Sunday, April 12, 2015
Inquiry Learning: How I See It
Inquiry learning encompasses many facets of letting go with students by setting them free in a sense, but continuing to guide them toward goals. I see teachers as mentors and facilitators as students create answers to their own questions that engage them and spark a natural curiosity concerning various subjects rather than simply consuming information. I think it is important to guide them as they discover who the experts are and even more importantly who they are not. It is a learning journey for our students and for us. They can continue their journeys anytime and anywhere on any devise, but they need guidance. Diana Laufenberg uses the term "praiseworthy failure" and I think there is power in allowing a student to learn from mistakes. As mentors, teachers can be there to guide them when they fail- guide them through the evaluation of "where things went wrong." What a powerful experience we will be giving our students!
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ReplyDeleteWhen my principal observed me, one thing she noticed was my students are not afraid to answer. Whether they are wrong or right. Teachers have to provide an environment for students to take risk and make mistakes. When they correct their own mistakes they learn more. I love what you said, because that is a powerful experience.
ReplyDeleteI really wish my students would reach that level. They are always telling me that they don't answer because they are afraid of being wrong even when I let them know that a wrong answer is just another way to a right answer. It's like using a GPS. The GPS provides you with the route and tells you exactly how to get to the destination however sometimes you don't make the right turn or even miss a turn but the GPS will recalculate and help put you back on track. And sometime in the process of going the "wrong way" you discover something new like a road you never knew connected to a certain street or even a store or building you didn't know existed.
DeleteI am the same way! I call on the students who typically get answers wrongs sometimes just so that we can dissect their wrong answer. I always want to create a safe environment for my students. If students don't feel comfortable enough to answer, then how are they learning?
DeleteLove the term "praiseworthy failure"!
ReplyDeleteI truly try to go out of my way to make my students feel "safe" when they make mistakes, but even so, I have many who simply will not put themselves on the line at all. I don't think they see the journey or process at all. I think they are driven or even maybe obsessed with the end result- the perfect end result.
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