Trevor MacKenzie recently asked his learners what helped them to level up their achievement on a recent inquiry project using infographics. The answers were simple, but powerful. Co-designing a Success CriteriaBy co-designing the success criteria, learners are able to articulate the expectations and monitor progress on their own. What are the implications? Learner: they will have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and be able to demonstrate independent thinking in creating their process and product. Teacher: they will need to release some control of the learning process and designing the final product. They must trust their learners. Looking at ExemplarsLooking at exemplars helps learners to calibrate their understanding of the desired process and product. What are the implications? Learner: they have a clear understanding of what the desired outcome should look and feel like. They are also exposed to examples that are close, but not quite right. Teacher: they must work as a team to vet exemplars, so the entire grade level has a clear understanding of the desired result. Calibration at the beginning will create a consistent message for learners. Give Powerful FeedbackGiving feedback is a dynamic process where learners are being a critical friend and providing next steps. It's founded on a deep level of trust. What are the implications? Learner: they are able to self and peer assess work accurately based on clear feedback at the moment. They are able to self-adjust based on the actionable next steps provided by the feedforward. Teacher: they need to create the conditions for authentic feedback and feedforward to happen through systematic processes and tools. TimeAllowing time is one of the most powerful tools we can provide our learners, so they can tinker with ideas and come to solutions on their own. What are the implications? Learner: they can think, create, design, explore, interact, and assess on their own and apply these skills to new learning situations. Teacher: they must plan less and provoke more. This is done through deep provocations that make one think and feel and a variety of questions to get learners to thinking differently. Result?Learners who are more agentic and drive their own inquiries. What are the implications?
We successful support the next generation to think and feel, so they are able to solve tough problems in the future. As a result of the chat, I was sparked to join the infographic project by creating one of my own. You can find it here.
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The CITL Book Club concluded our series on Dive into Inquiry with the author Trevor MacKenzie. This informal chat was spurred by book club member's burning questions, experiences, and Trevor's unique lens of making inquiry come to life. What a treat! Take a peek at our chat here and in the media section. Play is central to early years. We know this. If you are an early years teacher, this is what you do all day long. This episode focuses on the role of play in the early years within the PYP. There are many facets that we think about naturally with this age, but there are some teachers that are confined by their school systems to make it happen. This episode will refer heavily to the PYP documentation, so you can advocate for yourself and your learners. For the rest of us, it's a gentle reminder that we are on the right track. We all need that, especially during these times. There are many words to describe an early years PYP teacher:
When I look at this extensive list, I see educators who are setting the stage for play. They are facilitating rich discussions through purposeful and varied questions. They are researching the latest best practice to reach all of their learners. They are in the thick of the learning with their learners as an active participant. They are shaking up thinking through intentional provocations that stir the heart, head, and hands. They are navigating the learning from a macro level to meet content objectives while carefully observing and documenting learner progress. They are open-minded and reflective practitioners who are focused on continuously improving These roles are many, but they all lead towards a single purpose of developing independent young learners who take ownership of their learning experiences. Designing a Play Filled DayHow do we fulfill all of these targets effectively while managing our time to meet our objectives? The IB has given an outline of how this may look within a lesson cycle or unit plan development.
If you notice, the conditions above reference time, relationships, learning space design, and exploration. These are key tenets of play. How is our time dedicated towards play? Do we allow time for our learners to explore ideas on their own to make their own interpretations and connections? I believe early years teachers on the whole do an amazing job of this through small group work stations, use of varied materials, and interactive learning experiences around the room. The number one challenge is to get out of the way. We need to release the control of the learning experience to allow our learners to create their own. Another thing that stood out is noticing students’ emerging thinking processes, interests and theories, and responding in ways that extend learning. How are we doing this effectively on a daily basis? How is it different from monitoring and documenting students’ learning and development during play, and offering appropriate scaffolded learning experiences for individual students and small groups? I know most early years teachers are continuously documenting throughout the day, because they understand that everything is assessment. They are keeping a variety of records, but how are we using the data collected to extend the learning? Something to consider. We know that relationships are the heart of everything we do in school. By building relationships first, are we able to get the best out of our learners? What are some strategies you are currently using to make this happen? Capture it somewhere. We’ve recently discussed the importance of learning space design and how it brings about play. Go back to prior episodes to discover some ideas. Creating Playful InteractionsFinally, how are we offering opportunities for our learners to explore symbolic exploration and expression? This is so critical to our development as a human on this planet. We encounter symbols throughout our day, so how are we getting learners to understand and apply these symbols regularly? How are we making this process come to life using:
It’s through play that we make meaning of the world around us. I know as early years teachers, we want to make play happen more within our practice. If we are in a more controlled learning environment, how can we add more play into our day? It’s about careful planning. Even when I was in the most standards driven environments, I had to find creative ways to merge the local government requirements through an inquiry and play-based way. It’s possible. Remember, you can’t do these things alone. It takes a village, which includes your grade level team and your PYP coordinator. If you are the only teacher on the grade level, you have your coordinator and access to other early years teachers worldwide through Facebook groups and other social media connections like #pypchat on Twitter. You can do this. For those who are seeking ways to incorporate more inquiry into your practice, I’m currently co-leading a book club on Trevor MacKenzie’s book Diving into Inquiry. Although we have already started, you can join the club. For more information, go onto Twitter and search for my handle @thinkchat2020. I have the latest book club flier pinned to my page. Our group of educators around the world joined in the conversation about Trevor MacKenzie's book, Dive into Inquiry. Although it's a well known book in our community, we still took time to unpack and digest the implications in our practice. To be honest, this was my first virtual book club experience, so I felt unsure about my role. With repeated practice, it became easier to make deeper connections. Mike was such a pro that I relied on his genius. |
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