How often do we as teachers think about our own learning when designing the learning experiences of others? Sometimes “school-learning” seems so different than the learning we do every day. Maybe in an attempt to make things “more streamlined” and “clear” for students we are taking some of the learning out of learning. Writing this […]
The type of learning encouraged by the ILP is and should be messy, not just for students but also for teachers. We share Will Richardson’s view that teachers should strive to be “master learners.” We see ourselves as learners everyday. We work to hone our ability to ask great questions and guide students through each […]
The school year is well underway and students are at the point where they are still excited to be learning and have grown comfortable with their teachers and classes. My seniors in Honors Imaginative Process are learning about the creative process by reading nonfiction texts by authors such as Stephen King and Elizabeth Gilbert. They’re also writing daily and working with each other to provide feedback and do mini-presentations on aspects of creativity. Because this is our first unit, students began by developing essential and guiding questions together as well as practicing the same standards as their peers. They were excited about the possibilities, but as an experienced inquiry teacher, I knew what was coming next: the point where they’ve laid all the groundwork for the unit and they ask, Now what? (more…)
We were fortunate to have Will Richardson do the Foreword for Letting Go. We asked him for several reasons: he was a former colleague, his daughter experienced the ILP first-hand in Meg’s class, and he wrote a book called Why School?, in which he issues the following challenge to educators: So, in the near term, […]
If you can’t tell already, we love inquiry here; however, students aren’t always on board right away. Introducing them to inquiry can be a little tricky because students will respond to more responsibility in varying ways. Some will celebrate more freedom; others will become anxious over the amount of choice. I want to strike a […]