facilitating inquiry

Facilitating Inquiry

Heidi SiwakPrepared for: Reform Symposium 4Saturday, October 11, 2013

The Big Question …

As students develop questions, explore ideas, construct knowledge, test assumptions, solve problems and share learning in ways meaningful to them … how do we help them become better thinkers and communicators?

The Trust Factor

How do you build a culture of trust so students become open to each other and the deep exploration of ideas … and willing to take intellectual risks?

Low-Risk Conversation

World Cafe

Idea DiversityConversationActivate SchemaLow Risk

http://www.theworldcafe.com/method.html

Solve problems collaboratively

Discuss with your group the best way to insert a sheet of paper into a duotang.

Duotang

Discuss with your group the best place on your sheet of paper for a title, a sub-heading, the date …

Conceptual Understanding How do you transfer a 3-D space to a 2-D surface?

Create Flexible ThinkersThe Value LineSee that others have different opinions.

See that your place shifts as you hear other ideas and think in depth.

Learn to question your position.

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Moral Machines by Gary Marcus

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/11/google-driverless-car-morality.html

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Where Do You Stand on the Value Line?Mark Your Shifts and Explain Why You Shifted

Strongly Disagree _________X_____________________X_________________________________________________________Strongly Agree

Rules of Engagement

Plan for conflict

After each session groups assess the dynamics and the usefulness of the task and set goals.

Use content to develop learning skills.Reflect

Share what you as a teacher observed.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/forms/report/card/ElemReport_PublicGr7to8.pdf

Knowledge Building Circle

Natural CuriosityIdea DiversityConstructing KnowledgeListening to othersLearning the Language of Collaboration

“I’d like to build on ______’s idea.”http://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/

Theory Building

Confirm or Disconfirm?

Neutral StanceTell me more …5 whys Yes … and

.

Empathy

Sympathy vs. Empathy

Why Empathy?

http://twentyonetoys.com/toys/

Integrative Thinking

Roger MartinI-ThinkRotman School of ManagementUniversity of Toronto

Opposing Ideas

Traditional School Unschool

Mental Models

We observe this. But “see” this.

Ladder of Inference

Data Pool

Confirming and Disconfirming Evidence

Complexity

A + B = C

How do I get to the store from your house?

How do we solve world hunger?

Causal Models

Story Analysis

Shallow ThinkingAll Summer in a Day

Ray Bradury

http://staff.esuhsd.org/danielle/English%20Department%20LVillage/RT/Short%20Stories/All%20Summer%20in%20a%20Day.pdf

Make Thinking Explicit

Look for Connections

Ask Why

Look for Nuance

See Multiple Pathways For Causation

Find the Hidden

Thank you!

Heidi SiwakTeacherDundas Central Public SchoolHeidi.siwak@hwdsb.on.ca@heidisiwakhttp://www.heidisiwak.com/