WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.160 Let's focus in the coming year more on bringing 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:07.360 joy to our students' lives and also to our own. 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:10.919 Let's embrace those strategies that give us a 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:13.740 break and make teaching and the facilitation 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:17.719 of learning not just fun for kids, but for us 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:21.350 too. Hello and welcome to Blooming Curious. a 00:00:21.350 --> 00:00:23.769 podcast that's all about nurturing that natural 00:00:23.769 --> 00:00:27.250 curiosity in our earliest kids and students. 00:00:27.870 --> 00:00:30.510 I'm Edwina, your host from the Ed's Lessons blog, 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:33.890 a passionate advocate for play and inquiry, and 00:00:33.890 --> 00:00:36.649 on a mission to keep children curious and questioning. 00:00:37.369 --> 00:00:40.789 The days of talk and chalk are over. We're diving 00:00:40.789 --> 00:00:44.289 into the world of integrated inquiry and nature 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:47.000 -based learning. and exploring the strategies 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:49.960 that create lifelong learners. So if you're a 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:53.420 classroom or homeschool educator or even a curious 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:59.240 parent, then this is the place for you. Happy 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:01.539 Christmas, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your 00:01:01.539 --> 00:01:03.640 celebrations and traditions yesterday. I know 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:05.879 I certainly did, having the whole family around. 00:01:06.260 --> 00:01:08.480 But today we're going to reflect on what was 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:11.099 and what could be as we plan for the next teaching 00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:14.180 cycle. Have you ever taken a moment, or do you 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:17.379 ever do this, to consider the impact your actions 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:21.140 have on those around you, especially on the children 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:24.459 you teach and care for? Do you ever wonder about 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:27.079 the direction of your life and whether what you're 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:30.099 doing has any meaning? I must say that these 00:01:30.099 --> 00:01:32.640 are the things that I think about a lot and they 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:36.920 bother me and I think about them often. Am I 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:39.719 doing enough or not enough? Have I actually contributed 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:43.079 something positive to someone's life? Am I actually 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:47.299 doing myself any good? And very often, I think 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.260 not. And then the end of the year comes around 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:52.359 and we have just experienced, I get calls from 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:54.299 kids that say, thank you, you've been the best 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:56.620 teacher ever. You're one of the best teachers 00:01:56.620 --> 00:01:59.560 I've ever had. I miss you when I'm not there, 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:02.400 et cetera, et cetera. And then I think, oh, geez, 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:05.359 golly, what I do really does make a difference. 00:02:05.819 --> 00:02:08.120 And you know, we can't touch the lives of everyone 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:11.039 we meet or teach. But I think as long as we touch 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:13.719 the lives of some, then we can look back and 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:16.159 say, we made a difference in someone's life. 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:19.120 And that's really pretty cool. I recently heard 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:21.719 someone say, when you meet someone, it might 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:25.620 be the only time ever you have to make an impact 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:28.580 on their life. So we really do need to be aware 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:31.039 of our actions and our words on other people. 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:34.460 And so I want to say that yes, some of us spend 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:37.120 a lot of time in our heads and others perhaps 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:40.460 not so much and perhaps not enough. But the world 00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:44.240 needs more curious people who embrace learning. 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.039 People who embrace thinking and wondering and 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:50.520 questioning because this is the way we improve 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:53.419 our own lives and the lives of those around us. 