Day 11 - Musings on Reflective learning

The fun in inquiry-based teaching is that the facilitator gets to learn as much as the participants!

Yesterday while designing a training plan, I got to learn about the iPad app Inspiration. Sort of a mix of Pearl Trees, Popplet and Prezi, the map allows learners to organise notes, thoughts and build exciting presentations. Thinking about my learning makes me realise that I need to try things hands-on, experiment it on my own, play-around, work it out, without any pressure and deadlines, in order to learn it better.

 

I have recently learned about Kath Murdoch's split screen approach. The teacher leading the inquiry divides the screen into two parts - What we are learning about and How we are learning it. In the context above I learn about Inspiration and I learn by trying it hands-on.

 

This is a very simplistic version of course because the next part of it would be to inquire into what is happening in my head as I am learning with the hands-on approach. Am I feeling happy, frustrated, excited; am I problem-solving, getting stuck and giving up, or trying again and again without mapping my steps (stuck in a rut!); how am I problem solving - am I looking at Google- reading articles - other people's comments- am I trying it on my own or am I asking a peer or an expert; do I prefer to work on my own or do I prefer to learn with someone ...........? Reflecting not only on what I am learning but how am I learning it, is giving me some idea of my preferences as well as my learning behaviours.

 

At the moment I am intrigued, curious, reading Google info and people's comments on Inspiration (which are so varied that probably it might have been a bit of a waste of time), checking my notes, going to the App store and checking out the info, and wanting to work on my own without a deadline.

 

Coming back to the split screen approach I think we can effectively use it in the inquiry classroom to encourage learners to be reflective by using prompts suggested by Kath Murdoch:

 

We are learning about____________ Human Body

We are learning to be_____________ Creative, knowledgeable, thinkers

We are learning by_______________ reading books, using the internet, etc.

 

A next step that I think would be really beneficial is ......... 

 

We are learning so that we can __________________.

 

In an inquiry based classroom this step as a reflection prompt should be able to help learners think about the application or taking action using the knowledge.

 

If only I could get a classroom to try this approach for a year!