Reframing Inquiry in today's Digital World

        Inquiry learning, at its heart, is all about exploration, deep thinking, and problem solving. It's about taking what you do know, and using it to figure out what you don't know. It is also about trying to solve a realistic situation or problem with your knowledge and skills, while developing new skills and knowledge in the process. It involves questioning, and synthesizing information that is acquired from our senses. This is very applicable to the school environment, particularly in the younger grades, because inquiry is how young children learn. They are naturally curious and want to know. Unfortunately, even at a young age, older kids and adults are teaching our younger people that information and skills are indeed just given to them, and as educators, we must work to avoid this shift in mindset and continue to encourage kids to be inquiring learners. 

       Inquiry and information fluency in the 21st Century has expanded to include a variety of digital tools and technologies, and students (and adults) have to expand their knowledge and understanding of inquiry and information to incorporate and synthesize these new elements of the world. Some of the tried and true methods of inquiry we learned when we were younger no longer work the same way as they did then, when we try to apply them to the digital world. There are less boundaries, in a way, in the digital world, and therefore are more precautions we have to take as learners when taking in and analyzing information.

      We are the teachers, the subject matter experts. We are supposed to know more, apply more, and lead more. However, just like Silivia Tolisano pointed out, we are learning alongside our students. New technologies and tools appear every day that are as new to us as they are to them, so we must adapt quicker, we must be ready, we must be open to this change and be ready to apply what we know to these new tools and technologies if we ever expect to teach our students to do the same. Adults, the digital "foreigners," cannot be more afraid of technology or unwilling than the students, the "natives." It is our responsibility to learn and grow so that we can properly guide our students to do the same, lest we lead them from the minnows to the sharks.

     Inquiry has often been referred to as intellectual play, and in many ways it is, but according to Neil Stephenson, 

           “just as play requires rules to keep a game going, inquiry needs structure and boundaries to be effective. As compared with more traditional delivery models of teaching and learning that focus only on pre-existing knowledge or skills, inquiry remains open to the unknown, to the ‘not yet.’ As teachers are considering inquiry in a particular topic it becomes helpful to consider how students might ‘play’ within in topic, that is, maintain an emphasis on what is already known (the foundational concepts or key-ideas) while allowing for space for the unknown where students can create, design, interpret or participate."

     This is where the principals of inquiry learning come in, 8 concepts that can help guide educators in planning and teaching in a way that will foster those critical thinking and problem solving skills in our students. As I work to plan my mini-lessons, I will keep these principals in mind, and try to incorporate many of them in a realistic and applicable way, to foster learning at its peak potential.

     One of the principles involves experts, and I will try to incorporate them in the traditional and non-traditional way. My lessons will work with 6th grade students, assigned a research project on severe weather by their science teacher. I will use the science teacher herself as a subject matter expert in the science content area, as well as invite a local TV meteorologist in to visit with the students to peak their interest and give them some new information. The science teacher and I will incorporate authenticity into the task by using weather conditions that occur in the area we live, that are as real as the hair on their heads, and have been experienced by many. Additionally, we will include actual weather disasters in the past that have occurred in our region. This will help students connect with and own their work. I will incorporate ethical use and technology because these students will learn how to navigate the web in a way that is productive and relevant, learning how to analyze sources, and decide if they are worthy enough to be trusted and used with and credibility. Students will practice studying websites and sources for credibility through hands on activities and discussion with peers, thus incorporating the principles of deep understanding and student performance. The students will be responsible for creating a final product of their choice, using a digital tool, to present and synthesize what they have learned, using a digital presentation tool such as a prezi or a smore, or even preparing a movie or audio slide show.

    Using the principles of inquiry learning, we can create a rich and diverse lesson and plan of instruction that will keep students, interested, engaged, and offer them highest potential for learning. 

