classroom observations

Inquiry Mindset

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In my technology class, I had the opportunity to visit Rebecca Bathurst-Hunts classroom and listen to her speak about her opinion on an inquiry mindset in the elementary classroom. Rebecca teaches a french-immersion kindergarten class and believes that inquiry is an important style of learning in the classroom.

Rebecca had many unique and interesting ideas on learning. She believes that you should begin learning with questions in order to get students minds active and to allow for more student voice. This can be done by starting the lesson with a picture or a gif (which I found was a really cool idea) and asking the students 3 questions: what they see, what they know, and what they wonder. I personally believe this is a great way to get students engaged in the lesson and I will definitely use this as I prepare to go into the classroom.

She also talked a lot of inquiry-based learning and the different types. There is Structured inquiry in which the teacher leads the class in an inquiry question that they all engage in together. Rebecca suggests starting off with this inquiry style as it allows students to develop the basic skills needed for inquiry work. Next, there is Controlled inquiry where students answer questions based off of topics that are given by the teacher. In this style, the teacher also identifies the resources. Then there is Guided inquiry where the teacher will choose the topic or question and then the students will find the product or solution. Lastly, there is Free inquiry where the students choose their own topics and the inquiry is totally in their control. Rebecca mentioned how she does not always get to this stage in the inquiry process during one school year. I have heard of inquiry learning, but have never learned about the different types of it. I found this really useful as I love the idea of inquiry-based learning in elementary classrooms, but always thought it would be tough to give the young students so much freedom. I am excited that there is a way I can use inquiry learning in my classroom.

Rebecca had a very welcoming classroom due to all her different setups in the class, such as a cave/tented area meant for quiet time, desk areas for collaborative work, desk areas for pair work or quiet work, a main carpeted area where the whole class can go, and more! One thing that really stuck out to me in her classroom was a wall she had made into a “Wonder Wall”. This wonder wall had pictures of all the students in the class with thought bubbles beside them where she had written something that the student wonders about. I really liked this idea and thought it was a great way to share the student’s ideas with their peers.

All in all, I learned a lot from seeing Rebecca’s classroom and listening to her perspective on an inquiry mindset in the classroom. I gained a lot of information that will be useful to me in my years to come. I am thankful for this opportunity as I learned a lot about engaging students.

Blog Post #2 – School Observation

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For my music class, I went to observe four elementary music classes at an elementary school. This was a really valuable and educational experience for me as music class has changed a lot from when I was in elementary school. I got to observe a variety of different grades participate in their daily music class activities.

When we first got into the room one thing that surprised me right away was the number of instruments. This class was filled with all sorts of musical instruments, including xylophones, ukuleles, recorders, tambourines, shakers, triangles, basses and more! The classroom set up was very welcoming and the children either sat on the carpet or on chairs. At this school, each grade gets two 45 minute music classes a week, which really allows students the chance to improve their musical ability and knowledge.

The first class we observed was a grade 4 class. This class was learning to play the ukulele. I thought it was great that they were getting to learn this instrument at this age. To start the class they practiced singing “We Shall Overcome” for their upcoming remembrance day assembly. After this, they went row by row and got their ukuleles. The teacher made sure that everyone’s was in tune before they sat down to play. They practiced three songs: Frere Jacques, brush your teeth, and one other. I was amazed at how good everyone was at playing. I am learning to play the ukulele right now as well so I know what it is like to learn the instrument and I was impressed at their skill level.

The next class we got to observe was a grade 3/4 split class. Since it is a split class the grade 3’s got to learn the ukulele. Usually, this unit is not introduced until grade 4. This class was very similar to the last one in their class activities. One thing that really stuck with me was the teacher had a level card system, so every time the class finished something that was on a different level card (certain chords, or songs) they would get a little paper flower (different colors representing different levels) that would eventually create a lei. I thought this was a really fun and creative way to keep students engaged and wanting to improve their skills.

The third class we observed was a grade 2 class. This class was very different than the first 2 were. They started with a welcome song which included singing and hand clapping. This was really cute to watch. They then practiced the remembrance day song that the whole school is learning. After this, they played a music game called “Pass the Pumpkin” in which the students sat in a circle, sang a song, and passed around a pumpkin. The person who has the pumpkin at the last word of the song (BOO) got to go and choose one of four instruments (triangle, xylophone, shakers, and one other) to play for the next round. This was a really fun way to keep the students engaged and learning to play instruments.

The last class we got to observe was a grade 2/3 split. This class was learning to play the recorders, which brought back a lot of memories for me as this is one of the main things I remember about my elementary music classes. They practiced note playing and reading. They played many songs and knew a lot about measures, beats, time signatures and rests. I was blown away by how much the students knew. This showed me how engaged the students are in learning music, which was great to see!

Overall, I really enjoyed getting to observe the music classes as it gave me a much better understanding of the role of a music teacher and the daily activities that the various grades participate in. I am glad we got to see a variety of grades because it allowed me to see what the different grades learn in music.

Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry School Visit

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In my Technology Education class, we went on a school visit to observe Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry. It is a newer high school in Victoria, that offers a personalized education. This school has been operating for six years and has 85 students attending. It is a private school, but the tuition is more affordable than most private schools. PSI does not want to create more schools, but wants to be a model to other schools and hopefully show them that they can do it too.

At this school, they focus on inquiry-based learning, where students are told they can ask anything. Their inquiry process is to find an initial question then do some research and from that research create a better inquiry question. These inquiries can be anywhere from a week long to a year long. The staff recommends doing three inquiry projects at one time, so students stay engaged and always have something to do. The inquiry process is a lot of build, make, try and experiment, not just research. The students have the opportunity to go work with the community and get hands-on experience. For example, one year a student wanted to learn about boat building, so they worked with a boat builder for one year. I think this is a really cool idea and allows the students to get a good hands-on experience, which is valuable to find your interests.

The learning design is much different than most high schools. They do not test at this school, they put learning in the student’s hands and their success is based on their engagement. The learning environment is meant for the students to succeed, they want there to be a joy in learning for the students. The students build there own daily schedules to be what they want to be working on and can include breaks to go get some exercise etc. A tablet is used to sign in and out that says where they are going and when they will be back. This allows students the freedom to leave when they want to better their learning process. They still have report cards, as it is needed to go onto university or college, so the teachers meet three times a year to put students inquiries into courses – subjects are integrated within each other and their inquiry questions. IMG_9597

I personally have never been to a school like this. It was a very cool experience to get to go observe it and it gave me, as an aspiring teacher, a different way of looking at learning. I really like how PSI puts learning in the student’s hands and allows them to research topics they want to know more about. I think this ensures the student’s engagement into school and is of value to them in their future. I am happy I got to experience this school as it gave me a lot of ideas that I could implement in my classroom to create an effective and engaging learning environment.

PSI’s Website: http://learningstorm.org/