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:56.139 And we can't just be these people with blank 00:02:56.139 --> 00:02:59.840 expressions and nothing behind the eyes and they 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:03.689 just go you know, through the motions every single 00:03:03.689 --> 00:03:07.990 day. We need to stop and think, is what I'm doing 00:03:07.990 --> 00:03:13.430 good enough? Am I happy, really truly happy doing 00:03:13.430 --> 00:03:17.069 what I'm doing or doing the same thing over and 00:03:17.069 --> 00:03:20.050 over again? And this is really the reason why 00:03:20.050 --> 00:03:23.949 I started my blog, it's lessons and this podcast 00:03:23.949 --> 00:03:27.819 so that I can have greater impact. to teach more 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:30.479 people so that more children can hopefully be 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:33.719 taught and raised in a way that celebrates curiosity 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:36.340 and wondering and questioning so that we don't 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:39.199 simply just accept things blindly and just sit 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.500 there, but actually take the time to say, hang 00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:45.340 on a minute, how can this be? And is this the 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:48.240 way we make a positive impact on others' lives? 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:52.039 So as we come to the close of 2023, I encourage 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.180 you to start pondering how you as an educator 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:58.300 truly impact the lives of children in your care. 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.139 Did you give them this past year opportunities 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:04.180 to wonder? Did you give them opportunities to 00:04:04.180 --> 00:04:06.939 express themselves in some form or other that 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:10.120 was truly individual and unique to them? Did 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:13.159 you provide opportunities for them to have some 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:16.439 choice and agency in how they learn? What about 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:19.779 you? Did you grow? Are you going to do the same 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:22.759 things next year as you did that past year? Or 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:24.459 are you going to challenge yourself this coming 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:26.720 year to try something a little different, to 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.819 take a bit of a risk, to have a go and get a 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.389 little uncomfortable? Just the same way we want 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:36.550 our kids to do. We cannot grow or learn without 00:04:36.550 --> 00:04:39.189 some discomfort. We all know how challenging 00:04:39.189 --> 00:04:43.269 learning something new can be, but also how rewarding 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:46.930 it is. You know, since starting the blog, Ed's 00:04:46.930 --> 00:04:49.269 Lessons, and now this podcast and simultaneously 00:04:49.269 --> 00:04:53.069 teaching, my learning curve has seriously been 00:04:53.069 --> 00:04:56.009 vertical. I've had to become acquainted with 00:04:56.009 --> 00:04:58.329 new ways of doing things and learning all about 00:04:58.329 --> 00:05:00.930 digital entrepreneurship and it's pretty daunting 00:05:00.930 --> 00:05:04.470 and it's full -on but it's also kind of exciting 00:05:04.470 --> 00:05:08.889 and even when I just get one email or one positive 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:11.949 message it makes my day and I think yep it's 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:14.230 all going to be worth it eventually hopefully 00:05:14.230 --> 00:05:17.250 before I die or before I turn 60 which is by 00:05:17.250 --> 00:05:21.300 the way not too far away you know how kids have 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:23.480 the internet at the finger at their fingertips 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:27.980 they can find out anything they want they really 00:05:27.980 --> 00:05:31.199 don't need us to give them information anymore 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.920 but they do need us to teach them how to sift 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:38.680 through the information and how to ask good questions 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:41.560 and how to find the answers to those questions 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:44.860 and how to present their knowledge in ways that 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:46.980 show their own growth and understanding and of 00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:50.740 course how to apply what they learn to new learning. 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:53.240 So I want to tell you a story about one of my 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:57.720 students. Let's call him G. Now G really struggled 00:05:57.720 --> 00:06:00.620 and still does to some extent with expressive 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:04.579 language and reading and writing. G really found 00:06:04.579 --> 00:06:07.620 school difficult. And of course, school is not 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:11.199 a fun place. Actually learning is not fun. When 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:13.399 you see other kids around you reading and you're 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:16.279 still struggling identifying and reading single 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:19.300 words. And I remember the first few weeks in 00:06:19.300 --> 00:06:22.740 year two, G was not a happy chappy. He stood 