Developing a definition of learning

1- Thinking by yourself
2- Thinking in a group of 3
3- Thinking in groups of 6

Key words in the definition of learning.

Learning is about being curiosity and making an enquiry into it or diving into the question to
find your answers.

Inquiry
Enquiry

Question
Inquire
Experience
Making connections

Learning is a process that begins with curiosity, with a goal towards

making new connections through inquiry and experience.
Inquire
Experience
Making connections

Learning is an ongoing process that leads to a sustained and demonstrable consolidation or

extension of conceptual understanding, skills, or character.

Inquire scaffolds students in ways that allow them:

What causes the seasons?

When the Earth revolves around the sun, on its tilted axis.

Conceptual understanding is developing through a process of

Connecting new knowledge to prior understanding and to important concepts
Constructing theories of: how things work, why things are the way they are
Testing theories in different contexts in order to: refine them so that have more and
explanatory power, see when, where and how the apply.
Framing an inquiry – The role of a teacher
 Deciding on the context and understanding targets:
 Selecting content to explore
 Designing assessment,
 writing questions for investigations
 Planning effective learning engagements
 Curating resources

What is worth inquiring into? Before we can start planning out a unit that engages these
stages of inquiry, we need to ce

Good Contexts for inquiry Push them to go beyond facts and allow them to make
connections between ideas. Big ideas that can be explored. Why do things happen.
Spiralling ideas, children will go through them again and again, visit them again and again
The knowledge of experts in a give field is organised around key concepts.

Book: How people learn by National Research Council

Curriculum instructions were clustered around topics.

Teaching them facts but teaching them the connections around them.
Unit understanding Goals Theory
Concepts Concept Concept
Illustrative content Fact Fact Fact

Your illustrative content will depend on the grade level that you work with. Say if the unit
concept is Forces and movement, I might only work with simple machines. Again Story
telling, I could go with well known stories or the traditional tales.

Concepts as Organizers:
A unit about coral reefs Coral reefs as an example of
INTERDEPENDENCE of organisms within an
ecosystem
-
- A unit about community helpers Our local community: Needs and responsibity
- A unit on history of apartheid Apparthied

 This enables learners to connect information: deeper levels of understanding

 Expert knowledge is connected and organised around concepts
 Allow for vertical and horizontal connections in curriculum by providing a
structure for content
 Provide a mechanism for selecting right content
 Allow for considerations of student background and intrests.

Concrete to Abstract
Limited Broad
Focused on time Timeless
More topic like Universal
Not something that reoccurs in other areas Big Ideas

Concept: Rights and Responsibilities

Lower Elementary: Learners understand that:

Groups have rights, roles and responsibilities based on what they agree is important
Possible content: Rights and Responsibilities within the family AND/ OR within the
classroom.

Concept: Energy
Upper Elementary
Learners understand that : Potential energy must be

Concept: Standardisation
In order to be able to compare measurements, we have to divide a continuous quality into
identical units.

Level U
All groups have rights, roles and responsibilities.
How do these develop?
Groups develop rights, roles and responsibilities based on what they believe is important.
Why do we need them?
Rights, roes and responsibilities with a group help all members feels a sense of belonging
and help the group achieve its purposes.

Book: Transfer of Learning

Selecting content to explore
Knowledge provides the foundation to help higher order thinking.

Choosing Illustrative Content

 Relevance to the backgrounds and interests of the students
 Developmental considerations
 Vertical articulations of curriculum : Same idea or spiralling can happen but don’t
repeat
 Usefulness as an illustration of the concept
o The simplest
o The most extreme
o The one which is most interesting

Theory
Into
Practice Writing understanding goals for your own unit and choose illustrative content that
you might use to explore it….
Demonstrating Understanding
Chunk or Module Assessments:
Contextual Task: To what extent can the student use knowledge, skill sand understanding in
‘real-life’ situations. Learning with purpose, I an use the learning outside of the school.
Writing a letter to the government about the way we sort garbage.

Understanding Tasks: To what extent can the student use basic knowledge and skills?

Mastery Tasks: What basic knowledge and routine skills does the student have? Eg like a
quick quiz etc.

Thinking about how we demonstrate understanding Wiggins/ Mc Tighe

Explanation
Interpretation
Application
Perspective
Empathy
Self Knowledge

Competencies/ Skills and knowledge in Assessment – Task Analysis

This is important so that we clearly build what they are going to build skills in the students.
They might need research skills, or map skills. Pull out these key features and making sure
that you are teaching these skills along the way so that the learners don’t fail at the end the
the unit during assessment.

Knowledge Competencies / Skills

Students will need to know … Students will need to be able to …

What about using inquiry cycle in Mathematics and Literacy?

