Lane Clark Debrief

Implications for MRPS Inquiry Learning

Pedagogy

Friday, 11 Sept, 2009

Carey, Trish, Daniel, Tracy, Judy, Mark

Outcomes and points for consideration are highlighted throughout,

Cell Coordinator Roles

• Does the role of cell coordinator need to be reinstated to its original, former status?

Cell Coordinator roles need to be revisited and revised.

Cell Coordinator never used to be included in Admin meetings. Now it is felt that the Admin meetings are taking the cell coordinators away from their

previous areas of responsibility, that being to manage cell budgets, coordinate resource purchasing, revise and keep Inquiries up-to-date and on track, help to develop Inquiry Units, ensure relevance and appropriate coverage through all

learning areas and curriculum framework.

Probably not, as long as the information is being

disseminated to staff through Monday Mumblings, email, staff meetings, face-to-face meetings.

• Is there a real need for cell coordinators to attend Admin meetings?

Cell Meetings• MUST be recognised and reinstated to allow for vital cell business to be discussed.

• Staff to ensure they are keeping informed by reading email on a daily basis.

Where Administration need to address staff regarding vital school or DET issues, they can visit individual cells or have one of the Administrators at each

meeting. It is also an expectation of staff that they check email on a regular basis to keep track of information coming out from Administration (Monday

Mumblings are a prime example).

As Cell Meetings were originally set up to discuss issues relevant directly to the three cells (Junior, Middle and Upper), it is important that one is held each term (the other being a whole school meeting). Ensures that items such as learning

area coverage through Inquiry topics is adequate and relevant, scope and sequence, assessment, monitoring, resourcing issues can all be addressed.

Thursday MeetingsMUST be reinstated as per their original purpose

(ie. as a means of sharing and reflecting on teaching pedagogy across the school to support implementation of ICT and Inquiry Pedagogy).

They have evolved to become just another staff meeting which was never their intent.

In their current form there are serious EBA issues to consider (ie. only two meetings per term). As the Thursday sessions are not compulsory to attend,

and as some staff have openly stated that they don’t wish to see work samples etc, (but seem OK about sitting in yet another meeting), then it has been

suggested that teachers visit classrooms on a fortnightly basis during morning recess in order to share, reflect and discuss strategies etc being used. This

would be on a voluntary basis, with the hope that the non-participants do feel the need to upgrade and share in the whole school ICT, Inquiry process,

particularly from year levels where ICT and Inquiry process is falling down.

Lane Clark Debrief

What exactly needs to be looked at in detail from our PD?

How will our new learning impact on our school’s current Inquiry

pedagogy?

Lane pointed out that the 22 Inquiry Concept Keys that we are currently using across the school for Big Question development were fine, but she has seen a

need to simplify them down to just seven keys which cover all possible conceptual questions, as outlined on the following slides. As a group, we made

a beginning at linking in the keys we currently use to the seven keys now suggested by Lane to use.

This key is one of the THREE MAJOR keys to be used.

This key is one of the THREE MAJOR keys to be used.

Students can be challenged to write a 2-Key Question, a 3-Key Question, etc.

This key is one of the THREE MAJOR keys to be used.

We were wondering what exactly this key meant and how it would be used to help formulate questions.

So What? is the main outcome at the Inventing Level and the Inquiry driver

It was also discussed that we, as a staff, develop a series of cards (or something similar) with these So Whats? on them. On the back there needs to

be examples of the meaning of the particular So What? and also criteria or guidelines for developing that particular So What? at different year levels.

It was discussed that there is a

need to reword these two

questions to make them more understandable

to students.

Implications For MRPS Inquiry Model

•Curriculum Design

•National Curriculum

•Don’t throw out what we have already developed over the last ten years.

•Build in ThinkCharts, ThinkBox, ThinkItGreat, etc.

•Plan for ‘deep learning’ and ‘far transfer’

•Concept keys to help develop the So What?

•Resource banks in shared drive

•Reinstatement of Cell Leaders as the main drivers.

Take into account DET requirements and

also Local Planning

Ensure adequate and relevant LA coverage across all year levels.

Avoid overlay and repetition!

Value Add/Develop

Examining the MRPS Inquiry Model

The next series of slides shows what our current MRPS Inquiry Model looks like.

As a team, we have begun to compare our (successful) MRPS Inquiry Model to Lane Clark’s

ThinkTower™, her ThinkBox™ and also the Think!nQ™ (real learning process).

We have started to identify where changes have to be made to our MRPS Inquiry Model.

Think!nQ™ Process ImmersionSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

So What?

This drives your need to establish

content, knowledge, understanding and

purpose.

Set up a WONDERINGS and DISCOVERY Wall As students have a need to ask questions or they make a discovery, they add to the WALL, and sign their addition

(to show ownership).

Ensure The Immersion:

1. Engages the 5 senses

2. Uses experts!

3. Uses a minimum of 4 tools from the ThinkBox™

4. Engages the whole thinking brain (use the MIs)

5. Examines at least 2 OPVs (other people’s points of view)

Use Concept Keys

To find out! (eg. What are the

characteristics of an excellent brochure?

Builds knowledge, understanding, comprehension

and leads towards analysis and evaluation.

Develop Petite Inquiries to suit needs

BrainstormSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

There is little need to change our

Brainstorm level

Think!nQ™ Process

Key considerations at this level:

1. Students tell you what they now know

2. There is no input from teachers – you need to see what the kids actually think and now know.

3. Examination of the Brainstorms will tell you how effective the Immersion has been. May open up the need for reteaching or target teaching of certain understandings.

4. May lead to revised or new So Whats?

Also a very good idea to provide the opportunity for students to question and wonder at this stage and

include them on their brainstorms.

Michael Pohl’s Extended Brainstorm would be an

excellent tool for this.

Brainstorms should become working documents that

students visit and revisit to update as they investigate and find out at the deeper

level.

Big Question/Action PlanSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

As a whole class, revisit the WONDERINGS and DISCOVERIES wall to consolidate ideas.

Think!nQ™ Process

If the IMMERSION has been done successfully, students should have no problems at this level.If kids don’t know what

they don’t know, then they will not know what Big Questions to ask!

It is very important that you map all the tools and

strategies that you and your students have used

so far in the Inquiry. These tools and strategies should be colour coded to show

the different immersion activities that were used.

Well designed ACTION PLANS are vital to success if the Big Questions are to be effectively examined and developed and taken through to full/deep learning. There need to be different

ACTION PLAN models developed for use at the Junior, Middle and Upper Primary Levels.

PETITE INQUIRIES need to be undertaken as students need them. For example, PETITE INQUIRIES would be developed for, “How to

produce an excellent PowerPoint”, “How to write and present and excellent speech”, etc.

Finding OutSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

Think!nQ™ Process

To be covered next Friday.

Stop And Think!Suggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

Think!nQ™ Process

To be covered next Friday.

Creating ItSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

Think!nQ™ Process

To be covered next Friday.

WOW! CelebratingSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

Think!nQ™ Process

To be covered next Friday.

WOW! CelebratingSuggested changes for MRPS Inquiry Model.

Think!nQ™ Process

To be covered next Friday.