Sharon+Friesen+Workshop

Developing the Inquiring Learner
Te Awamutu Intermediate School, Monday 8th October, 9a.m. - 3p.m.

Abstract
The focus of this session will be to further unpack the Inquiry disposition and how this, coupled with effective use of ICTs, can enrich the learning in classrooms at all sector levels and also staffrooms. This session will be geared specifically to those who have been exploring and developing their understanding and application of inquiry based learning in schools, and who wish to take their use of inquiry to the next level. Sharon will present to the group and then lead us through a full day of discussion and grappling with the application of this approach to the classroom.

In order to assist Sharon to meet the needs of the group, we invite you to add to the "Wonderings Wall" below:

**[|sfriesen3] writes:** I am looking forward to a day with you exploring and extending your thinking about inquiry. Can you fill me in on the types of inquiry work you have been involved in to date? What are your hopes for inquiry? What is going clunk?

Your insights, questions and comments will help me create a meaningful workshop for you. Regards, Sharon

My Wonderings About an Inquiry Approach to Learning

 * What is Inquiry? - Maybe this is something we can all explore and extend our definition and understanding.
 * How can I assist teachers to break free from the idea that "inquiry" is following a structured approach to a unit over a term or a year, and that it's difference from research is simply a "so what" at the end of the unit ;->>
 * How can I challenge teachers and students to get to greater depth in their inquiry and actually get into new ground. (x2)
 * I need ideas for topics that lead to rich investigations - especially ones that lead to social action.
 * I would like ideas on how teachers can be better supported to incorporate inquiry into their programmes. I think inquiry is definitely a better way to teach but I also think it is a much more challenging and demanding way to teach. With teachers already stretched, how can we support them?
 * How do you structure inquiry learning as children progress through the school? Is the model of directed, guided and pure inquiry the way forward or are there better ways to approach this?
 * How do we get teachers to recognize authentic learning and how do schools/teachers set up this learning throughout the year. I see a lot of environmental inquiries that are done really well but teachers run out of ideas so how do they get this “ what students need to know “ into a learning context. Some teachers are still trying to take old concepts and turn them into an inquiry.

T.Gray writes: I am excited about this workshop and my wonderings are:
 * Powerful immersion experiences, questioning techniques and follow-up
 * Authentic contexts that also provide some educational rigour (instead of the soft option), relevant knowledge, deeper understandings of concepts, contexts and content

Thanks for a wonderfully informative and inspiring day, Sharon. Your resources are also fantastic and I look forward to devouring them as I follow up my note-taking. Angela Page :-)

Sharon writes: Thank you to all of you for a wonderful day inquiring into inquiry. I provided you with a lot of information with little time to digest it all or make too much sense of it. Hopefully you will be able to make meaning with it as you work with inquiry in the various facets of your own work and while working with others.

I have placed my presentation right at the top of the website page [|http://www.ucalgary.ca/~sfriesen/nz/pirongia/index.html] in the right hand column. It is called something quite inspiring like: Presentation. I have left it in ppt format so you can make revisions. Sharon

Thank you Sharon Yay, I scored an invite at the last moment .Today was very informative and you have left me with some questions which can wait until wed @ Te Awamutu. Lynne

Thanks so much, Sharon, and Jill too. I came to the day having only a rudimentary understanding of inquiry learning, having seen a number of different models in operation in my cluster. In many ways my understanding is still fairly basic, but boy, do I have some food for thought now! I was keenly interested in the research done, Sharon, especially since it appears to show such strong correlation between an inquiry learning environment and growth in learning. How you assess accurately/adequately in an inquiry learning environment seems like a topic for good meaty discussions, something to look forward to, but I begin to see already how this pedagogical model lends itself to the new curriculum.

If you could remember to load links to the research, that would be awesome. Kia ora koe. Russell.