The Power of a Shared Inquiry

Pebbles
Pebbles belong to no one
Until you pick them up-
Then they are yours.
But which, of all the world’s
Mountains of little broken stones,
Will you choose to keep?
The smooth black, the white,
The rough gray with sparks
Shining in its cracks?
Somewhere the best pebble must
Lie hidden, meant for you
If you can find it.
-Valerie Worth


Back in September, we began the year with a class inquiry into rocks. Students were given a short poem called "Pebbles" by Valerie Worth, and encouraged to find one or two interesting or special rocks over the summer and bring them to school in the fall. We looked at them closely, brainstormed words we could use to describe them, and played an observation/identification game with them. These ideas were my contributions. What did the kids want to do? Smash them of course! So we brought out the hammers and the eye protection, and spent some time in small groups finding out what was inside them! Then we brought out the magnifying glasses. And as we worked, I listened carefully to the exclamations and questions that the children had. They included a wide variety, from "It's sparkly in the sunlight" to "I wonder if it came from space?" Finally we came together and listed our questions on chart paper. They ranged from the concrete - "Are train tracks made of rocks?" to the existential - "Who made rocks?"

As September rolled into October, I sourced a variety of books about rocks, as well as a variety of videos. Because rocks usually only change naturally over hundreds and thousands of years, we had to find ways to access these ideas. The kids used words and pictures in their learning logs to record the ideas and information they found interesting or important, as well as the new questions they had, and we had regular sharing sessions. One of the videos (Bill Nye the Science Guy) gave us an idea for making our own crystals. Finally, we did an interesting field trip to the Stonewall Quarry Park where we learned about fossil formation, toured the indoor exhibits, the old quarry, and finally hunted for fossils before calling it a day. 

Then November approached, and with it, report cards and student-led conferences. We got busy with other things, and the poster with our questions hung ignored on the bulletin board for a good month or more. Then last week, I was looking for a topic we could write a shared poem about, and came back to rocks. I didn't know what the kids would remember after such a long time. So I brought the chart with our questions to the carpet where we meet. We went through them one by one. To my amazement, the kids answered each and every question! They remembered information that I wasn't sure they had understood during our study! And as they spoke, more and more voices joined in, adding details, stressing the points they found important. 

Here's the list of questions they were able to answer:

Did these children learn? Absolutely. And there was no final unit test to study for, no project to present, no external "reason" to learn about rocks. Just a growing curiosity that evolved organically and in a social context. And I dare say, they probably learned more this way about rocks and minerals - and at the end of the day, not one of them will tell you they hate school, learning, science, or tests.

We are NOT a 3/4 split - We Are a Multiage Class!

We have many visitors at our school. Every time we have visitors, it seems, someone asks, "So this is a 3/4 split?" And I answer, "No. We are a 3/4 multiage." And invariably, they give me a confused look.

We are not a split class. There are not two groups sharing one classroom. We are one learning community. We all work together on the same big ideas at the same time, and our own personal learning is shared and enriches everyone's understandings.  This may make it seem like the "smart kids" carry the "not-so-smart kids". But what we understand in our community is that everyone is a "smart kid" sometimes, and that the reverse is true, too. Sometimes natural talents play into this. Sometimes it is a passion for a topic or a way of thinking that provides leadership. Everyone's ideas get considered, and everyone's thoughts are valued.

Of course this means that I need to be a teacher of children first, not of curriculum. I need to know every child as an individual, and need to know what experiences and explorations will support their thinking and growth. I need to create structures that allow children to work at their own "just right" level alongside their peers who may have a different "just right" level. Every good teacher knows that in a single grade class, there will be a range of reading abilities of at least four grade levels, and often more. And this is just in the area of reading. So it doesn't matter whether there are one grade level, two, or more in my classroom. If I am to support, encourage and inspire every child, I need to teach in an individualized manner. So we read in a reading workshop, where we learn how to choose books that are just right for us, and spend most of our time reading them. I supply short mini-lessons on targeted skills that everyone can benefit from, but spend most of my time conferencing with individual readers, diagnosing their reading behaviors and skills, and helping them to broaden their abilities in ways that make sense and are immediately applicable to the meaningful reading they are doing.

But the most important benefit of being a multiage classroom is that it gives us a luxury of time. Children who come to our class in grade 3 continue here the next year as grade 4 elders. This gives me time to know them as learners, and as human beings. There is little "transition time" in September. Elders help to teach our class routines and expectations to the youngers, giving me time to get to know our newest classmates. We can approach curricular topics such as science and social studies concepts in a natural manner, as they come up in daily life. This requires that I know these outcomes well, and am ready to recognize and develop an opportunity when it is meaningful to our class community. Some topics, like plants, soils, leadership, and living in Canada come up regularly. Some, like magnets, structures, life in the North, are triggered by the interest a student shows, an item in the news, or by invitations and provocations I might set up to pique curiosity. In this way, we uncover the curriculum in our everyday lives, rather than cover it in an artificial or superficial way.

I hope I never teach a "split" class. Where in our real lives as adults, do we divide ourself by birthdate, and refuse to share our interests, passions, and knowledge with others who would like to share in them? Why would we ask children to do so? We live in a multiage world, and we learn in a multiage classroom.

What's the Most Important Subject?

A radio show recently asked the question - What's the most important subject for children in the early grades? I've been mulling this over, and my answer is.... curiosity. If children have curiosity, all else will come naturally. My most important job as an early years teacher is to facilitate this.

Children are hard-wired to explore. Newborns explore with smell and touch. Babies taste everything. Three-year olds need to know why. By the time children enter my grade three/four classroom, they have observed, experimented, and concluded trillions of times in their short lives. As a teacher, I have to choose whether to shut down their curiosity in the name of "classroom management" or to facilitate it.

