SCS INQUIRY COMMITTEE

MEETING #1 FEB 3, 2014

Agenda:

•  Welcome •  Intro to Inquiry •  What is it? •  What it isn’t? •  Goals of Committee •  Next Steps

Committee Members

•  Kelly Carlson •  Bita Sarabi-Khosravi •  David Mizener •  Peggy Donohue •  Jaime Malic •  Adam Caplan •  Claire Hazzard •  Laura Sardone •  Christine Agur

•  Laura Mustard •  Rosa Abbiento •  Andrea Dinsmore •  Laura Ash •  Nancy Taylor •  Pam Huycke •  Sarah Gleeson •  Peter Hill •  Carolyn Lamy

Other names for Inquiry

•  Thinking •  Exploring •  Curiosity / Creativity •  Research •  Discovery •  Investigation •  Gathering information •  Student led – teacher facilitated •  Guided inquiry •  Skills focused •  Real-world •  Integrated – •  Interdisciplinary •  Collaborative •  Independent •  Learning how to learn

•  Active learning •  Questioning •  Metacognition – reflection •  Project based learning •  Problem based learning •  Challenge based learning •  Constructivist approach •  Examining Big Ideas/Essential

questions •  Visible thinking – I see, I think, I wonder •  Design thinking •  Making connections •  Application •  Inquisitiveness •  Learning conversations

Inquiry

Inquiry is not… •  a choice against content •  without direction •  Unguided •  certain – it is ambiguous •  without feedback and direction •  all the time…but could be anywhere •  easy •  for every student •  always supported /understood •  teacher-directed •  Passive •  how many of us educators were taught •  finite à ideally there is a continuation of …

A shared vision •  Learner centered approach •  Active learner by doing •  Development of self-directed learning skills •  Constructivist approach •  Collaborative and cooperative •  Involvement that leads to understanding •  Builds on critical thinking, independent self-directed

research •  Emphasis on “how we come to know” and less on “what

we know”

A Schema for Inquiry

The relations between inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning and active learning (Spronken-Smith et al., 2008).

Questions

Questions for Committee to consider… •  What do we want inquiry to look like at SCS? •  What do we want our student to experience at

SCS to look like?

Committee Goals

To build authentic learning opportunities by using an inquiry-based framework for learning •  To take an “inquiry approach” to investigating INQUIRY at

SCS •  To develop a shared definition of curiosity/inquisitiveness •  To foster curiosity •  Support all levels of use •  Vision for inquiry for our discipline area •  Authentic learning – what do we mean?

Committee Goals - continued

•  Embed reflection into current practices •  Develop a common/shared understanding and a common

language •  To research and present a variety of inquiry models •  Inventory – share what others have done •  To investigate/explore best practices •  To develop a rationale, goals and an implementation

process to support teachers inquiry initiatives •  Challenge assumption à that the whole school is involved

in inquiry •  Does inquiry learning improve student achievement? •  Measurement … how do we measure…later goal?

Next Steps

•  Next committee meeting: •  February 14 •  9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

•  Pre-reading:

•  http://visiblelearningplus.com/faqs/inquiry-learning

•  WHAT IMPORTANT LESSONS DOES HATTIE’S RESEARCH TELL US AS WE MOVE FORWARD?

•  Focus:

•  Hattie’s research •  Authentic Learning •  Fostering creativity and inquisitiveness