

m

www.graphic.org/goindex.html

www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Tools/

Index.htm

www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/

www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/index.

shtml#graphicOrganizers

www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/

star

/

“The school curriculum should challenge students to use and

develop the competencies across the range of learning areas and in

increasingly complex and unfamiliar situations” p38

What does this mean in practice?

Resourceswww.inquiringmind.co.nzBirkdale Intermediate www.bis.school.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54 ‘Infusing the teaching of Critical and Creative Thinking into Content Instruction” by Robert Swartz & Sandra Parks (The Critical Thinking Co.)Solo Taxonomy www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/atol_online/ppt/solo-taxonomy.ppt Thinker’s Keys www.thinkerskeys.com/cms/pages/BM_Menu/Thinkers+Keys/Free+Thinkers+Keys+for+Kids/!/display.html

AcknowledgementsTrevor BondSharon FriesenYoram HarpazPam Hook & Julie MillsOpoutere School teachers

o Zania WattoKaren Reynoldso Jo Bennett

jkellow@xtra.co.nz

www.inquiringmind.co.nz