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:25.120 at the door each morning clinging to his mom, 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:28.220 tears running down his cheeks, broke my heart, 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:30.939 but By the second or third week, I can't remember 00:06:30.939 --> 00:06:34.060 now exactly, I told the students that we were 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:37.360 going to be spending two days every week doing 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:40.040 investigation. It's going to be every Thursday 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:43.500 and Friday. And I explained the process and I 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:45.639 put up all my learning intentions on the board 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:48.019 and I told them they could learn about anything 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:51.439 they wanted and present it in any way they liked, 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:55.110 as long as it met our learning intentions. Smiles 00:06:55.110 --> 00:06:58.689 erupted all around. Kids jattered eagerly about 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:01.149 what they wanted to learn more about. Now I'm 00:07:01.149 --> 00:07:03.370 not going to go into the whole process here, 00:07:03.689 --> 00:07:06.250 that's for another day, but you can download 00:07:06.250 --> 00:07:09.470 my new e -guide that's all about getting started 00:07:09.470 --> 00:07:12.970 with inquiry by going to resources .edslessons 00:07:12.970 --> 00:07:17.050 .com forward slash inquiry 101. I'll put a link 00:07:17.050 --> 00:07:20.899 in the show notes. Anyway, to carry on, Thursday 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:23.399 rolled along, and I presented the lesson, and 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:25.399 I walked the students through the process and 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:27.899 the steps they need to take, and also gave them 00:07:27.899 --> 00:07:29.860 the option to work in small groups if they so 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:34.019 wished. Now, little G loved sharks. And of course, 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:36.279 somehow or other, it met our learning intentions, 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:38.899 and so I scaffolded and helped him find out more 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:41.060 about the specific shark he wanted to study, 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:44.399 because I wanted him to experience joy in his 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.779 learning. We watched videos about the topic instead 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:50.759 of reading. And I took some simple notes for 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:53.699 him. But interestingly enough, he remembered 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:57.360 all the details. Once he had gathered the details, 00:07:57.720 --> 00:07:59.800 I asked him how he wanted to present his learning 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:02.839 and he decided on a slideshow with images. And 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:05.120 then he recorded his voice instead of writing. 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:08.800 And he was able to re -record parts where he 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.439 made mistakes as many times as he wanted until 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.920 he was happy with the final product, which he 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.980 presented to the class. Now, as soon as we started 00:08:16.980 --> 00:08:20.519 investigation time, Little G's tears dried up. 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:23.199 He started coming to class with a spring in his 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.279 step and a smile on his dial. This whole inquiry 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:29.339 experience made all the difference to his learning 00:08:29.339 --> 00:08:32.240 and his attitude towards school. Of course, reading 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:34.559 and writing was still challenging, but he looked 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:37.080 forward to Thursdays and Fridays, and somehow 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:39.639 he realized that all the other work that he was 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:41.759 doing and the stuff that he was learning was 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:44.799 also benefiting his inquiry. the whole process 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:47.419 of inquiry and I have so many stories like this 00:08:47.419 --> 00:08:50.799 I can't tell you and even gifted kids feel such 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:53.639 a sense of personal accomplishment because they're 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:55.679 working on their own projects they don't have 00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:58.220 to wait for the others to catch up they're working 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:02.539 at their own pace or with a friend who's at the 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:05.620 same stage as they are and they really appreciate 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:08.860 this experience and so for next year I invite 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:12.679 you to join me in embracing a brand new challenge 00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:15.730 Let's not be so hung up about sticking to curriculum 00:09:15.730 --> 00:09:18.490 programs because let's focus more on the strategies 00:09:18.490 --> 00:09:21.549 like inquiry that really excite children and 00:09:21.549 --> 00:09:24.990 give them ownership over their learning. Inquiry 00:09:24.990 --> 00:09:27.789 is such an exciting way for kids to learn. Don't 00:09:27.789 --> 00:09:30.570 worry, it's not about throwing out explicit instruction. 