WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.690 We hear so often that learning is a journey or it's a marathon, 00:00:03.690 --> 00:00:05.310 not a sprint either way. 00:00:05.370 --> 00:00:06.720 It's something that takes time. 00:00:07.410 --> 00:00:10.800 And when you think about a journey we think about going on a trip. 00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:15.270 There's the planning, the booking of tickets, the packing, we do the research 00:00:15.270 --> 00:00:20.189 before we even set out, and along the way we have experiences, we visit places, 00:00:20.189 --> 00:00:21.270 we meet people. 00:00:21.689 --> 00:00:22.380 And what do we do? 00:00:22.830 --> 00:00:23.790 We take photos. 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:27.600 And in the old days, we'd ride diary entries and send postcards. 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:30.479 And nowadays we post our experiences on social media. 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:34.650 We share the experience digitally with our friends and family. 00:00:35.040 --> 00:00:38.730 And then we get home and we reflect on what was, we may go through our 00:00:38.730 --> 00:00:43.620 photos and tell retell, rather stories and some special experiences we had. 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:45.690 Well, learning's just the same. 00:00:45.750 --> 00:00:47.460 We literally go on a journey. 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:51.720 It seems like such a lame word, but actually it is what it is. 00:00:51.930 --> 00:00:53.850 Learning is a journey. 00:00:54.449 --> 00:00:55.800 And just like a journey. 00:00:55.890 --> 00:00:56.790 It flows. 00:00:57.300 --> 00:00:58.080 In parts. 00:00:58.320 --> 00:00:59.820 It gets stuck in others. 00:01:00.089 --> 00:01:03.899 And sometimes it feels like forever before we reached the destination. 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:06.420 And other times you blink and it's over. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:10.980 The learning journey also requires us to plan before we start and then 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:15.090 think about the experiences we want children to have along the way, and 00:01:15.090 --> 00:01:19.800 finally, to assess or reflect on what was achieved and how we take it 00:01:19.800 --> 00:01:21.780 further or what we'll do next time. 00:01:22.530 --> 00:01:26.789 And as we go through the inquiry cycle, whether that be Kath Murdoch's 00:01:26.820 --> 00:01:29.250 inquiry cycle or the five E model. 00:01:29.580 --> 00:01:35.160 Which is engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate, we ourselves 00:01:35.190 --> 00:01:39.450 and our learners are going to need some scaffolds or supporting material to 00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:43.839 guide us along the way, because we don't just say, off you go, go and inquire. 00:01:44.460 --> 00:01:50.399 We provide scaffolding and structures in place that our learners and ourselves feel 00:01:50.399 --> 00:01:53.340 supported as we go along this journey. 00:01:54.360 --> 00:01:57.360 There are tons of worksheets and booklets that learners can 00:01:57.360 --> 00:01:58.950 use to help along this way. 00:01:59.610 --> 00:02:03.570 And I actually have some of these on my website to help guide investigations, 00:02:03.570 --> 00:02:07.200 but really a journal where children can capture their own experience 00:02:07.410 --> 00:02:09.840 and their learning is just as good, if not better. 00:02:10.290 --> 00:02:13.720 Where they can actually draw up their own columns or their own T-chart 00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:17.160 or their own mind map or whatever organizer helps them to organize the 00:02:17.160 --> 00:02:23.100 process of learning, the steps they take to their final destination, and 00:02:23.100 --> 00:02:25.080 where they share what they've learned. 00:02:25.920 --> 00:02:30.810 Documenting the inquiry or the learning journey is fundamental in 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:34.200 supporting this whole ongoing process. 00:02:35.070 --> 00:02:37.080 But it also has a few other functions. 00:02:37.670 --> 00:02:38.270 One. 00:02:38.810 --> 00:02:44.150 It provides you with information to see what additional resources or provocations 00:02:44.150 --> 00:02:46.250 or conversations you might need. 00:02:46.700 --> 00:02:48.590 To sustain that learning journey. 00:02:49.040 --> 00:02:52.670 Or perhaps you may need to correct any misconceptions. 00:02:53.570 --> 00:02:54.050 Two. 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:58.070 It makes the learning visible so that learners can see the 00:02:58.070 --> 00:02:59.900 value in the work they're doing. 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:04.580 But also it's a way for them to see the connections to other learning areas. 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:08.250 A way for parents to engage with the learning to. 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:12.450 Three documentation helps your planning. 00:03:12.450 --> 00:03:17.400 It shows you the next steps where you can take the learning further and 00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:19.350 what gaps you may still need to fill. 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:21.900 And how did you record this journey? 00:03:22.620 --> 00:03:26.440 Well, I think it's helpful to always be thinking in terms of the inquiry cycle. 00:03:26.790 --> 00:03:30.060 So if you think of your first step and inquiry it's tuning in 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:32.370 right or engaging the learner. 