November 9-15, 2015

 

WEST DELAWARE HAWKS

Relationships  Challenging Academics  21st Century Skills

Random Thoughts...Developing Student-Driven Questions 
I have been thinking this past week about student reflection and agency in their learning.  Many people associate "engagement" and "reflection/agency" as synomous terms.  They are vastly different words.  Engagement, by basic observation, may simply be busy work - learning may or may not be occurring.  In contrast, reflection and agency leads towards student involvement in the process of learning.

As students partner with teachers in learning, I have considered inquiry based learning, voice and choice, and problem based learning.  All of these terms refer back to one driving force - Student Driven Questions.  Having students build a direction for their learning fosters RELEVANCE and CONNECTIONS to life.  This must be a foundational component of our learning environment.

The following information was taken from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-for-inquiry-based-learning-john-mccarthy   The accompaning video below the text can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdYev6MXTOA    If you reflect past the images of an elementary classroom and consider the instructional design, you will see the heart of Student Driven learning. 

1. The Question Formulation Technique

The Question Formulation Technique offers a starting place to teach students how to construct questions that meet their needs. The QFT is a process for coaching students on the value and pitfalls of closed-ended and open-ended questions, including where and how to use them. Use the QFT as a foundation for the other protocols shared, which can lead to rich learning experiences.

2. Chalk Talk

One challenge to generating substantive questions and ideas is getting every student's voice heard. There are lots of reasons for this, such as strong personalities dominating a conversation, a need for space to reflect, or nervousness with speaking in front of others. Chalk Talk (PDF) is effective because, at its core, it's an engaging conversation that happens in silence. All voices are honored.

Post a topic as a statement starter or a question on chart paper for small groups. Or use roller paper that extends ten to twenty feet, so that 20-30 participants can be involved.

Participants communicate through writing with markers, asking questions and making comments to the prompt and to each other's posts.

Visually, participants create a web of ideas and questions that fan the flames of curiosity.

The time frame is approximately ten minutes.

Traditionally, the teacher collects the results at the end to use as data for later activities based on the students' contributions. A variation is to have participants review these collected thoughts to mine for ideas and questions that are further discussed and explored as part of a larger reflective experience. This second option helps students to see how their voices are valued.

3. Say Something

One challenge with reading articles or other pieces of writing is getting students to read for meaning and make connections beyond summary. Say Something (PDF) is a reading approach where students chunk a reading into smaller pieces, making comprehension easier. They dialog about specific text to uncover deeper understanding. The process ensures that all students participate and get support from each other to gain comprehension without feeling singled out.

Divide students into groups of 2-4.

Each group decides how far it will read (individually or aloud) before stopping for conversation.

While reading, students mark at least three passages. Consider using:

A checkmark for a passage that the reader agrees with.

A question mark for a quote that the reader does not understand or wants to know more about. Require that students craft at least one question per passage.

An exclamation mark for a passage that has new meaning.

After the group finishes reading the agreed-on section, the first student shares a passage and why he or she chose it. Then the next student does the same, until everyone has shared. There is no crosstalk about what was said.

The group repeats steps 2-4 until the reading assignment is completed.

This process encourages students to express themselves and explore their ideas with a group. Save the Last Word for ME (PDF) is a similar protocol, except that when students share a passage, they don't explain their ideas until after each group member has shared his or her thoughts. After the benefit of hearing everyone's contribution, the first person gets the last word.

4. Harkness Discussion

It's amazing what students come up with when the teacher is silent. Often during teacher-led conversations, some students will defer to the instructor rather than take risks with exploring their thoughts. Other students may be content to keep their rich thoughts to themselves, while the discussion is carried by a few.

The Harkness Discussion (or Spider Discussion) encourages idea generation and reflection. Prepped by a reading assignment, students sit in a circle or square. The teacher asks a question or gives a starter statement prompt for students to launch the conversation. Have students bring prepared questions for what they want to know, to be shared during the discussion. From beginning to end of the group discussion, the teacher remains silent, allowing the students' voices to carry the day.

Another benefit is providing practice with collaboration. Students are charged with encouraging everyone to share their thoughts through collegial support, which practices collaboration. As students discuss the topic, the teacher silently maps the flow of conversation by drawing lines from one speaker to the next. The intent is to capture who contributes and to what depth. After the conversation ends, have the students write a reflection about their understandings and takeaways. The writing provides data about the thinking by those who did not speak -- this time.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdYev6MXTOA

Youth Frontiers "The Character Challenge"

Technology Tip of the Week

Hackers Can Take Control of a Computer and Use It for Their Own Purposes. Keep Your Computer Secured and Learn to Recognize the Signs of Infection.
A virus or malicious program may not directly damage your computer but may instead turn it into a zombie. A zombie computer is a computer that a hacker can direct to complete certain tasks, such as attacking another target. Always keep your computer secured with antivirus protection to avoid this and complete a full system scan if you suspect your computer has been compromised. A compromised computer may begin running sluggishly, start crashing or begin performing tasks on its own such as sending out emails through your email account.

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