It depends. You might not want to use in addition or subtraction. Since it is a skill. You could
use inquiry approach towards something like perimeter and area (problematizing).
Sometimes it would be about using them inquiry tools instead of not completely inquiring
into Mathematics. Let them try out the problem and them they will figure out the rule.
Don’t give them the rule ahead. When after inquiry they might be able to get to the rule.

Writing question for Investigation.

1. To identify bid questions and / or problems important enough for sustained
investigation.
2. To plan a path way of questions.
Types of questions
1. Module Questions (These we would put them on the wall) The questions that help
students find the patterns in the information across the whole unit.
 2. Guiding Questions/ Pathway questions. The questions that help students go across
the
3. Provocative Questions

How can we structure the conceptual questions to create wonder? Questions should help
build a sense of wonder in the kids.

Student Questions
 KWL
 Quality questions emerge out of knowledge not ignorance – they cannot ask
questions if they are not in context.
Instead of asking them what they want to learn at the beginning of the unit, wait for it
later. Stay away from asking them what they want to learn at the beginning of the unit
or the first day of starting the unit.

The inquiry Cycle:

Tuning in or tapping into current understanding: Access and engage with what I am learning.
Current knowledge is affected by what we consciously perceive. The way we interpret what
we perceive, relevance, and therefore interest and motivation. Our brain is constantly
making connections.

Bundling: Using a range of materials and children will sort them into bundles. This could be
very open or structured. You could pose something to them or give headings, so they could
bundle and re-bundle.

Puzzling pictures- Present the children with a range of photos that show items make out of
different materials. Rank the photos, and order them from best to worst. You can give them
a particular situation as to who is going to use the chair or where it is going to be used. At
this point it is not about chucking out one item but looking at positives and negatives.

Problem presentation: Fix a broken umbrella. Children identify different materials that
could be helpful in fixing different materials that could be helpful in fixing the different parts
of the umbrella, either by sorting concrete materials or by description. Discuss why they
wold work on different parts, document as their first thinking, leading to experimenting.
(What’s your first thinking, what is your second thinking (as you go on experimenting or
testing) You could ask the question what does my umbrella need to do?

The Purpose of the stages of Inquiry (In the booklet)

Using a chart with ‘first thinking’ and then ‘second thinking’ instead of posters on what is
correct. This helps the learners to see the process of evolution in their thinking as they go
testing.

Pause: In fairy engaging experiences, this time ask them to develop questions. Give them a
space to ask questions in a context. Genuine questions come when there is knowledge
deficit and knowledge conflict.
Tug of war: Have a rope on the floor. Ask them a provocative questions and give them
cards, negative and positive on another. The strongest argument towards the extremes.

Branching Question Pathways: When you see the learner ideas in Tug of war and have
grouped these ideas. They can become our guiding questions. You can classify the kids ideas
or give them ideas and them ask them to put them on the line and group them. Giving ideas
will help you keep the learning in the bubble.

Exploring the evidence: Its about kids thinking about whether it is a good information. To
explore a new information/ experience that included varied perspectives.
To evaluate information and perspectives for bias and relevance. To rehearse or record the
information. Represent information, rethink the information

Teachers as ‘Content Curators’ Oversee them: Its about the vast information that is present.
Helping them navigate through it. The sequence in which they are going to explore it.
Where we get out information from, the order in which we go around it and how the
learners can process this information.

To explore new information through experiences, other people or reflecting on their own
thinking, either individually or in a groups.

It is important to teach important literal skills. To evaluate information and perspectives.

Skills that support the Inquiry Process:

1. Research
2. Thinking
3. Communication
4. Collaboration

Picking out the skills that you want to explicitly teach and use that for your unit.

Graphic Organisers
Organise information visually. Powerful for kids, key to see patterns.
Can be particularly helpful with dealing with information form multiple resources, are
supported by research, are particularly effect with students who need extra support for
learning language. E.g. cause and consequence wheel, causal interaction map, Whole-parts-
spoke diagrams.

Website for more graphic organisers: www.classtools.net www.graphic.org

Make a good choice for the GO, be purposeful. Teach them how to use this.

Try and research on the common misconceptions of the children in any unit or topic. That
helps build your content
Pulling out ideas:
Connections: Build on prior understanding. Instead of challenging their ideas. Look at their
misconceptions and see what is right and slowly let them experiment to correct their ideas.

You might ask them why do you think this?

Age appropriate texts is important.

After fish bone. They would do some hands on activities.

Reflections: I used to think…. Because

Now I think…. Because

So we have to find ways to support students

Constructing theories:
Broad Purpose
1. We start with the Broad purpose. To organise information in ways that help us make
connections and see patterns.
2. To make generalisation using those patterns.

Unit Summary Tables:

Read a number of novels and look at the following questions: This may be put up on the wall
and children answer this for every novel.

 What was the issue?