00:03:32.910 --> 00:03:35.730 So, this is when you want to find out what the learner knows or 00:03:35.730 --> 00:03:39.180 what they're thinking, or they wondering about a topic or a concept. 00:03:40.230 --> 00:03:46.290 And here, things like your TWL chart or your T W H L chart often used either 00:03:46.290 --> 00:03:48.030 as a whole class or individually. 00:03:48.480 --> 00:03:52.440 And then they displayed in a visible space, like a learning wall or 00:03:52.470 --> 00:03:54.060 perhaps in a learner's journal. 00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:59.130 Now, if you listened to episode 26, my interview with Jessica Vance, she 00:03:59.130 --> 00:04:01.420 spoke in detail about learning walls, 00:04:01.440 --> 00:04:05.160 I highly recommend you listen to that episode if you haven't already. 00:04:05.730 --> 00:04:09.540 Now, another way of tuning kids in is to use wonder clouds. 00:04:09.910 --> 00:04:13.510 This is just a piece of paper cut out in a cloud shape. 00:04:13.990 --> 00:04:16.990 And this is where children write down what they're wondering about. 00:04:17.440 --> 00:04:19.750 This topic or concept that you're covering. 00:04:20.320 --> 00:04:23.260 Or sometimes just anything, a personal project. 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:27.400 But if you're creating a learning wall, this would be the first piece 00:04:27.400 --> 00:04:31.390 that you would pop up, and then as the journey unfolds, you add pieces 00:04:31.390 --> 00:04:34.510 of evidence to this wall until you've eventually reached the point where 00:04:34.510 --> 00:04:37.960 the learner can see whether or not they've uncovered the answer to their 00:04:37.960 --> 00:04:40.960 wonderings through this inquiry process. 00:04:41.770 --> 00:04:45.880 And as a whole class activity, the one thing I've always liked 00:04:45.880 --> 00:04:48.070 doing is to create a huge mind map. 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.760 I collect all the students' responses in one color. 00:04:52.150 --> 00:04:55.600 And then as you go along the inquiry process and uncover answers to 00:04:55.670 --> 00:04:59.860 or misconceptions, I add it to the mind map in another color. 00:05:00.340 --> 00:05:04.510 So, I guess you could also add sticky notes to it and responses to show that 00:05:04.510 --> 00:05:08.470 you've answered or confirmed a wondering or a statement or whatever it was. 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:13.720 As you go along the inquiry, you more than likely have a visual 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:18.490 organizer for each learner, so that they know what information they need 00:05:18.520 --> 00:05:20.950 to gather as they proceed through. 00:05:21.670 --> 00:05:26.170 I have a visual organizer for an inquiry project on life cycles and animals on 00:05:26.170 --> 00:05:30.430 my website, and I leave a link in the show notes so you can go and get that by 00:05:30.430 --> 00:05:33.100 clicking on the link after this episode. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:36.820 Or you might be having conversations with children. 00:05:36.820 --> 00:05:40.000 That's another way to record their wonderings and their thinking. 00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:42.310 And you do this, especially in early childhood. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.320 But of course it's equally valid for older students too. 00:05:46.320 --> 00:05:51.390 And so you either record your conversation or annotate a drawing or a diagram or a 00:05:51.390 --> 00:05:55.859 piece of work, or even a photograph of the child participating in the process. 00:05:56.370 --> 00:05:59.460 And then you would display this up on your learning wall, or 00:05:59.460 --> 00:06:01.349 you could even attach a QR code. 00:06:01.890 --> 00:06:05.250 Which links to your conversation, which is stored in a file somewhere. 00:06:05.250 --> 00:06:09.210 It could be on Seesaw or in Dropbox, or even a private YouTube account. 00:06:09.810 --> 00:06:13.440 And so you'll go along this process and you'll include all these parts 00:06:13.440 --> 00:06:14.820 of the learners learning journey. 00:06:15.239 --> 00:06:19.560 So that it all becomes visible, and the child can then see the connection and 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:25.560 experience that joy and satisfaction that comes from recognizing where 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:27.780 they started and where they've ended. 00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:30.810 And they also witnessed their own progress. 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:36.599 And another wonderful tool of course, is the floor book, which Dr. Claire Warden 00:06:36.960 --> 00:06:42.299 the founder of the floor book spoke about in our interview, which was in episode 24. 00:06:42.299 --> 00:06:45.719 So that's another episode for you to go and listen to, if you haven't already. 00:06:46.440 --> 00:06:50.130 And the floor book is also a tool for making, learning visible. 00:06:50.700 --> 00:06:55.469 And it's also a planning tool and a way of documenting the learning process and 00:06:55.469 --> 00:06:59.940 to find possible lines of inquiry, to take learners deeper into their learning. 00:07:00.630 --> 00:07:03.780 And of course you'll be linking multiple curriculum areas because 00:07:03.780 --> 00:07:06.239 inquiry isn't a separate subject. 00:07:06.570 --> 00:07:10.500 So you will be explicitly teaching report writing, for example, as 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:13.950 part of your English curriculum, or for very young learners, it 00:07:13.950 --> 00:07:15.630 could just be a word or a sentence. 