Core Breakfasts

Workshop

1) Collaborative Activity - Online Jigsaw Reading Activity Looking at the Research about Teaching as Inquiry

In this activity you will be reading and attempting to summarise some key pieces of research about Teaching as Inquiry. Each group will be given a piece of research to focus on. You may like to divide the reading up between you, or choose to all read then discuss.

When you are ready to write up your key points or summary notes, use the Google Form link below for your piece of research.

When writing your notes, consider the following the questions:

What are the key messages in this reading?
What are the opportunities or pros of Teaching as Inquiry?
What are the challenges related to using Teaching as Inquiry?
What can schools/teachers do to make Teaching as Inquiry more effective?

Google Doc from Christchurch session for Jigsaw Activity

Morning Tea

2) Differentiated Activity - Planning an Inquiry

The second half of the workshop will give you time to develop an inquiry planner or inquiry project for yourself or your staff.

You can either work alone or in groups depending on what your needs are.

To help you with your planning you may like to look at the templates and planners I have worked on or develop your own from scratch.

Step One: Background Reading

You may like to begin with some more background reading to guide your planning.

NZC Online - Teaching as Inquiry Overview

Teaching as Inquiry Overview

Step Two: Contextualising your Teaching as Inquiry Planner

Choose a scenario that fits your situation

Scenario #1 - You are an individual teacher wanting to develop a template and gather resources for a personal Teaching as Inquiry project.

Scenario #2 - You are a middle leader in change of a department or area of responsibility at your school and would like to develop a template and gather resources for a team of teachers at your school.

Scenario #3 You are a senior leader looking at how you could roll out school wide Teaching as Inquiry professional development programme and would like to develop a potential template and gather resources.

or Choose 2-4 areas to focus on in your Teaching as Inquiry Planner

First of all you need to ask yourself the intention of your Teaching as Inquiry Planner. Are you:

Trying to integrate a number of school wide initiatives?
Are you trying to improve outcomes for a specific group of students?
Are you focusing on effective integration of e-learning tools and strategies?
Are you wanting to focus on developing future-focused practice?

i.e. Start with the end in mind!

Here is an example of how you could explore and synthesize what you believe to be important.

You need to focus on 1-4 areas in a year. For example, working with the document above and canvassing all staff members we decided to focus on: Thinking skills, collaboration, differentiation and how these can be supported by e-learning tools and strategies.

Resources that may help you decide what to focus on

Teach Thought - A Diagram of 21st Century Pedagogy

21st Century Fluencies

NZC - Effective Pedagogy

NZC - Key Competencies

Step Three: Adapting or creating a Teaching as Inquiry planner

You make like to plan from scratch or adapt an existing planner.

Planning Templates

E-learning Action plan 2011

E-learning Action Plan 2012

Blank Teaching as Inquiry Planner

E-learning Resources