 What were the beliefs of the character?
 Hoe did the character behave?
 What can we say about the connections between beliefs and behaviour?
 So what?

Testing Theories:
Broad Purpose: My understanding is shifted from my original knowledge. How do I
check my thinking and how it holds up in different contexts?
Testing the learning that has been done in one context. Take it to another context
and test it there see if it hold up there.
They may be given a problem to solve based on the theory that they have made or
derived.

Goals:
Based on whatever you have connected within this course, what will be your first personal
goal?
Fie someone in the group have connected with in the course who might be able to be a
support/ reflection partner for your goal.

Strategies Tool Box

Name Description Use Change
Startling It could be about different To get out the
Descriptions topics. There were some initial thinking
structured statements that towards that
were shared with the group. topic. You can
The group had to talk them ask the groups
through. The same can be to talk or write
done with well chosen about them.
pictures. It can be used at Statements
the beginning. We could that we will
even do it at the end as explore in the
revision topic as we
move through
Butts up Each person thinks of the
brainstorm ideas in bullets. The person
on your right chooses one of
your ideas and puts in the
centre.
Cuckoo
conversations
1-3-6 One of your ideas would
conversation have made it to the middle.
Thinking Connect, extend and
routine challenge in the thinking
Documenting Write a question on post it
our questions notes and post them on the
wall.
What’s worth inquiring into?
Why inquiry?
How do we plan for an
inquiry?
Generate, Generate a list of ideas and Use it for check
sort, connect, initial thoughts that come to out their
elaborate mind. understanding
(adapted) Sort your ideas into groups or to write
where you see strong their
connections. understanding.
Connect your ideas by
drawing connecting lines
between ideas that have
something in common.
explain and write in a short
phrase
Elaborate on any
TIP- Theory
into practice
G.R.A.S.P.S What is the Goal?
Goal What role will I take on?
Role (Journalist, Board for a
Audience committee which is making a
Situation decision, Scientist)
Product/ Audience they will be
Performance sharing the learning with.
and Context they will work in.
purpose The product that will be
Standards & created.
Criteria for
Success
Quiz Quiz! A warm up activity. Everyone Children can
Trade is given a question related to use objects
the topic and raises their instead and
hand. People move around they ask
and find a partner. When about the
you find a partner you lower sound you
your hand. One of the pair hear in the
asks their question, if the name of the
person responding doesn’t object.
know the answer you can
coach them twice, and then
give them the answer. The
other other person then asks
their question and the
partner responds. Trade
cards and move about to see
the next question.
BUNDLING Groups within the bundling. This can be
QUESTIONS You can even ask them to done with
label them too. Getting them pictures too.
to look at similarities and
patterns. To help with
explore.
Puzzling Present the children with a
pictures range of photos that show
items make out of different
materials. Rank the photos,
and order them from best to
worst. You can give them a
particular situation as to
who is going to use the chair
or where it is going to be
used. At this point it is not
about chucking out one item
but looking at positives and
 negatives.
Problem Fix a broken umbrella. Test different
presentation: Children identify different materials or
materials that could be objects
helpful in fixing different
materials that could be
helpful in fixing the different
parts of the umbrella, either
by sorting concrete materials
or by description. Discuss
why they wold work on
different parts, document as
their first thinking, leading to
experimenting.
(What’s your first thinking,
what is your second thinking
(as you go on experimenting
or testing) You could ask the
question what does my
umbrella need to do?
Spend a Helps learners justify or Limit the
pound (Or prioritising the things. If it is number of
Count my kids ideas then you can give votes on the
votes) kids votes equal to the number of
number of options and each things
child will have to give one available.
vote to each idea before
using the extra vote. So that
there is no child’s ideas
without any vote.
See-think- Show them something. First (Shadow chair
wonder the learners only see, then video)
they think about what is
happening? Then ask what
do you wonder? What are
your questions about it.
Think puzzle
explore
Tug of war: Have a rope on the floor. Ask Classification
them a provocative of the points
questions and give them can be done
cards, negative and positive by asking the
on another. The strongest learners to
argument towards the write the
extremes. perspective
Them the points can be of different
grouped and give broad points of
 headings for the ideas. views in
different
colours while
putting them
on the tug of
war.
All Write Everyone takes time to write
Rally Robin ideas in single point. Go
around the group and share
ideas until the ideas run out.
No repeats.
Wondering For putting up student
wall questions. Once it is
answered the child puts
smiley face on that note.
Journals with
space for
questions.
Recording
their
questions
Putting the
questions on
google
classroom
and the
others
children are
also look at
answering
the
questions.
WMYST- This is important to
What makes understand where the
you say that learner is coming from. In
case there are
misconceptions, then you
can clear them.
Carousal Same as Gallery walk.
Brainstorm