2+-+Notes+from+Lesley

This page will contain notes provided by Lesley.

Teacher’s Role
The table below lists some of the important roles of teachers and examples of possible classroom actions as they help students work through the stages of inquiry and activate their own learning.


 * Teacher’s role and classroom actions **
 * **Phase and teacher roles** || **Examples of possible classroom actions** ||
 * ** Tuning In ** ||
 * Choose tasks and questions to engage, elicit curiosity and spark motivation || Involve students in hands on tasks where possible ||
 * Help student to link their prior knowledge to new information

Identify gaps in the students’ knowledge || Use and build on students’ current knowledge. . Use questions and prior knowledge to decide on appropriate ways to find out more. Record this information in a systematic way to assist with monitoring student progress and to inform further planning || Use a graphic organiser to map out the issues and relationships between them Initially discuss and jointly construct a variety of questions related to the inquiry and then provide students with time to form their own questions. || Discuss the types of resources (primary, secondary etc) and the possibilities for each. Model how to use search engines, library resources and book formats. Use data charts or other graphic organiser to help students record relevant, key information and to identify and make generalisations. || Regularly ask the students to refer to their initial inquiry focus and questions and check their progress and actions against these. || Pose questions that might help the students think about an issue in a different way. || Discuss and model ways of presenting information in either paper-based, live or multi-modal format.
 * Help students define the key issues, problem or/and formulate questions and justify the choice of inquiry focus || Model ways of thinking about issues and problems from a variety of perspectives and determining what is important for further inquiry.
 * Help students set personal goals || Discuss or provide a list of personal goals. Demonstrate how to break a goal into small achievable steps. ||
 * Provide guidance when students are planning to seek information about their questions or inquiry focus || Jointly construct class charts that list possible sources of information or prompts that help them implement appropriate steps in the inquiry process ||
 * ** Finding Out ** ||
 * Help students select appropriate sources of information and locate key ideas and patterns || Jointly construct class charts that list types of resources that can be used to answer particular questions.
 * Keep students focussed on information that is relevant to their question/problem/issue || Model how to determine the importance of information – this is especially useful when students are note taking or summarising.
 * Ensure students’ viewpoints are challenged and broadened || Pose questions that require the students to justify their opinions and viewpoints.
 * Assist with design of methods, such a interviews/surveys || Through reading activities help students to deconstruct texts (eg interviews and surveys) and identify their purpose, structures and features. Through writing activities help the students to apply their knowledge of the purpose structures and features of the deconstructed texts. ||
 * ** Sorting Out ** ||
 * Help students select ways to organise and represent data. They might need help to interpret information, classify, analyse, summarise, synthesise, draw conclusions, evaluate. || Demonstrate how to use a range of graphic organisers to organise information. These could utilise ICT.

 || Plan ways of addressing the gaps or contradictions through either whole class or group teaching and learning experiences. || What are they interested in finding out? Why? What will you do with the information when they have found this out? ||  || Include opportunities for peer assessment. ||
 * Identify any gaps in the students’ information or contradictions in their understandings. || Have students present their ideas for others on a feedback panel. Have them pose questions to their peers.
 * Help students to clarify connections and suggest other ways to check or extend data and information found || Have students present their ideas to others on a feedback panel. Have them pose questions to their peers. ||
 * ** Going Further (if applicable) ** ||
 * Help students identify questions they have answered and new questions and areas of interest || Ask students what they are still wondering about.
 * ** Reflection ** ||
 * Help students reflect on their prior knowledge and predictions and identify what helped and hindered their learning and influenced their thinking || Some of the tuning in activities may be revisited. Knowledge and progress can then be compared.
 * Help students self-assess their effort and involvement in the learning process || Make sure students are familiar with the assessment criteria (they may negotiate this).
 * Help students make connections between ideas

|| Demonstrate how to use concept maps, mind maps and other strategies that can make connections visible. ICT programs such as Inspirations can be used for this. Model how connections can be made at a personal, local and global level. Provide a variety of modes and activities for students to demonstrate their connections- visual arts or written/oral texts could be useful for this purpose. || Discuss how to break goals into smaller achievable steps and how to check when the goals are met. ||
 * ** Action ** ||
 * Help students use their reflections to set new personal learning goals || Provide time for students to use their reflections and to identify their strengths, achievements, the challenges and areas for growth. Use thinking strategies such as PMI, and SWOT to help with analyses of progress.
 * Help students identify how they can act on the information they have learnt || For example, setting a personal goal, sharing or teaching others or community action. ||