Inquiry Learning

A day of Inquiry Learning for 
Principals & Superintendents

Family of Schools Principals' Inquiry

On Wednesday, November 21, a dozen or so principals in my Family of Schools, along with central staff and myself, gathered for a morning of inquiry learning.  As a group, we tackled three questions:

                    1.  What constitutes effective inquiry learning?,

                    2. What constitutes effective monitoring of school improvement for student   

                         achievement?, 

                    3. Do the goals set in your school improvement plan effectively address the 

                        instructional core?

Here are the answers the group came up with to the first two question:

                     What constitutes effective inquiry?                            

     Relevant                                                                                                                  Manageable                                                            Focused                                                                                                                             Collaborative                                                                                                               Authentic*                                     

      Honest                                            

      Grounded in curriculum                    

      Evidence-based                                

      Cyclical                             

      Engaging                                           

     What constitutes effective Monitoring?

      Shared documents
      Learning walks
      Intentional dialogue
      Data Collection
      Documentation that makes student thinking visible
      Evidence of student work
      Student conferencing
      Walking the halls
      Modeling best practices
      Learning stance vs. performance stance
      Moderating the student experience

During our session, we viewed the following YouTube video that further elaborates on inquiry-based learning:  Inquiry-based Learning

We also watched this humorous video, which shows administrators how not to monitor teacher practice:  How Not to Monitor

For homework, the principals were asked to restate, using the elements of the instructional core (teacher, student, curriculum, & task), one of the if/then goal statements in their school improvement plan for student achievement.  .

Book Reiview: Inquiry: A Districtwide Approach to 
Staff and Student Learning

by Nancy Fichman Dana, Carol Thomas, & Sylvia Boynton

Inquiry: A Districtwide Approach to Staff and Student Learning is based on the premise that It takes a district to teach a child and has as its thesis that a culture of authentic inquiry will develop in a school or district only when all stakeholders are immersed in it – including district leaders, principals, teachers, teacher coaches, and students.

The authors begin by describing the process of inquiry learning.  It begins with a “wondering” or “burning question”.  Next comes the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data, including field notes, critical friends group feedback, professional reading, and most importantly, student work.  The data is then analyzed and improvements in teaching practice are implemented based on what was learned.   The rich learning from the inquiry process is then shared with others through a variety of means, such as websites and blogs and learning fairs. The learning fair is also a celebration of the completed inquiry.  The professional learning community is the means through which the inquiry process occurs for teachers and principals. 

Three different types of inquiry are presented in this book: shared, parallel, and intersecting.  In shared inquiry, the principal, teacher, or student group conducts a single inquiry or wondering.  Parallel inquiry occurs when members of the learning community conduct individual inquiry projects but work collectively as sounding boards for each other within the learning community.  Finally, when each learner within a group explores a sub-question related to an overarching topic, intersecting inquiry is occurring.    

The significant benefits of inquiry learning for all stakeholder groups are clearly identified in Inquiry: A Districtwide Approach to Staff and Student Learning.  Inquiry learning breaks down the walls separating teachers from administrators and from each other.  When it occurs in classrooms, it also redefines the relationship between the teacher and his/her students, making them co-learners.  In essence, inquiry learning gives the learning community shared purpose.  Another identified benefit of inquiry learning, whether in PLCs among teachers or in the classroom with students, is that it introduces meaningful data analysis into the learning process. As well, it produces a much deeper and richer form of communication among teachers and administrators and among the teacher and his/her students.

 

However, the authors offer an important caution concerning communication: Only when clear protocols are used to structure the dialogue will the conversion be focused and “learningful”.   They recommend, as an important first-step protocol, that ground rules such as the following are set for the learning group:

- Speak honestly

- Assume the goodwill of others

- Treat others as equals and focus on equity of participation

- Trust the process

- Expect it to get messy and confusing at times

In terms of challenges to inquiry-oriented learning, the authors are succinct – time and trust.  Both administrators and teachers need to solve the time crunch problem, particularly if they are going to find a way to interact as a learning community during the regular work day.   Then again, several creative solutions are proposed, such as creating “partner classrooms” so that one teacher in a pairing is freed up while the other watches both partners’ classes.  As for trust, teachers or principals who form a learning community must drop any sense of competitiveness or protectiveness and enter into inquiry learning both honestly and openly.  With respect to the classroom, teachers must trust both their knowledge of core curriculum and the ability of their students to be self-directed in their learning as opposed to teacher-directed.