If children have curiosity, they will want to know how things work (science), why things happen (social studies), how much/how many/how big/how small (math), what those books with the interesting pictures are telling them (reading), and will want to share that information with others (writing, the arts). From curiosity flows our entire curriculum.

As teachers, our most difficult job is to help children find answers in a way that encourages their curiosity, rather than stuffing them with information that we assure them they need. At the end of a school day, do our students need to take a break from learning? Or do they hunger for more?

Classroom Setup (Part Two)

Shortly before the families started to arrive to meet with me, I've finished arranging my classroom. I've done a fair bit of reading and talking with colleagues about the Reggio Emilia approach and its foundational principles. In Reggio Emilia, the physical environment is referred to as the "third teacher" (after the parents and school teachers, I believe).

Here's our meeting area from a couple of angles:

If you notice the calendar is in French, it's because we do the calendar and weather as part of our Basic French each morning. The colourful files by the chair and the wire basket in the nightstand are basically my "teacher desk" - papers I want access to with the kids, clipboards ready to record observations, committee notes, etc. A few other files are on one other shelf, and I have a file cabinet with resource books,etc.

As you look around the room, you'll see shared supplies in a central area, books displayed and easy to access, math supplies labelled and easy to access. Children do much of their work at tables, and sometimes on the carpet of in other quiet corners if the work suits it.

Here's a shelf with science items - building items, magnets, magnifying glasses, measuring equipment, some natural items. The non-fiction books are on a shelf next to it. The basket on top contains books on our current class investigation - rocks.

This is an art corner, though it's used all day long in a variety of ways. Art supplies are stored in an organized and accessible way. We get fantastic sunshine from the south all year long through this window, so our plants are also in this corner. Plant supplies such as the watering can, gloves, trowels, and soil are stored below. The low table is a great meeting place. The higher shelf by the window is a quieter place to work alone or with a friend.

How we set up our spaces communicates our belief about what learning is and should be. It invites children to behave and value certain things, and to disregard others. My classroom is a reflection of my beliefs about teaching and learning. It shows that learning is strengthened by collaboration. It has a basic organization that helps children find the things they need, and to care for them with minimal support. It respects a variety of learning styles and preferences. I think, before the students set foot in the room, that it will support the work we do as a community this year. The test will be whether it does indeed work for children. If it does not, we will change it together. 

Why teachers "disappear" in September

Just a link to another blog that describes so well what it's like to be a teacher - and why it's not like any other job. It's a reflection on how teachers tend to "disappear" from so many parts of the lives they've lived over the summer as they become engaged in and sometimes overwhelmed by the realities of the job of being a teacher.

http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/shoulders-giants/09-2012/will-i-disappear

Well said.

Classroom Setup - Day 1

Today it was time to face it - furniture moving day. Let me first stipulate that the custodial staff at my school are fabulous - I've never worked with better. However, somehow I always end up moving furniture on my own when I first come in after summer break.  This is the typical scene when I first walk in- ingeniously piled tables, boxes, and various items.

When I begin to set up my classroom, I think function first. I teach grades 3 and 4 in a multiage setting, meaning the grade 3's will remain with me for their grade 4 year as well. I'll need a whole other post to talk about the differences between that and split classrooms.

First, we need a meeting area. This is first, not only because it takes a large amount of space, but because it is the most important thing we do at school. We meet and we talk, and we listen. This is where the most important learning usually takes place - not sitting alone with our books. This is where we check in with each other to begin the day, where we share our explorations and questions, where we encourage each other and challenge each others' ideas. This is where we read together, discuss problems and big ideas, and make decisions. It is the heart of our classroom.

Second, we need spaces to work. Our work spaces are multi-functional - they must afford places to meet with small groups when we work together on a project, but must also afford quiet places for us to focus on our own thoughts. They may be used to experiment with magnets, plant seeds, play number games, paint a still life, write a story, or create an array of items to multiply or divide. In my classroom, we use tables that can accommodate many configurations, and I try to build in nooks and crannies for those who like to have quiet time.

At the end of day one, this is how it looks. There are still boxes and miscellaneous items everywhere. But the main function of each of the spaces is becoming evident, as are the traffic flow patterns.

(Apologies for the photos - I'll show the meeeting and working areas more clearly in upcoming posts.)

First Steps

Okay - it's summer of 2012, and the whole blog "fad" has likely already passed me by. But, like any learner, I'm only really able to take on something new and do it well when it has a purpose in my life, and when I am in a place where I see it's value.

Normally, I'm a crazy busy single mom of a very sporty son. This means most of my outside of school hours are dominated by practices, games, workout sessions, meetings, - not mine, but his. My role is to keep the calendar up to date, drive him where he needs to be, make sure he is fed and clothed appropriately. I know that there are many of you who know the drill. Fortunately, this makes for a happy and well-rounded boy, and a network of friends for both of us who share important values. Unfortunately, it also makes for a lack of down time for me, and the opportunity to let myself think deeply about the big things in my life and teaching career.

This summer, my son took a week's vacation with his dad, and I've found myself with an overabundance of down time. Coincidentally, I'd just started using Twitter, out of curiosity for the most part, but found it to be an invaluable tool for communication. I've become the semi-official "tweeter" for my son's Junior Elite triathlons. The families of his teammates and the provincial association have enjoyed the real-time reports from races out of province. At the same time, the Olympics has sent my Twitter account into a tailspin - giving me all sorts of perspectives and links that have completely changed and enriched the experience for me. I've found a blog by a colleague milestomes.com that has sparked some ideas. And so all these pieces have woven around and brought me back to the digital world, just as I begin to plan and imagine the upcoming school year. I hope this blog will be a venue for reflection and a place to put down and revisit the themes that echo in my head as I go back to my busy school-year life.