Resources:

Stephenson, N. Introduction to Inquiry Learning. Retrieved from http://teachinquiry.com/index/Introduction.html

Barseghian, T. (2013). Creating Classrooms we Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning. Mindshift. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/11/creating-classrooms-we-need-8-ways-into-inquiry-learning/ 

Tolisano, S. (2013). Get Over It!. Langwitches. Retrieved from http://langwitches.org/blog/2013/05/29/get-over-it/

Revisiting my Learning Goals

        At the beginning of this course, we were asked to identify some learning goals. Only having the syllabus and title of the course to go by, I came up with some things I hoped to accomplish that I believed would transpire over the course of the class. Here is what I came up with then;

        In this course, I trust that I will enhance my skills in information fluency, learning new tools and strategies that will help me become more fluent, as well as help me teach students. I expect to explore inquiry learning in more depth, learning how to complement hands-on tasks and digital learning. I would like to learn the best way to network with other teachers to get new strategies without feeling like I don't have time to do so. Throughout my program, I have learned of the many, many different resources out there, and it can be overwhelming at times, as having so many resources can sometimes be as frustrating as having no resources at all. In taking this course, I hope to become discerning about resources given and explored, to be able to determine which ones would best suit me in my learning and my students in their learning, so no one becomes overwhelmed; or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, so no one puts in a lot of footwork without getting a lot of meaning from it.

         After reviewing the resources in this week's module, I really do think my goals are on target. While I never had a name for it, it would appear as though I already have the "growth mindset" and my learning goals reflect that. They are not questions that can easily been answered with a fact or a yes or no; which, according ti Wilhelm, are not good questions. My learning goals involve thinking and processing information, skills that line up with inquiry learning and the growth mindset. As I learned about the growth mindset, it seemed to line up with inquiry learning. Each builds upon the other. I found it incredibly interesting, actually, to learn from Eduardo Briceno in his TED talk, that there are actually physiological differences in the brain related to each type of mindset, fixed vs. growth. It was truly fascinating to learn that the way we perceive our learning affects the way we can take in new learning. I suppose in a way, I knew this, in working with my students. The ones who feel like they "can't," do not learn as much or as quickly as those who think they can. 

       Additionally, without realizing it, I do encourage a growth mindset in my classroom. I always tell them about trying, and how a great deal of learning comes from the process. I remind them that every mistake is an opportunity to learn, going so far as to tell them that many times, the ones who make the mistakes end up learning more. We learn about George Washington Carver in first grade, and one of his quotes has become well used in our classroom, even quoted by the children themselves; "There is no shortcut to achievement." We say that to remind each other that we must constantly try and strive for success, taking every opportunity to learn. Even at the young age of 6, students are already being taught and adapting the fixed mindset, and I wonder if it is related to socio-economic levels, and I'd be interested to see if research supports this. Students who come from poorer households, or households were there is little encouragement to learn, and more emphasis on what the report card says, (or no emphasis at all) tend to have the fixed mindset, whereas students who come from homes where learning is valued, and parents work with students on homework and learning activities tend to more easily accept and develop a growth mindset.

       Going to back to my own learning goals, I suggested that I'd like to explore inquiry learning in more depth, and how to complement hands-on learning with digital learning and literacy. This course has been helping me do exactly that, and having a growth mindset is essential to achieving these goals, as they are goals related to processing information, rather than simply the recalling of facts and guidelines. I also said in one of my goals that "I hope to become discerning about resources given and explored, to be able to determine which ones would best suit me in my learning and my students in their learning." This goal very nearly mirrors how digital fluency is defined in the article "21st Century Information Fluency Cycle," stating that it "is the ability to find, evaluate, and use digital information effectively, efficiently, and ethically."

      I believe I am making fabulous progress towards achieving my learning goals this term and that the types of goals I have developed fall right in line with the idea of a growth mindset with inquiry learning principles. 

Letting Go

"Let it go, let it go!" Yes, I got my Frozen reference in for the day, I'm quite obsessed. But the song fits the purpose of today's blog, or at least that part of the chorus does. We are talking about letting go of some of that control we have as educators in feeling the compelling need to guide students too much.

