For my 405 inquiry approach I chose Dive into inquiry. I chose this strategy firstly because it seems the most manageable, with a do “what you can, when you can, and apply what you can” (de la Mare 2017) approach that I feel I can accomplish. Secondly, the graphics are fantastic, and make the ideas so much easier to grasp than any of the other types of inquiry we have covered in class. Thirdly, I can see how this type of inquiry applies not only to what I am doing now for my teacher education, but also how it could be applied in future classrooms. I want to “gain an understanding of how to best support [my] learners as they shift from a traditional learning model into the inquiry classroom where student agency is fostered and celebrated” (MacKenzie 2018) because this is what will probably serve them best in their lives after high school, and it is extremely important to me that students be able to see where the learning is important for and will benefit them personally.

My inquiry question from block 1 was: How can I use Montessori and Reggio-inspired philosophies in a high school classroom? During block 2, I’ve learned that these ideologies already exist in the high school setting, at least to some degree. Some educators emphasize student choice and voice, allowing students to work individually or collaboratively, and others allow students to direct the learning, while some few others do both of these. In the 399 ADST as Pedagogy course, I learned about the Maker Movement and Design Thinking, which is basically project-based learning with clearly articulated goals and motivations. Additionally, the belief that students are capable and “should be encouraged to use many materials for discovery, communication, and even demonstration of what they understand, wonder, question, feel, or imagine” (Key Elements of the Reggio Emilia Approach, 2017) is alive and well in many high school classrooms. Finding evidence of individualism, personal identity, and the Hundred Languages was particularly inspiring for me because these are aspects that were less relevant, if at all present, in my own high school experience.

However, from my practicum experiences and learning in block 2, new questions have emerged. Some of them are:

What does a Maker Space look like for high school? How would that be the same or differ from either elementary or adult Maker Spaces? What do Loose Parts look like in a high school setting? What should be included or left out to include all learners at all levels? What does that look like for a specific subject, like Social Studies or English? How would that differ for another subject, like Math or Science?

From these questions, I have derived my goals for Block 3:

  1. I will experiment with creating an easily transportable, mini Maker Space for High School with Loose Parts comprised of age/grade appropriate items.
  2. I will test it out during practicum if my next coaching teacher allows.

I am excited to see where the next step in my inquiry takes me and looking forward to blocks 4, 5, and 6 of the UNBC Bachelor of Education program.

 

References:

de la Mare, R. (2017, June 27). DIVE INTO INQUIRY: A SHIFT IN MINDSET. Ed Tech Team Professional Learning. https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2017/06/dive-into-inquiry-shift-in-mindset/.

Key Elements of the Reggio Emilia Approach. The Compass School. (2017, September 27). https://www.thecompassschool.com/blog/key-elements-reggio-emilia-approach/.

MacKenzie, T. (2018). Dive Into Inquiry. Trevor MacKenzie. https://www.trevormackenzie.com/dive-into-inquiry.