I have just got back from Christchurch where I was involved in running two days of workshops for local teachers.
The first day was spent specifically on Questioning, looking at questioning skills, the importance of questioning in learning, the QuESTioning Rubric, its application in classrooms, and how it can be used for school wide assessment of querstioning skills.
The second day was spent with a group of Principals, Deputy Principals and Assistant Principals. The central focus of the day was to look at the Key Competencies in the Draft New Zealand Curriculum. We discussed some of the broader issues arising from the Draft Curriculum and then looked at the Competencies in depth and discussed ways that schools could implement and assess the Competencies in their programmes and structures. We had some very interesting discussion around a wide range of issues including the need for schools to clarify their visions before they try to implemnt the competencies or design school based curriculum.
I am looking forward to ongoing discussion with the schools involved as they start addressing some of the issues discused. It was a great two days.
Today I have just finished reading an intriguing book ‘Change Your Questions, Change Your Life’ by Marilee Adams. One of the key understandings I have gained from the book is that all actions are answers to questions, and if we continue to ask the same questions all we do is repeat old actions. Changing the questions we ask ourselves, and others, gives us new perspectives and new answers. If all actions are answers to questions that we ask, consciously or unconsciously, then changing the questions is a powerful way to gaining new perspectives, new answers, new solutions and powerful change. A simple example:During the last week as I have worked with teachers in Nelson I had a powerful example of this principle in action.As a group of teachers we were looking at how we could facilitate change in our schools and classrooms. To start the process I had intended to look at the question “What is good teaching?”, however I realised that this is a question we have often asked ourselves and while the answers it has generated have been a useful tool for examining our classroom practices we needed to generate a new perspective that would facilitate change. The book suggests that changing the question creates new perspectives. On this basis we took the question “What is good learning?”We sat in groups and discussed this, creating our answers. The next step was to use the answer to the question as a torch to shine new light on to our classroom practice. This was a powerful exercise as we all found that our beliefs about quality learning posed some very real challenges to aspects of our practice. At the end of the session we carried out an “L and P” summation. This requires participants to share something that they have learnt (L) and what they promise (P) to do about it. Every teacher had identified some aspect of their practice that they then promised to make some changes to.
Congratulations to the organisers of the Mid Canterbury Principals’ Association Conference held in Ashburton on the Friday and Saturday. It was a great conference and a privelege to be involved. It was heartening to see the interest in Inquiry learning and questioning. The theme of the conference was “More Magic of Teaching” and my keynote address looked at some of the challenges schools will face as they move towards implementing the Key Competencies from the new New Zealand Curriculum. Handouts available on my website ( http://ictnz.com/Handouts.htm ). I really enjoyed listening to the other keynote speakers Colin Cox and Bruce Hammonds. All in all an inspiring conference.
I have just spent an enjoyable two days working with this cluster of schools. Our two day workshop covered a fresh look at the central questions of:
What is learning?
What is teaching?
What is the process of gaining understanding?
What is the diffence between knowledge, understanding and information?
What is ICT?
What is the role of ICT in learning?
We also had major sessions on:
What is inquiry Learning?
What makes good inquiry learning?
The SAUCE model for inquiry learning?
What is an effective questioner?
What is a good question?
What are the skills of an effective questioner?
The QuESTioning Rubric?
Planning an inquiry task.
Thanks to the participants for a wonderful two days of discussion and refelction. I look forward to hearing the outcomes as the challenges and ideas are taken back into your schools.