Wait a minute, guide them too much? Can it be so? Absolutely. In far too many classrooms, we are overwhelmed by spoon fed kids. Now, I'm not saying there are a plethora of bad teachers out there, but what I am saying is that it is very difficult for teachers to allow their students time to work through a problem before they jump in and save them. I get it. I see it too. Your kids get frustrated, they get upset, because they can't figure something out and they want you to just tell them. They are used to that. They are used to just being given what they need rather than being made to think through a problem and work for the joy of achieving a solution on their own. Now, I'm not advocating we throw the kids into the deep end and wait until they figure out how to swim, but the idea of inquiry learning is that instead of spelling things out for students, we teach them the skills they need to figure out something new for themselves. We teach them some of the content, key vocabulary and understandings, and then give them opportunities to use that information and apply in a way that makes sense to them. In his blog, Grant Wiggins discusses how learning is like a game of soccer, and proposes the question of whether or not students really understand what they are preparing for in the classroom, when they are learning content and skills and strategies. I was so proud the other day, of my own first graders, when the assistant principal came into the class. We were doing centers, and I was working with some small groups. She called several of my students over throughout the time she was there and asked them about what they were doing, and *gasp* why they were doing it. You can imagine my bated breath as I watched this going on from my spot with my students. At the end of the period, the AP came to me and said, "I'm glad they were able to tell me what they were doing, and why. I constantly heard from them 'in the real world...'" and she said this with the little flair my first graders said it, with the same inflection that I use when I'm talking with them. Inside I screamed "Yes! They get it!" I strive to get my students, as young as they are, to understand why they are here, in school, learning about why when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. We talk about what their parents do, and what they need to know to be able to do those things, and relate them to what we are doing in school.

This is the beginning of inquiry learning. Recognizing the need and application of skills learned. As Chris Lehmann said in the webinar, "it's not about control, it's about support." We shouldn't want to control every aspect of what students learn, but rather guide them to the content and let them make sense of it themselves. In first grade, that's done by letting them experiment, and play, and observe their surroundings, and then talking about it. Teachers ask guiding questions, and lead them in thinking about what they do and see. When they are working through problems, instead of telling them the answer or what they need, ask questions that make them think about what they have already learned, and guide them to apply that to the new situation. As students get older, you relinquish more and more control over what you provide to them, and the classroom should become more Socratic, problem based, and independent, where the teacher acts as a support, a discussion leader, and a guide. Wiggins also suggests this in his blog. He says this type of classroom "should be the norm for schools, not the exception." Unfortunately, the latter is true, though schools across the country are moving in the right direction.

I really loved something Chris said in the webniar I viewed, where he stated "Inquiry, at its root, is the idea of intellectual play. The idea that we can get our hands dirty, we can ask powerful questions, we can seek out answers, and we can really add that time and space to play with our ides." Children are born inquiry learners. It's exactly how babies, toddlers, and preschoolers learn, by being curious, and trying things. Somewhere along the way, however, the world teaches them that no, that is not the way we learn, you are given what you need to know. As educators, we need be conscious of this occurrence and seek to prevent it from happening, and in every grade, and every class, constantly encouraging that "intellectual play" and supporting inquiry.

Resources:

 Lehmann, C. et al. (2013). Inquiry; The Very First Step in the Process of Learning. Connected Learning TV. retrieved from: http://connectedlearning.tv/chris-lehmann-inquiry-very-first-step-process-learning

Wiggins, G. (2014) Great Teaching Means Letting Go. Te@chThought. retrieved from: http://www.teachthought.com/learning/great-teaching-means-letting-go/

Reflective Searching

   I find myself to be an eclectic and reflective searcher. The way I search depends highly on what I'm trying to find, and why I'm trying to find it. If I am just looking around for areas of personal interest, I try to select the best keywords, and I will in effect, "just Google it." From there I will select pages and artifacts that mean something to me, and from there choose new search terms, or explore the sources that come up. Often, in this type of casual searching, something will catch my eye, and I'll end up searching that next, looking for more information. If I am doing a more informative search, I may start with Google to get an idea of what's out there, or I may find myself in Galileo, looking up scholarly articles on the subject matter. As mentioned in "Information Behavior of the Researcher of the Future," there are two types of search processes, horizontal and vertical. Horizontal searching is a type that is often associated with today's "Google generation," as the study calls it, where searchers, both young and old, skim and flip between pages  or tabs of information, trying to seek out a specific "answer," and not really digging deeper into content. A vertical search, on the other hand, is more reflective and analytic, reading thoroughly for understanding and application. I actually tend to be both, as stated before, depending highly upon the purpose of my search.

