Innovator's Mindset Week 3 Reflection

After reading Part 2 of the Innovator's Mindset and watching the Youtube discussion, the following passage caused me to reflect on how I structure my classroom and lessons:

8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom

1) Voice -- Do students have a say in what they're learning? 

     Possibilities: surveying students; making changes to curriculum/content/goals based on student feedback -- How else can we include student voice in our classrooms?

2) Choice -- How do students have a choice in what they learn?

     Possibilities: Genius Hour; Choice Boards; Build challenges -- How are students able to choose what they learn in your classroom?

3) Reflection -- How often do students reflect on their work?

     Students need time to think about their learning. Many times, we give a grade and their learning stops. They need time to think about what went well, what didn't, and what can change.

4) Innovation -- How often to students have time to create something new and better?

      Possibilities: Cardboard Challenges; Passion Projects; STEAM projects

5) Critical Thinkers -- How often do students develop and ask their own questions?

     Possibilities: "I Wonder" days -- students develop questions and research them 

6) Problem Solvers -- How often are students solving/finding real world problems?

    Possibilities: students can find an issue with the school and create a solution -- What are other ways we can empower students?

7) Self-Assessment -- How often do students assess their work?

     Possibilities: students can use a kid-friendly rubric to check their work and to provide feedback to a partner. Students can then make changes based on feedback from the rubric and their peers.

8) Connected Learning -- How often do students connect with experts?

     Possibilities: Virtual Fieldtrips; Connecting with experts via Skype, Google Hangouts, or Social Media

Inquiry Based Learning ISTE 2016

After roaming the Vendor Hall upstairs (I'll write a post about the cool thing I found up there later), it's onto my 2nd session of the day:

Using Inquiry for Deeper Understanding by Adina Sullivan

Adina's website and Adina's Inquiry presentation

Essential Questions:
-What conditions do you need to learn something that isn't your favorite subject/topic?
-How is this same or different for your students?
-How do you learn differently when you are interested vs when you are just doing as you are told/expected?

Inquiry:
-Problem-solving and critical thinking skills
-Facilitates a transfer of knowledge and concepts through creativity and reflection
-Self-directed learning skills using communication and collaboration
-Deeper levels of engagement and understanding

Inquiry Cycle = Questioning =>Research => Discussion => Creating => Reflection => back to Questioning

Science Leadership Academy -- school in Pennsylvania strictly inquiry-based

Inquiry Based learning resources

LittleBits and Design Thinking ISTE2016

It's the third and final day of ISTE2016. For my first session, I'm attending:

Creativity, Innovation, and a "LittleBit" of Design Thinking

LittleBits website

I recently received 4 sets of LittleBits from a Donor's Choose project and am excited to see how other educators are using them. They're essentially small circuits that piece together. Students can build all sorts of things with them.

Little Bits Design Challenge:
-students work collaboratively with LittleBits to create something that makes the world better

Design Thinking:
1) Exploration (empathize & define) -- where do you see problems? Can you define it?
2) Ideation (ideate) -- brainstorming
3) Prototyping (prototype) -- building their first model
4)Modification (test) -- testing and making changes to the prototype
5) Sharing -- could they share beyond the classroom? video? podcast?

Design Thinking => Constructivistm (makerspaces) => Inquiry-based learning

My thoughts:
Design Thinking can work in almost any classroom, content-area, or grade level. In literacy, students can take a stance, research their stance, write an essay explaining their stance, rewrite after constructive criticism, and share it with the world through a blog. The more time spent around the exploration and ideation process the better. Students need to become comfortable with asking questions and thinking deeply on how to answer those questions. This will, hopefully, foster life-long learning in our students and give them the confidence to be curious explorers.

Extra Resources:

NASA Partners with LittleBits Electronics on STEM Activities 

Design Thinking for Educators

New littleBits Education helps schools integrate STEM/STEAM

Design Thinking: Lessons for the Classroom

Case Study: Design Thinking STEAM School

Genius Hour

TeachThought has recently jumped on board with the Genius Hour imitative, basically a way for students to complete an inquiry-based project around something they're passionate about. TeachThought provides 2 podcasts on providing ways for students to create higher level questions. Also, you can sign up for a workshop on creating a Genius Hour project for your students.

Inquiry Based Learning

I recently listened to TeachThought's Podcast (Epsiode 37) about strategies to effectively implement inquiry into your everyday classroom routines. Kimberly Mitchell spoke about the 5 strategies she helped to create involving inquiry based learning and her website: Inquiry Partners. The podcast was an excellent introduction into her 5 strategies:

1) Personal/Emotional Connections
2) Ask higher level questions, talk less
3) Encourage students to use evidence
4) Maintain neutrality during class discussions - be a facilitator
5) Increase student thinking time

Also, the Inquiry Partners website includes videos of each inquiry strategy being effectively implemented into a classroom environment.

Project Based Learning

As a technology teacher, my students learning happens while completing projects. It's difficult to plan projects and many mistakes can be made along the way. To combat this, Edutopia posted a helpful article about project based learning titled, "Avoiding the Flop: 5 Questions to Guide Projects and Inquiry." It's a great resource for any teacher trying to create projects for their students to complete.