The Inquiry Teacher
- Macy Conde
- May 12, 2015
- 4 min read
“To teach is to learn twice over.”
Learning once is truly not enough for a teacher may they be experienced or new teachers. As for me, I’m just starting my life as a teacher. I have a lot to learn and a lot to think over. In college, they give you philosophies, approaches – knowledge! But those are only ideals that may or may not be applicable when you start working. Of course, during my years of preparing in college, I have also tried building my own teaching philosophies, techniques and approaches. I centered myself in a very progressive point of view. I reeled away from “traditional” approaches as I have experienced how draining and stiff it is to be in a very traditional classroom.
First, I honestly adore thematic planning. To focus on a unit and integrate the subjects within it is absolutely beautiful! A teacher also once told us that a progressive teacher is all about 80% planning and 20% lecturing as teachers should not spoon feed the students but scaffold them with developmentally appropriate and careful planning. This idea likewise reflects how I value the students as the center of the curriculum.
As an inquiry-based teacher, I give importance to the art of questioning. I have found a video before that really made me think about how to structure my questions so to lead my students to develop deeper and more meaningful learning.
“When we’re discussing…I ask the students to react… It lets the maximum number of students right away… We can get the ball rolling.”
When you ask someone, even in an ordinary situation, you are also letting the other person feel that you value his/her opinions or idea. Inside the classroom, the art of questioning not only amplifies the level of thinking students do but also encouraging more class participation. From there, I can gather a lot of implications like prior knowledge which I can use in order to lead them deeper into the destination you’d want them to reach. Likewise, in the video Schaefer she first used the content then discovering how it meant to the students (figuring out the big picture) and ultimately, get THERE. I think what Schaefer wanted us to realize is how she used scaffolding in the art of question which is also similarly done in Murdoch’s. As of now, I’m still trying to learn how to ask the right questions in order to help students learn deeper knowledge.
Maybe the greatest impact that I had while reading Kath Murdoch’s blog entry is how she defined inquiry. “It’s not how to plan – it’s how to teach”. We can do so much planning and yes it’s also as important but we have to know what to say to the students and how we say it. We should also think of inquiry as a two way process where we should remember to listen to our students and use that to your advantage. Murdoch also said that inquiring is an “opportunity [to] explore how a student ‘sees’ a concept.” I agree because concepts are not small windows of perceptions but a horizon of possible meanings. Like the definition of love, there can never be one meaning. Love can be for your parents but it can also be for your pets. Love can be for the country and it can be defined as hobbies.
With that aside, I see inquiry as a Leatherman. It can serve as a file to polish your students’ understanding and make things clearer for them. It can also be pliers to blend their imagination and let them see another perspective. Inquiry can also be a small knife that divides and organizes ideas from other things. Finally, like a Leatherman, inquiry can also be a screwdriver to connect one or more ideas together. From this realization, there are so many things I want try in order to become a better teacher in an inquiry based approach.
Basically, I want to use Murdoch’s techniques (A dozen of awesome approaches!)
To talk less
Let’s admit it. Who wants a teacher who talks 24/7? It’ll be really boring! Let’s hear the students’ voices. We can also learn a lot from them.
To ask more
As I’ve said, the art of questioning is marvelous. It is something all of the teachers (including me) should practice. Make it a HABIT!
To relate
It doesn’t stop in gaining ideas. We should also make connections. I think I should also be quick in thinking of ways to relate the ideas towards children’s personal experiences. Real life situations often let them connect to knowledge more. Like a wifi, the faster the connection, the faster the process and loading time.
To let kids know why
We don’t just teach concepts to students. We have to let them discover why they’re learning these things. This is to create a deeper and more enduring understanding. Horray!
To use open-ended language and words
In the article, Murdoch used words like “might”, “maybe” and “ possibly” so students will not think of the discussion as a dead end. There’s also more room for learning. It will never stop. Heh.
To check in on them
We should always check if the students are on track and if they’re not, we should challenge them by using questions or giving hints. I think that’s the reason why teacher never sit down. They move around to check in on each student.
To collaborate
We should let the learner lead. According to the ladder of participation, we have to reach the 8th level, which is “Child-initiated shared decision with adults”.
To use authentic resources
Hands-on learning! To use their senses in observing and gathering information is a very good practice that we have to teach our students. Likewise, teachers should always be encouraging when it comes to letting their students try new things and learn new things.
To be more passionate and energetic
It will really show when a teacher is not happy herself. The level of enthusiasm and passion the teacher has will also reflect how active and participative the students are inside the classroom.
To see the bigger picture
We got the bits and crumbs of information. Now, let’s look at the bigger picture. CONCEPTS AND SKILLS! Although, the knowledge that they have is not entirely worth a thousand definition inside an encyclopedia, I believe that letting them discover the concepts and making them use the essential skills are more important that factual definitions that one could just Google.
To use questions to your advantage
Children are born curious. Use this to your advantage and scaffold learning.
80:20 reverse
While students lead, remember that you are there to check on them and record what they’re doing in order to serve as a reference as well as assessment of how you’re going to challenge them more as they progress into deeper understandings.
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