This year inquiry has really had such a positive impact in my classroom. Inquiry has made my students accountable and excited about their learning. Instead of learning what "I want them to learn." They have learned what they want to learn. On top of learning what they are interested in, they have to be invested in their learning. Through the inquiry process they won't learn unless they want to learn (that means they have to look for their answers). They also become teachers. They teach their classmates what they have learned. I just sit back with my feet up and learn too! :) (I wish!)
What I really have struggled with this year is that it is hard and feels out of control a lot of the time. It is really hard work having the students guide their own learning. Most kindergarten students are unable to access their own information so I have to do a lot of the work up front. So to them it feels like they are finding the answers to their questions. But really I have found books and videos that answer everyone's questions. Some students need one on one guidance during this process. Others just need a modeled lesson. It also feels out of control most of the time. I know the standards I want the students to accomplish by the end of the inquiry process but the day to day lessons and path of each student is different.
I look forward to seeing what inquiry looks like in my room next year. I plan to continue having inquiry studies in my room. I tend to change and tweak thing the more I reflect. I look forward to next year once I have a summer of reflection!
I know exactly how you feel Jackie. Letting go of the "control" has been an ongoing struggle for me. I see the excitement in the kids learning what is of interest to them, but still struggle with how many parameters I should put in place. Should I let them just "go" and see where we end up? I have grown a lot this year taking risks with them and for the most part have met with success...but these are 10 year olds with lots of practice. My hat is off to you for taking these risks with your kiddos.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel Jackie. Letting go of the "control" has been an ongoing struggle for me. I see the excitement in the kids learning what is of interest to them, but still struggle with how many parameters I should put in place. Should I let them just "go" and see where we end up? I have grown a lot this year taking risks with them and for the most part have met with success...but these are 10 year olds with lots of practice. My hat is off to you for taking these risks with your kiddos.
ReplyDeleteYeah... I am also looking forward to some down time to reflect and think about how I am going to approach next year differently with all I have tried. I also struggle with the chaos and relenting control over to my kids. I ran into a parent of one of my kids this Saturday and she talked a lot about how much her son was excited about the 'project' he was working on, how much research he was doing on his own, and how much they were working together on questions he had about his topic. I think that we have to give some credit over to the inquiry process on how much engagement is increased, and how much students continue to ponder their thinking, even when they are not with us in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteSo, put your feet up and pat yourself on the back! Great work!