One idea introduced in Inquiry: A Districtwide Approach to Staff and Student Learning that I find particularly interesting is the idea of offering experienced teachers the option of participating in an inquiry-oriented learning community and sharing the results of their inquiry as a substitute for being formally evaluated.

 In the final chapters of the book, the authors discuss the role of coaches in inquiry learning.  They offer the following equation as their suggestion for the work of coaches: Pressure + Support = Educator Learning and Change.  I have no issue with this formula, but would humbly suggest a third addend in the equation – inspiration, which, I believe, is a necessary ingredient in motivating teachers to change practices.

Overall, Inquiry: A Districtwide Approach to Staff and Student Learning is an easy-to-read guide to inquiry-based learning, which includes practical advice and strategies along with good case studies.  It approaches inquiry learning from the perspective of all the major stakeholders, with the exception of one, begging the question:

How could parents support inquiry-based learning in the classroom?

Marcia Tate - Sit & Git Don't Grow Dendrites

Book Review: “Sit & Get” Don’t Grow Dendrites 

by Marcia L. Tate

Marcia Tate presents in “Sit & Get” Don’t Grow Dendrites 20 strategies that engage the adult brain – that is, strategies that ensure that learning is brain compatible.

She begins her book with a brief review of adult learning theory or andragogy:

•  Adults need to be involved in the development of any learning opportunity
•  Adults should be invited to access their unique experiences, beliefs, and knowledge
•  Adults need differentiation in learning    
•  Adults want collaborative and goal-specific learning
•  Adults need time to reflect after a learning opportunity

A particular strength of Dr. Tate’s book is that, for every strategy she identifies, she provides concrete examples of learning activities.

Me with Marcia Tate

For the first strategy, brainstorming and discussion, she recommends the use of the participant parking lot, whereby participants are invited to place their questions during a learning opportunity on a chart paper on the wall, so that answers can be provided later.  A favourite of mine is the appointment clock activity, which directs learners to book dates with other learners during a presentation in order to ensure discussion and movement. 

Dr. Tate also provides important cautions with the use of some strategies.  For instance, in the case of storytelling, she points out that stories will only have impact if they are personal, humorous, and/or emotive.  Then, with respect to visuals, there is Tate’s 10-20-30 Guideline for Powerpoint slides:  only 10 slides per presentation, no more than 20 minutes total, and at least 30-point type.

The links that are made between the strategies and brain-based research gives credence to them.  For example, Dr. Tate explains the effectiveness of the strategy of metaphors, analogy, and similes this way: “one of the brain’s primary jobs is to make meaning or to look for patterns and connections between what one already knows and new information that one is acquiring.”  Likewise for movement she notes “Anything learned while moving goes into one of the strongest memory systems in the brain – namely, procedural or muscle memory.”

“Sit & Get” Don’t Grow Dendrites is a practical and highly readable guide for effective teaching.   

  

War & Remembrance

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER 

REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY 

On Friday, November 9, I attended a fabulous Remembrance Day ceremony at St. Francis Xavier High School.  Following the playing of O Canada by the school's band and prayer by Sister Shelley Lawrence, drama students presented several original skits.  These skits focused not only on the bravery of soldiers during combat but as well on the hardships and heartbreaks endured by the loved ones they left behind.

The St. Francis Xavier Glee Club then sang two songs, accompanied on piano by music teacher Mr. Chris McGuire - Where He Leads Me and Sarah McLachlan's Push.  Just before Last Post, a moment of silence, and Reveille, Major Megan Whalan read a thought-provoking reflection.

Proud to have my picture taken with Major Megan Whelan, CAF

I was not only moved by the impressive ceremony but very impressed by the respectful, reverent behaviour of the students - a testament to the focus in the school on positive behaviour and the direction provided to students during the assembly by the master of ceremonies, Mr. Michael Whelan.

                 

Equally impressive are the Remembrance Day murals (above) by Mr. Roy Ketcheson's grade 10 art students, which are on display in the school's atrium..