00:07:15.630 --> 00:07:20.460 And so perhaps you also have your rough draft of the report with annotations 00:07:20.789 --> 00:07:22.349 and then finally the end product. 00:07:22.799 --> 00:07:26.010 But of course it just never ends there because after that comes your 00:07:26.010 --> 00:07:29.969 discussion and more questions, So that the learner becomes aware of the 00:07:29.969 --> 00:07:34.830 limitations and what they could still include or other lines of inquiry 00:07:34.830 --> 00:07:36.239 they may need to think about. 00:07:36.780 --> 00:07:41.310 And that's when you could have a self evaluation sheet or reflection sheet, 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:45.419 where a learner can think about what they did well or what didn't go well, 00:07:45.900 --> 00:07:47.940 what they would do differently next time, 00:07:47.969 --> 00:07:51.719 or perhaps it's just their first thoughts or changes they made in their thinking, 00:07:51.719 --> 00:07:53.519 and then their final revised thinking. 00:07:54.389 --> 00:07:58.919 I hope you can see from this that inquiry isn't a boring static lesson where 00:07:58.919 --> 00:08:02.789 you ask a question and in the students go off and they fill in a worksheet. 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:09.359 Inquiry, is a living breathing process that mimics real life problem solving and 00:08:09.359 --> 00:08:12.389 it's applicable to all curriculum areas. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:17.819 And throughout this process, we, as educators are also recording our 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:20.489 own observations of our learners. 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.139 We're looking to see who needs more scaffolding, who needs stretching, who 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:29.159 needs help with collaboration, who needs help with making their thinking visible. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.669 And I've created inquiry and investigation record planning 00:08:32.669 --> 00:08:37.649 sheets to help you keep track of the behaviors and skills that learners are 00:08:37.649 --> 00:08:46.510 acquiring on the website, by going to resources.edslessons.com/inquiryandinvestigationrecordplanner. 00:08:46.530 --> 00:08:47.399 It's a bit of a mouthful 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:51.060 so I'll put a link in the show notes for you so you can easily 00:08:51.060 --> 00:08:52.469 just click there and get it. 00:08:52.770 --> 00:08:57.749 And I also have an integrating inquiry planning template for you 00:08:58.839 --> 00:09:03.669 that helps you plan a unit or concept, so you could easily think about 00:09:04.089 --> 00:09:06.189 integrating it across curriculum. 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:10.089 So you're ticking off more than one curriculum outcome and 00:09:10.089 --> 00:09:12.729 making your job so much easier. 00:09:13.389 --> 00:09:19.329 Now if you would like more strategies and insights, just like these delivered 00:09:19.329 --> 00:09:23.409 to your inbox, then you should subscribe to my free weekly newsletter, 00:09:23.499 --> 00:09:26.199 Get Curious and get on my mailing list. 00:09:26.589 --> 00:09:30.069 My subscribers get access to all the juicy bits and insider 00:09:30.069 --> 00:09:35.430 information, so go Get Curious by signing up at resources.edlessons.com 00:09:35.499 --> 00:09:37.329 slash forward slash. 00:09:37.749 --> 00:09:40.749 Get curious., I'll link it in the show notes too. 00:09:41.439 --> 00:09:43.869 Now, I just want to thank you all for listening to blooming curious. 00:09:43.929 --> 00:09:47.409 I know you could so easily, I've listened to one of a thousand podcasts 00:09:47.409 --> 00:09:48.969 out there, but you chose this one. 00:09:49.059 --> 00:09:51.129 And for that I'm so grateful and thrilled. 00:09:51.819 --> 00:09:53.199 So thanks so much. 00:09:53.259 --> 00:09:58.059 And if anything, in today's episode resonates with you, could you please 00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:02.679 tap the share button and share it with friends and colleagues that 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:04.810 you think will find it useful too 00:10:04.929 --> 00:10:06.849 I would so appreciate that. 00:10:07.430 --> 00:10:11.360 And I hope that with these episodes lately, you can really see that inquiry 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:13.310 is definitely not a separate subject. 00:10:13.310 --> 00:10:16.610 And it's not something that replaces explicit instruction, which is something 00:10:16.610 --> 00:10:18.830 that so many people are so fearful of. 00:10:19.520 --> 00:10:21.500 Inquiry is the mindset. 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:26.510 And inquiry is the only way that I know of, and then I've experienced 00:10:26.810 --> 00:10:31.340 how children really get stuck in and love learning, even those that 00:10:31.790 --> 00:10:33.589 really don't like it at the beginning. 00:10:33.829 --> 00:10:36.619 I promise you give this a go. 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:41.060 So go and sign up to my weekly newsletter, and get on the mailing list 00:10:41.060 --> 00:10:45.319 so that you can get all the insider information regarding inquiry and how to 00:10:45.319 --> 00:10:48.410 integrate it into your existing lessons. 00:10:48.829 --> 00:10:50.449 So with that, I'll love and leave you. 00:10:50.900 --> 00:10:54.109 Until next time, remember to stay blooming, curious.