    The problem with today's searchers, however, is that they lack the discrepancy to decide when to do which. More often than not, most searching is done horizontally, and not vertically. According to the study just mentioned, viewers spend only an average of 4-8 minutes on any given webpage, which, for the average reader, is not enough time to read an article in its entirety. Also, with the overwhelming amount of content out there, searchers spend just as much time in the actual process of searching, finding, and navigating content as they do actually studying the information found. This, in itself, I believe, is actually a factor that contributes to searcher's lack of desire to spend an considerable amount of time studying content once found. Once you finally find what you are looking for, so much time has already past just in the process of finding it. I too am guilty of this, as by the time I finally sift through results and sources and settle on something of use to me, I'm too tired to go through it effectively. To combat this, I will often break up my research into 2 or more sessions, where the first session is spent solely identifying, saving, and collecting the sources I wish to review in depth. At the subsequent sessions is when I will take the time to review and study the resources, giving them their due allowance.

    The strategies listed above, however, are not reflective of most of our "Google generation" searchers. They are seeking instant gratification, as is the norm for our culture today. Students lack the reflective aspect of searching, which makes them evaluate what they are seeking out in a meaningful way. Purcell and others, of "How Teens Do Research in the Digital World," hit upon this as well in their study. The study summarized both pros and cons of digital "Google" searching based on the experience of teachers' observations of their students. There were some definite pros given in the study, such as the access to greater depth and breadth of information, the availability of such information, the variety of formats available, all of which encourages self-reliance. (of course, Terry Heick will argue that there is an "illusion" of accessibility because of the quickness of "answers," with no synthesis taking place) Piggy backing off that idea, though, is the cons, which are over dependence on search engines, students' inability to accurately judge content for reliability, and the increasing distractions the digital world creates, along with a diminished amount of critical thinking from students. Students over-rely on search engines to produce everything they need, when in fact, that is not always the case, and when they do find it, they do not have the skills they need to adequately study, process, and analyze the content. The rather scary thing to this, is two fold. First, this particular study was completed using AP teachers and National Writing Project teachers, which means their students were the cream of the crop. If these students are having difficulties maneuvering the digital world effectively, how much more difficult is it then, for your average and below average students? Secondly, as pointed out by Debbie Abilock, in "True or Not," why are we surprised that students are having this difficulty, when even in today's society, educated adults are also being duped by scams and false information every day? How many times do we hear of credit card fraud or theft by deception on the news because some slick website designer created a reputable looking site and then robbed its supposed customers?

    Lastly, there is something else to consider, of which I found myself most involved in, and that is the idea of a "filter bubble." After watching the TED talk, "The Filter Bubble," I found I was fascinated by Eli Pariser's thoughts and evidence surrounding the concept that Google's algorithms for searching based on our "click" history can highly affect our search results. I knew something of the idea, as when scrolling down Facebook, I often find "suggested" articles or sites on my feed that are eerily similar to not only things I have clicked on within Facebook, but also shadow things I have searched for with Google, outside of Facebook. I knew there was a degree of click counting going on, but I had no idea that it extended to the way I received results in a search. This TED talk was created and published in 2011, and I am interested to know if the powers and creators responsible for these search algorithms have worked to improve this, and give unbiased and unfiltered results based solely on the relevance to search terms, and based less on our own click history. Since watching, I have been trying to get others to participate with me and search a specific term from their search engines and post the results, so I can see the broad range of results we could potentially get, but have yet to see much on that yet. I wonder if 4 years has made a difference. If I find out, I'll let you know in a follow up.

     All of this evidence and research leads me to believe that is vital in today's education to teach students how to properly search and analyze information found digitally. They must become reflective and evaluative searchers, and know the difference between when it is time to search horizontally and vertically. They must develop these skills early and practice them often so they do not drown in the sea of information that is floating around the digital world. And how can we expect them to be able to do this if we also do not know and practice it regularly?