Lest We Forget

Sadly, many Canadians have family members or ancestors impacted by war. My own family tree is no exception.  My paternal grandfather, Private Arthur Edward Atkinson, served with the 38th Battalion during World War I and was wounded both at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele.  Likewise, one of my great-grandfathers, Private Joe Dunlop, fought with the 58th Battalion and died from gunshot wounds received at Vimy Ridge.

Private Joe Dunlop,

my great-grandfather

Private Aurthur Edward Atkinson,
my grandfather

As a special Remembrance Day tribute to all veterans of war (and their families), I have included a 3-page letter Private Arthur Atkinson penned from the trenches to his father prior to the Battle of Passchendaele.

  

Then there is the tragic story of Alexander Atkinson, my great great-grandfather.  As a gunner with the Royal Artillery, he fought in the Crimean War.  He survived and came to Canada in 1861, during the American Civil War.  His service record indicates that he battled alcoholism throughout his military career, no doubt due to the horrors he experienced in the Crimea, including being present during the Seige of Sevastopol and the infamous Charge of The Light Brigade.  His death at a young age suggests he too was a casualty of war.

Gunner Alexander Atkinson, Royal Artillery,
my great great-grandfather

Below is a remarkable find from the photo collection in the McCord Museum in Montreal.  It's a picture of the F Battery of the 4th Brigade of the Royal Artllery at Fort Hochelaga (Montreal) taken in 1866.  Second from the right in the back row is my great great-grandfather Alexander Atkinson! 

Parents as Partners in Education

Parenting Now Symposium: Life Literacy

On Saturday morning, October 27, over 200 parents gathered at St. Patrick's High School eager to learn how they could become full partners in their children's education.  The symposium opened with  an inspirational keynote address by Ms. Pabi Rizal, a former student in the Ottawa Catholic School Board's Language Instruction For Newcomers to Canada program.

Pabi Rizal sharing her amazing story

One might ask, "What could a deaf Butanese refugee at the tender age of 21 possibly have had to say to a large group of parents looking for advice on how to help their children be successful at school?"  My answer to this question can be found in the brief introduction of the keynote speaker that I gave at the symposium:

Dear Parents,

In way of introducing today’s keynote speaker, Ms. Pabi Rizal, let me ask you to consider the following scenarios:

1.     1. Your grade 4 son refuses to go to school on a cold, rainy Monday morning because he says he’s being bullied at school.

2.    2. Your grade 8 daughter hides her report card from you for a week. You subsequently discover that she is doing poorly in many subjects.

3.   3. The school calls you at work informing you that your grade 9 son has been skipping classes for several days in a row.

Are you discouraged?  Are you saddened? Are you angry with your child’s school?

Now let me give you one last scenario:

-   Your child grows up in poverty in a refugee camp on the other side of the world.  She, like some of her siblings, is born deaf.  She comes to Canada unable to communicate either by spoken English or a recognizable sign language.  She experiences culture shock.

Are she and her parents discouraged?  Are they saddened? Do they shake their fists at the injustice of it all?

Ladies and gentlemen, “no”, because this is Pabi Rizal, and beside her is her family.  She and they have mastered the skills of life literacy.  She and they know that barriers, even enormous ones, can be overcome through partnerships among the home, school, parish, and the greater community.

Yours Truly with the remarkable Pabi Rizal

To view Pabi's presentation, use the following link:  http://www.ottawacspa.ca/media.php?mid=892

Several workshops at the Parenting Now symposium focused on the key areas of literacy and numeracy.  For instance, teachers Joan Barry and Kim Lacelle, along with Arts Consultant Janice Barclay, introduced parents to the new Ministry of Education resource guide Helping Your Child With Reading and Writing - A Guide For Parents.  Teachers Erin Elliot and Diane Proulx helped parents understand the new elementary math classroom, while a trio of Mother Teresa teachers - Chris Atkinson, Maureen McNeil, and Tom Steinke - introduced parents to the new technologies being used in the high school mathematics classroom. 

Congratulations to all members of the Catholic School Parent's Association, and in particular CSPA Chair Cathy Philpott and Susan Elsdon, Communications Coordinator, for this great event.