00:09:30.970 --> 00:09:33.929 Kids still need explicit instruction to learn 00:09:33.929 --> 00:09:37.389 all those mathematical concepts and phonics and 00:09:37.389 --> 00:09:40.649 spelling rules and how to construct sentences 00:09:40.649 --> 00:09:45.039 and Also, the skills of inquiry. Inquiry runs 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:48.039 in tandem with your explicit instruction lessons. 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:51.799 And by the way, the better you know your curriculum, 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:56.340 the easier it is to integrate inquiry into your 00:09:56.340 --> 00:10:01.029 lessons. Let's focus in the coming year more 00:10:01.029 --> 00:10:04.289 on bringing joy to our students' lives and also 00:10:04.289 --> 00:10:07.970 to our own. Let's embrace those strategies that 00:10:07.970 --> 00:10:11.429 give us a break and make teaching and the facilitation 00:10:11.429 --> 00:10:15.409 of learning not just fun for kids, but for us 00:10:15.409 --> 00:10:18.230 too. And with that, the challenge for the rest 00:10:18.230 --> 00:10:22.309 of the holidays is for you and me to just ponder. 00:10:22.409 --> 00:10:26.070 and wonder and think about how we want to make 00:10:26.070 --> 00:10:28.370 a difference in the lives of the kids we teach. 00:10:28.629 --> 00:10:30.629 Are we just going to give them more worksheets? 00:10:30.710 --> 00:10:34.210 Because I swear, I do not remember anything I 00:10:34.210 --> 00:10:36.570 learned about at school when I was filling in 00:10:36.570 --> 00:10:40.409 worksheets. I remember the things that I did, 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:44.210 the doing. And I'm telling you now, the kids 00:10:44.210 --> 00:10:48.169 now also remember the things they do. They do 00:10:48.169 --> 00:10:51.710 not remember a thing about those worksheets that 00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:55.169 they fill in day after day. So we've got to think 00:10:55.169 --> 00:10:58.129 about how do we want to impact their learning, 00:10:58.409 --> 00:11:01.750 their curiosity, and how do we also want to make 00:11:01.750 --> 00:11:05.169 a difference in our own lives as educators. And 00:11:05.169 --> 00:11:08.980 it all starts with listening to podcasts. just 00:11:08.980 --> 00:11:12.340 like this one, and reading inspirational books 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:15.799 that can help us on our journey and create a 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:17.919 mind shift for ourselves. Now I've written a 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:21.279 blog post where I list my top inspirational resources 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.879 all for educators. So take a look at that in 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:26.779 the show notes below, or just go to edslessons 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:29.940 .com or to bloomingcurious .com for the latest 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:33.080 post. Full disclosure, I am an affiliate for 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:35.139 Booktopia and will receive a small commission 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:37.960 at no extra cost to you if you decide to buy 00:11:37.929 --> 00:11:40.110 any of the books I recommend through my link. 00:11:40.350 --> 00:11:43.429 And with that, my friends, my New Year's wish 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:47.590 for you is that you will give inquiry a go. I'm 00:11:47.590 --> 00:11:49.809 right here if you need me, just send me an email 00:11:49.809 --> 00:11:52.610 or DM. My contact details are in the show notes 00:11:52.610 --> 00:11:56.429 below. I know how overwhelming and scary it can 00:11:56.429 --> 00:11:58.830 be to try something new, especially in a classroom 00:11:58.830 --> 00:12:01.350 where you're herding a thousand cats, but I can 00:12:01.350 --> 00:12:04.149 take you step by step through the process until 00:12:04.149 --> 00:12:07.809 you feel comfortable and confident. So this is 00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:09.769 something you would be interested in learning, 00:12:10.210 --> 00:12:12.850 how to easily start inquiry learning with your 00:12:12.850 --> 00:12:16.809 students this coming year. Then email me at contact 00:12:16.809 --> 00:12:20.730 at edslessons .com and just say, I need help 00:12:20.730 --> 00:12:26.190 with inquiry. And so next week is 2024. That's 00:12:26.190 --> 00:12:28.809 unreal. That's the year that my son is going 00:12:28.809 --> 00:12:32.490 to turn 24. Gee whiz. We'll start the new year. 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:35.559 with a series which I'm going to be calling Getting 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:38.799 Started. So the Getting Started series, which 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:42.440 starts next Tuesday. So look out for that. And 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:44.759 finally, why don't you please share this episode 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:46.720 with someone you think might find it useful. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:49.559 And if you enjoyed it, consider subscribing and 00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:52.480 leaving a review. Thanks so much. So I'll catch 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.539 you next Tuesday. And until then, don't forget 00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:58.919 to wander and stay blooming curious.