How to get them thinking independently?

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Permalink Reply by Sue Boudreau on February 26, 2010 at 9:02pm

I saw this amazing demo of a teacher getting her primary kids to use their senses to predict what was in the paper bag. She built it up, lots of drama. What did it feel like? Were there more than one thing inside it? What evidence did they want? Did the new evidence support their last guess, and on like this, until the kids were whipped up into a frenzy and then... the denoument. Potatoes. After all that. The class was ecstatic because someone had guessed correctly.

I remember it as a small activity that can be used over and over with different objects and set ups and sets the class room culture around it being okay to guess, to be wrong, try again. A lot of inquiry is about making being wrong a GOOD thing, and inquiry is about mystery too, it's sort of a narrative. Stories in science, what's going to happen? What's the evidence? Woven into stories across the curriculum. I love that idea.

I know this is not a full picture and I'm not a K teacher, but maybe something useful in there... Sue

Permalink Reply by Jane Krauss on March 1, 2010 at 11:04am

I think you're right, there is something very useful there-- providing kids with practice asking questions turns questioning into a healthy habit. I love that it was a boring potato and yet the kids were thrilled! It IS all about the mystery!

I have a second grade teacher friend who does a similar activity to improve kids ability to estimate quantity. She has a clear jar that kids get to fill with their own stuff each week. It might have marbles in it one week, plastic soldiers in it the next and goldfish crackers the next. All through the week kids reason about the quantity, then on Friday they submit their guesses on sticky notes. One of the things that helps their reasoning is her practice of photographing each jar each week with its revealed quantity written below it. Those accumulating pictures help the kids improve their estimations over time as they compare the current week's quantities to those of past weeks. When her kids start getting good at estimating quantity she shifts to estimating weight. Same fun process, same quality learning.

You know it makes me think, a lot of teachers say kids get less inquisitive as they get older. Is that true? How often do teachers do activities like these with older kids? It would be fun to gather or invent a mess of age-appropriate activities that would keep inquisitiveness alive.

Permalink Reply by Kyla Fisher on March 5, 2010 at 9:43am

Thanks - this is exactly the kind of activity I am looking for! I bet the kids were so engaged - and I could use this to help the kids to start using questioning as a way to learn and explore. Too Cool! Thanks

Permalink Reply by Sue Boudreau on March 4, 2010 at 10:55am

Just been struggling with how to get 7th grade students to think beyond the bake sale as they come up with ways to take action on a science-related issue of their choice (The Take Action Project is described at www.takeactioncurriculum.org and blog at http://takeactionscience.wordpress.com). Creativity and innovation is so lacking from our curriculum in general in Ca public schools because of our standards and STAR testing.

So interested to hear other's ideas on how you get kids to sparkle and be persistent problem solvers!

Permalink Reply by Jane Krauss on March 4, 2010 at 4:48pm

Not sure why this came to mind, maybe it's the food angle, but I thought this was a very compelling project. Could be scaled I'd think. Your Taco, Deconstructed.

Permalink Reply by Derrall Garrison on March 4, 2010 at 11:23am

I really like the Edutopia video on a group of kinders that are problem solving a trip to another place. They are drawing upon their real world understanding of what it would take to travel to another country. Don't know if you have seen it or not, but it looked like the type of classroom I would love to teach in if I taught that grade level. It seemed to engage them in a way that they would think through a task.

Edutopia VIdeo

Permalink Reply by Kyla Fisher on March 5, 2010 at 9:53am

The Edutopia video looks interesting - no sound on my computer - so I will wait until I can get to hear it as well. Do you know, is this a school curriculum or just in this classroom? I would love to teach this way - but I am not sure how it would work out in a school that uses traditional methods of teaching. Thanks for the suggestion - I can't wait to check it out