Resources: 
Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble. retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

UCL. (2008). information behavior of the researcher of the future. CIBER study

Purcell, K, et al. (2012). How Teens do Research in the Digital World. retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/11/01/how-teens-do-research-in-the-digital-world/

Heick, T. (2014). How Google Impacts the Way Students Think. retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/featured/how-google-impacts-the-way-students-think/

Abilock, D. (2011) True -- or Not. Educational Leadership. 70-74.

Response to Module One Resources

   The resources we were given this week to explore all revolved around the new way in which the 21st Century creates information, accesses information, and uses information, and then shifted that focus into the question of how are we preparing our students for this new way of information travel. The first video, "InfoWhelm and Information Fluency" was a great start because it succinctly described how the world has changed and become digital, particularly by sharing just how MUCH content has been created and shared digitally. I think it was funny too, because I had viewed this video right after writing my first post, where I had mentioned being overwhelmed by resources and wanting to discern the good from the not so good. So I chuckled at the coincidence. It is a fact though, that there is just far too much content out there for anyone to explore completely. The video made what in my opinion was a profound statement, saying "We can't be experts at anything anymore." In a way, that is completely true, because there is no way one person can explore all content related to a particular topic in order to become an expert.

    Now of course, not all content out there is reliable or accurate, for that matter, and that is where the idea of information fluency and inquiry comes in. We have to be evaluators of content, and not just users. Bryan Alexander, in his blog post, referenced a process by Jane Hart that he had catered for his own purposes, where you first seek information, then make sense of what you find, and finally share what is good and useful. This is the process of the world now in the digital age. This is what people are doing, though I think I would add a step that is often, (though not always) used, and that's "shape." Many times, as users of information, once we have sought and made sense of content, we shape it to become our own. We change it, add to it, create something new from it, adding our essence to it, before we share it with the world. Even when you do as little as quote a work in your own paper, you have shaped that bit of information into yours, to make new sense from it.

   This is what we want and need from our students in order for them to become effective learners in this new age, and that is what all the resources led to, the idea that as educators, we have to lead the way to this change, adjusting the way we "have always done it," because the world is no longer the same as it once was, whether we like it or not. Students must learn these valuable skills of HOW to seek, make sense of, shape, and share content in a way that is meaningful and useful to their own learning and knowledge base. To build off of this, becoming successful in this new age is more than just knowing how to use the tools out there, but it becomes the difference from being digitally "literate" to being digitally "fluent." Karen Lirenman said that "being digitally fluent means using the tools of technology to do things completely differently than I've ever done before. It's less about using technology to make a routine more exciting, and more about transforming how I think about teaching and learning with technology and how it applies to my students." It means "thinking" digitally, rather than just knowing how to use it. Many of us are still learning fluency, while at the moment being very literate. How many teachers use the digital board to project content that they would have previously shown in the book, or created a prezi instead of a PowerPoint to teach information? There is nothing wrong with this at all, and these are powerful tools, but we need to move even beyond that and begin to think about how these technologies can literally transform the way we are doing business in school.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWkQq5qmdmc

http://bryanalexander.org/2013/12/26/my-daily-info-wrangling-routine/

http://www.reading.org/literacy-daily/classroom/post/engage/2012/04/23/the-journey-from-digital-literacy-to-digital-fluency#.UtBlfrTs0gE

http://www.reading.org/literacy-daily/classroom/post/engage/2012/04/23/the-journey-from-digital-literacy-to-digital-fluency#.UtBlfrTs0gE

Learning Goals

          In this course, I trust that I will enhance my skills in information fluency, learning new tools and strategies that will help me become more fluent, as well as help me teach students. I expect to explore inquiry learning in more depth, learning how to complement hands-on tasks and digital learning. I would like to learn the best way to network with other teachers to get new strategies without feeling like I don't have time to do so. Throughout my program, I have learned of the many, many different resources out there, and it can be overwhelming at times, as having so many resources can sometimes be as frustrating as having no resources at all. In taking this course, I hope to become discerning about resources given and explored, to be able to determine which ones would best suit me in my learning and my students in their learning, so no one becomes overwhelmed; or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, so no one puts in a lot of footwork without getting a lot of meaning from it.